One of the most exciting things this fall for gaming is the introduction of a (more) affordable VR headset coming for console users. The Playstation VR is coming this October 13 to the market for PS4 and PS4 Slim users, and soon to PS4 Pro users. I was lucky enough to have a local Playstation Experience event near me where I was to able to go with my brother and test out PSVR.
The first thing I have to note, is that the PSVR is slick, and honestly looks cool and feels good. If you can’t tell from the picture above of my brother using the headset, it is designed well, and there is not much of anything for me to criticize. The only thing I’m curious about is how durable the headset actually is. While talking to the event worker, she told me that she has had grown men get scared during the Into the Deep game and throw the headset. Even after that though, the headset remained intact. This is definitely a good sign that you might not have to worry too much about breaking this expensive headset.
Eve Valkyrie image via playstation.com
While at the event, I was able to test out 2 games. My first choice was Eve Valkyrie, which is actually an already existing VR title for PC users. The game ran smoothly, and as my first taste of VR gaming, I have to say that this was incredible. I had tried out the Gear VR headset before, but the head tracking that the PSVR has takes it to the next level. The fact that I am able to look behind me and see the rest of my ship, as well as look away from the enemy ship in front of me so that I can tell where the other enemies are above me is amazing. The game was fun, and it’s definitely something I’m going to have to pick up when I get PSVR this fall.
The game demo started in a hangar, where my ship took off down a long opening into the actual open space. From there the other characters babbled until the enemy ships flooded the screen and the game turned into an all-out epic dogfight. I dodged through the wreckage of other ships, as well as used the little cover there was as I survived about 3 waves before I was finally taken out. I would definitely recommend this to anyone getting PSVR, or someone with an already existing gaming VR headset.
Battlezone image via playstation.com
The second game I got the chance to try was a Tron looking tank game called Battlezone. I had seen the trailers for this game, and I knew going into it that this was a demo I had to try. Once again, I was able to jump in and look around and see all the different parts of my tank, including the cockpit around me and all the unique little details on the dashboard. The gameplay was smooth, and the VR really contributed to the overall feel and fun of the game.
The demo starts with you moving forward towards the exit of this battle-station hangar sort of room, and onto the actual arena. Once on the arena, various red tanks and airships begin to attack you, and as the rounds move on the enemies become stronger and increase in numbers. This demo ended when these giant turrets spawned and I eventually was destroyed by the overwhelming odds.
Overall, this event was a great opportunity to test out the upcoming PSVR, and it was better than I expected. I actually walked away wanting PSVR more than ever before, and it’s because of this that I’ve decided that this will be one of the first things I get this fall, as opposed to some of the big games coming out.
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