Virtual Reality (VR) is a hot topic at the moment. Is VR the future of gaming or merely a costly flop? After owning and using my PSVR for a week, I think it’s ultimately neither and I’ll try to explain why…
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Let’s start with my experience of the PSVR headset itself. It’s incredibly comfortable. Sony has done a great job of distributing the weight of the headset so it isn’t a burden on you. It feels sturdy and is easy to take on and off. The setup is also remarkably simple, even with the high number of cables, as your PS4 walks you through the setup very nicely. The screen, while lower in resolution compared to its competitors, is crisp enough to give a good sense of ‘presence’ (the feeling you are in a virtual world). Sony has also used a unique screen that manages to almost remove the screen door effect (being able to see between the pixels), which is fantastic.
Finally comes the tracking of both the headset and the Move and DualShock controller, which I personally have had no problems with. I believe some of the issues others have experienced could be fixed by software updates or through tweaking the setup for individual users. Overall, the headset is a fantastic piece of tech especially considering it’s first generation hardware.
“Experiencing Allumette on PSVR made me realise that VR can be so much more than just a gaming peripheral”
It’s not all about the headset though and PSVR makes a convincing argument for itself in its launch lineup of games and ‘experiences’. My favourite experience with PSVR to date is still The London Heist, a 45-minute collection of interactive scenes that tell the story of a heist gone wrong in the seedy underbelly of London. Interacting with objects using the dual move controllers, along with the crisp and clear visuals, totally immersed me in the experience. I found myself ducking my head to avoid incoming fire and aiming and reloading intuitively using the move controllers. The PSVR had me convinced I was in a high speed chase or being interrogated by a British gangster, and it was incredible. The London Heist wasn’t alone in this respect either with Driveclub VR and Hustle Kings VR being other favourites of mine for plunging you into that environment.
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While these games and experiences are fantastic, they are not what makes VR really stand out to me. Experiencing Allumette on PSVR made me realise that VR can be so much more than just a gaming peripheral. Allumette was a beautiful VR animation telling a story about a little girl in a city in the sky and it showed me how the sense of immersion that VR gives can extend beyond games and has the potential to transform all media we consume.
VR isn’t necessarily the future of gaming but that does not mean it isn’t a truly captivating way of playing. Where VR really impresses me is in its ability to place you convincingly in a virtual world and this has the potential to revolutionize all forms of media. I think VR is here to stay and I think Sony’s headset competes with the best of them.
