Beat Saber v1.34.4 BETA Update Released

Hey players, Beta branch (1.34.4) for Beat Saber is available now. In this beta release, we're introducing modularity to facilitate the addition of new content through modules, making the development and release of new features and content more efficient. While this update may not impact the majority of players, we would like to provide some insight into it. Please share your feedback with us, and if you experience any issues during the beta, don't hesitate to let us know.

Note: This Beta doesn't include any new music or feature content.

Why are we doing this?

When we began developing Beat Saber back in 2016, we never could have imagined its immense success and rapid growth. As a result, our game architecture was not initially equipped to handle this scale. However, as we continue to build and expand the game, with plans to provide even more content to our players, it's important we make these changes to support growth.

This update is crucial for our future plans and will improve developer experience in a major way. We will be able to create builds, iterate and compile faster. Generally, the developer workflow will be faster and more streamlined.

What are modules?

Modules or packages are a self-contained group of assets (textures, shaders, beatmaps, songs, etc.) and scripts. For example, when launching a new music pack or feature, everything connected to this piece of content will be launched as part of a module. Releasing content as part of modules will lead to more streamlined processes and prevent us from impacting the rest of the game.

What are the benefits?

We can now react faster and create more content in less time. How?
- We can develop game features and content (i.e. Music Packs) simultaneously and can easily adjust release timing, etc. (this is currently not easy to do).
- Developer experience and processes will improve, and we will be more agile in development.
- While updating a module, the change will only impact a specific module, instead of impacting the whole codebase (as it could until now). This means that the changes will be only local.
- We will have much better insight into what we are changing in the game. That will allow us to see exactly which parts of code changed as we can track them down easily.

Timing

After launching the Beta, the LIVE update is currently planned to launch on **February 5, 2024** but we will keep everyone posted through this channel on the final release date.

Please share feedback if you encounter any issues with this Beta. We want to ensure everyone's experience is as seamless as possible.

How to get Beta

- How to join BETA branch on Steam:
Open Steam -> Right click on Beat Saber -> Properties -> Betas -> Select the 1.34.4_beta -> Update Beat Saber