A reader extols the virtues of the PSVR2 and argues that VR modes for future big name games will give PlayStation a major advantage over Xbox.
I know, I know. The State of Play wasn’t very good and, frankly, it probably would’ve been better if Sony hadn’t had one at all. But I’m sure Warner Bros. paid for all that Suicide Squad advertising months ago, so Sony didn’t really have a choice. Now, Suicide Squad stunk like a skunk eating garlic, in a rubbish tip, next to a petroleum factory, but that’s not Sony’s fault, so instead I want to talk about something much more positive: PlayStation VR2.
I’ve always been fascinated by VR, and own both a PlayStation VR and a Meta Quest 2, so I had the PlayStation VR2 pre-ordered straight away, even if it was a bit of drain on my wallet. I didn’t order any games though, as I wanted to wait for the reviews. In the end I decided to get Horizon Call Of The Mountain anyway, despite the mixed response, but ended up agreeing with GC’s review, that it wasn’t much more than a tech demo – and an only occasionally interesting one at that.
Although the money wasted burned a bit, this was not the disappointment you might think as the three best things on the headset are completely free: the updates for Gran Turismo 7, Resident Evil Village, and No Man’s Sky. They’re not good because they didn’t cost me anything though, but because they may be the best video game experiences I’ve ever had.
Obviously, I haven’t had that much time with any of them yet but Gran Turismo 7 is so realistic, it’s well… unreal. Especially if you have a racing wheel and pedals, which I do, it’s hard to imagine it ever being more realistic than this. People have been saying that about video games for decades, and of course they’re always wrong, but for me this is a Super Mario 64 moment, where you feel the whole technology of gaming shift.
It’s not that it’s doing anything completely new but the original PlayStation VR was such a compromise in terms of technology that it’s only now that the promise of VR has finally come true. It’s a shame that it’s not wireless but the graphics are so much better than Meta Quest 2 that this is clearly the better option.
Resident Evil Village is not a very scary game when you play it on a TV but in VR? Everything is terrifying about it. The sense of immersion is amazing and the graphics look so much better than I remember the first time round, which is usually the opposite to how things work when a game begins to age. The way the guns work, the interaction with the environment, the torch, everything is just fantastic and it’s all part of a complete game – not a six hour demo like Call Of The Mountain.
No Man’s Sky is the same – because you’re in a space suit already, and often flying a spaceship, the sense of reality is almost as good as Gran Turismo 7, even though obviously this is science fiction. I hadn’t played the game much before getting it in VR, so I’m not yet familiar with everything it can do, but it absolutely looks and feels like you’re an astronaut explorer out there discovering strange new worlds.
The PlayStation VR2 is amazing but what excites me the most is the idea that many more current and upcoming games will be treated in a similar manner. The idea that any new big budget game coming out has a reasonable chance of being turned into a VR experience of this quality is mind-blowing. Especially if it can be proven that third person games also benefit in a similar way.
In terms of the hardware itself I think this is the best thing Sony has ever produced, but if they can also convince publishers to add VR modes as a matter of course… I honestly think it could win them the generation right there. It’s a major point of difference with Xbox and it’s something different from the previous generation as well.
Take it from someone that has used it: PlayStation VR 2 is amazing and I strongly recommend that if you can get the money together for it that it is absolutely worth it. Here’s hoping we hear about VR modes for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Final Fantasy 16 very soon. It’s just a shame Starfield will never benefit from a VR mode on consoles…
By reader Banshee
The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
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