
Recently I had the amazing opportunity with Thumb Culture to attend a Dig VR press event. Just Add Water and Wired Productions held the day-long event at the awesome DiggerLand theme park in Kent. Not only were we given the chance to experience the new Dig VR simulator game, but we also got to have a go on real-life diggers. Needless to say, mud was thrown around!
We recently covered the news about the game releasing on 24th October. And so getting the chance to play Dig VR and chat to everyone involved made for a fantastic occasion.
Enter Thumb Culture
After having a meet and greet, and winding up Wired’s Community Manager Steve with how close we lived to the venue, we were sorted into our groups and given a timetable of events.
Our first item of the day was to go and play the Dig VR. Happy in the knowledge all I had eaten was a bacon sarnie, and my son regretting his choice of a full fry-up, we made our way to the VR lounge. There we found several Meta Quest 3 stations available. Although I was particularly drawn to a setup that featured an interesting swivelling bar stool.

You Spin Me Right ‘Round
However this was not just simply a stool. But a Roto VR Explorer, a fully integrated motorised VR seat that featured haptic feedback. Chris, a Just Add Water dev, proudly told us how they had used a Software Dev Kit (SDK) to push the way that the Roto VR Explorer seat was used in Dig VR. Most games control the turning of the motorised seat using the direction that the headset is looking.
Whilst in Dig VR the seat is controlled by the way that the digger cab was facing. And it’s the first game to use the seat this way. You could look around freely while seated in the virtual cab without the seat spinning. Then when using the left and right controls of the digger, the seat subtly turns in sync with the cab’s orientation. Clever stuff. If you fancy one of these VR seats they retail at £799 from Roto.
To Diglington!
Donning the headset and loading up Dig VR puts you straight inside a clever tutorial. Having used a digger in real life, I can only explain it as a bit like when you rub your tummy and pat your head, then try and reverse it. Driving the digger is fairly easy, with two levers in front of you that each control a caterpillar track. Reaching forwards in the game lets you grasp the levers. Pushing these both forwards lets you drive in that direction. To spin around you then pull one of these levers back.

It’s the arm and bucket that takes a bit of getting used to! Here you have two 4-directional joysticks, one on either side of the driving controls. The left joystick controls the cab swing to the left and right. Whilst the forwards and backward control the main boom arm up and down. Add to that equation the right joystick where left and right curl and uncurl the bucket. Whilst forward and backward on this joystick moves the stick boom away and close. Now try and remember that while simply excavating your first bucket of mud!

I am pleased to say, as someone who gets motion sickness quite easily, that Dig VR was a pleasant experience.
Real Life Vs VR
Needless to say, Dig VR takes a bit of getting used to. While some people could say that the controls are over complicated, this is how diggers work in real life. Believe me, I have struggled a few times when using a digger in my daily life!
One thing I did initially find with the virtual controls in Dig VR was that you tend to move your hands too far when operating the joysticks. As they are in fixed locations in the game, you have not got that reference when grasping the Meta controllers in your hand. Over time I made a point of keeping my arms locked and simply twisting my wrists, which made the motion of the arm and bucket a simpler affair. There was also the option to control the digger joysticks using the thumbsticks on the controller as well.

Visual & Audio Experience
Graphically Dig VR is how I would expect a light simulation game to look on the Meta Quest 3, slightly cartoony. The diggers have all the screens, buttons, levers and joysticks that you would expect. And the game certainly gives you the feeling of power when digging and moving items around effortlessly. Changing the bucket was a simple affair of having the arm in the right place above the desired attachment and pressing X. Some operations have been made simpler on purpose to allow you to continue with your operations while still giving an arcade feel. I found the animations were fluid even as the arm manoeuvred around.

The other site operatives bouncing around without any legs or arms were amusing. With the focus on the digger and controls throughout, these bumbling bodies are more environmental entities. You know to give the immersion of working on a building site.
I was informed by Leo, MD of Wired Productions, that both their team and Just Add Water had previously visited a digger park up North (everything is up North from where I live!). All in the name of research of course. The entire team wanted to ensure that they mimicked the controls and actions of the diggers as best they could. Sadly for them, it rained the whole day and they were drenched by the end of it! It just goes to show the dedication that goes into making a game as realistic as possible. Thankfully for our day out, the sun was shining and there were no hi-vis waterproofs required.
Radio – Wall Of Sound
While the sound effects of a digger rumbling across terrain along with the arm hydraulics whirling are spot on. I must mention the in-game radio stations. Rather than just have some background music tinkle along with your daily groundwork, here you have a whole host of radio stations to choose from;
- DIG FM. For a high-energy mix of pop hits from every decade from the 80s to present.
- Drumstep Revolution. For a high-energy music experience where fast beats, heavy bass, and electrifying vibes take center stage.
- Sonata Serenade. Brings you the finest classical music compositions, showcasing the complexity and expressive power that define this rich tradition.
- CHYME. For soothing ASMR music and calming sounds.
- Harvest Hits. Featuring acoustic guitars, banjos, fiddles, and harmonicas.
- Lofi Haven. A sanctuary for laid-back, nostalgic sounds featuring vinyl crackles, tape hisses, and samples from jazz, soul, and funk, mixed with electronic beats.
Who would have thought that Dig VR would be on-par with the likes of GTA when it came to radio stations!

With some land excavated and neatly deposited onto a blue tarpaulin, it was time for our group to go roaming around the park. Yes it was time to play on the real diggers. Oh, and to watch Steve dance down the pathway to DIG FM!
Theme Park Time
Over the next few hours, we all got to use large excavators to dig holes, drive a large 8320kg JCB (probably one of my highlights apart from playing Dig VR), get thrown around by a giant 12,060kg JCB that we were strapped to the front of via an elevated platform, chill driving some slow-moving dumpers and also take part in some thrilling mini-games. The mini-games; Dippy Ducks, Buried Treasure and Skittles each used the arm of a static-mounted digger and were great fun, especially when competing with the person beside you. Dig VR also has some mini-games, and I can’t wait to see how they play.

Dig around and find out
Between each group activity, we had a break for a few minutes. I found myself returning to the VR headset and playing Dig VR again. I found that the more I controlled the real-life diggers, the more confident I got with the controls of the virtual game.

As the day came to an end I think it was obvious from the smiles on everyone’s faces, including the 4-pawed Wired Office Motivator, Lia, that it had been a good day out. With a lot of laughter, screams, conversations about Dig VR, as well as lots of hands-on experience.
I would just like to extend a massive Thumb Culture thank you again to Wired Productions and Just Add Water for the invitation to a fantastic day. Team TC are looking forward to reviewing Dig VR in the near future!
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Good Review
The full fry up wasn’t the best choice!