I finally jumped into PSVR today. Vacation has started, so what better time to give it a go, right? So I finally unboxed the headset to see what all this hype was about. And...
I am going to start from the beginning here, because the starting is actually me being super annoyed, and I like bitching. But holy fucking shit this is the most annoying thing ever to set up. It took me forever to get the whole tangle with the wires and the breakout box sorted (and I don't even want to look at the back of my entertainment center anymore, I'm pretty sure NASA server rooms in the 1960s didn't look as messy). Then came the next part where I had to put the headset on, and... my head is too big for it? The stupid thing wouldn't go on. Finally figured it out after some fiddling, and then I turned it on.
I have had minimal experience with VR previously. I tried a PSVR demo once, and the game they gave me was that EVE space shooter spin off. I tried it for a few minutes, and moved on. It made no impression on me, and I didn't care. VR as a whole format is something I have respected from the sides, but not really given a shit about myself. The only reason I bought PSVR now at all was because I had heard so many good things about Astro Bot, and I could get the Astro Bot PSVR bundle new for $150 CAD, at which point why not.
Where I am going with this is that, for all purposes, this was basically my first time with VR.
And hoooooooly shit.
Once again, the actual setup took a while, and had some problems, but as soon as that was done, the sense of immersion was total, complete, absolute. I have literally never seen (wrong word? Experienced, maybe?) anything like this. I started up Astro Bot, and yeah, I think the hype is right on that game. I'm really early in, so I won't make any final judgement (plus I'm in a general state of having my mind blown by VR), but I have literally never seen a game designed like it. It's entirely new dimensions thrown in. The whole concept of a game space and how to see and interact with it gets an entirely new meaning. It's unreal.
The best part? I was expecting motion sickness, and while the very first time the camera moves in Astro Bot pulled the rug out from under me (literally), that was it. There has been no sickness and nausea since. It's so insane, especially because I am so susceptible to motion sickness otherwise (even normal first person games make me sick).
But back to VR—I've never, ever seen anything like this. You can't be prepared for it until you slip the headset on and see for yourself. It's an all new mode of game design, it's totally unlike anything else on the market. People who know of my gaming tastes on this forum know that I (generally but not always) eschew traditional AAA experiences, and I like mechanical inventiveness more in my games—one of the reasons I love the Switch and its library so much, for example. PSVR is that, but in an entirely new frontier of gaming, where I find myself in an all new space, all new school of design, where basic mechanics have to be rethought. It's amazing.
The PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will come along, and they will give us the same old, but shinier. And that's fine, I am glad that exists, and there is a place for that in the industry, and I myself enjoy a lot of that. But as far as actual next generation design goes, this is it, and nothing either of those do will compare. Taking off the headset and going back to a flat screen felt positively diminutive.
Final notes:
I am going to start from the beginning here, because the starting is actually me being super annoyed, and I like bitching. But holy fucking shit this is the most annoying thing ever to set up. It took me forever to get the whole tangle with the wires and the breakout box sorted (and I don't even want to look at the back of my entertainment center anymore, I'm pretty sure NASA server rooms in the 1960s didn't look as messy). Then came the next part where I had to put the headset on, and... my head is too big for it? The stupid thing wouldn't go on. Finally figured it out after some fiddling, and then I turned it on.
I have had minimal experience with VR previously. I tried a PSVR demo once, and the game they gave me was that EVE space shooter spin off. I tried it for a few minutes, and moved on. It made no impression on me, and I didn't care. VR as a whole format is something I have respected from the sides, but not really given a shit about myself. The only reason I bought PSVR now at all was because I had heard so many good things about Astro Bot, and I could get the Astro Bot PSVR bundle new for $150 CAD, at which point why not.
Where I am going with this is that, for all purposes, this was basically my first time with VR.
And hoooooooly shit.
Once again, the actual setup took a while, and had some problems, but as soon as that was done, the sense of immersion was total, complete, absolute. I have literally never seen (wrong word? Experienced, maybe?) anything like this. I started up Astro Bot, and yeah, I think the hype is right on that game. I'm really early in, so I won't make any final judgement (plus I'm in a general state of having my mind blown by VR), but I have literally never seen a game designed like it. It's entirely new dimensions thrown in. The whole concept of a game space and how to see and interact with it gets an entirely new meaning. It's unreal.
The best part? I was expecting motion sickness, and while the very first time the camera moves in Astro Bot pulled the rug out from under me (literally), that was it. There has been no sickness and nausea since. It's so insane, especially because I am so susceptible to motion sickness otherwise (even normal first person games make me sick).
But back to VR—I've never, ever seen anything like this. You can't be prepared for it until you slip the headset on and see for yourself. It's an all new mode of game design, it's totally unlike anything else on the market. People who know of my gaming tastes on this forum know that I (generally but not always) eschew traditional AAA experiences, and I like mechanical inventiveness more in my games—one of the reasons I love the Switch and its library so much, for example. PSVR is that, but in an entirely new frontier of gaming, where I find myself in an all new space, all new school of design, where basic mechanics have to be rethought. It's amazing.
The PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will come along, and they will give us the same old, but shinier. And that's fine, I am glad that exists, and there is a place for that in the industry, and I myself enjoy a lot of that. But as far as actual next generation design goes, this is it, and nothing either of those do will compare. Taking off the headset and going back to a flat screen felt positively diminutive.
Final notes:
- The headset is super comfortable. It's surprising how unobtrusive it is even when you are wearing it (apart from the whole thing where you sensorarily block out the rest of the world, but work with me here)
- The so called "low resolution" of PSVR doesn't really matter. The sense of immersion is total and absolute, and the games themselves are a delight
- The stereo earbuds that come with the system are surprisingly... good?
- Like I said, early days, but I really like Astro Bot. If you have a PSVR, but don't have this already, please get it. I look forward to completing this, and making an LttP to share my impressions when I do
- I got to hang out with Makoto in VR! That was actually the first thing I did. That alone makes the whole thing worth it.
