By Anthony O'Connor
The Premise
The dream of virtual reality has inspired the imaginations of generations. The term was popularised in the 1980s, but the concept of escaping to a virtual world has existed for much longer. Various attempts at perfecting the formula have been made over the years, but much like the VR thriller, The Lawnmower Man (1992) the results have aged poorly.
PSVR is the latest attempt at bringing immersive, effective and affordable Virtual Reality into the homes of PS4 and PS4 Pro owners. So is this another Lawnmower Man, or have we leveled up to Strange Days or even The Matrix in terms of quality? Join us in this deep dive into PSVR…
The Kit
A major sticking point with the previous VR setups have been their inherent impracticality. Not everyone has the space for a massive, mech-sized rig in their lounge room. On that count PSVR succeeds beautifully. You have a headset that plugs into your PS4 or PS4 Pro, a camera that is best placed atop your telly and various other cords that, while a trifle clunky, are easily disassembled and put away between sessions.
In fact, it should be noted that setting up PSVR is a breeze. A small confession: despite writing about games and tech, I am spectacularly dense when it comes to troubleshooting. I usually need to enlist the help of several friends who calmly explain that yelling at my broken machine won’t fix it, and perhaps I should put the whiskey bottle down. Happily, even my borderline-luddite tendencies were enough to put everything together in a shade under ten minutes. To make sure this wasn’t a fluke I took it apart and put it together again, this time in just over five. This is idiot-proof tech that asks very little of you, and in terms of user-friendliness this is a massive success.
The Experience
When IMAX was first introduced into Australia, I remember being terribly excited. I’d read all about it – the size of the screen, the sense of being immersed in a movie – and yet until I was actually sitting in my seat, looking up at that massive screen, I really didn’t get it. PSVR is the same.
Yes, you intellectually understand that you’ll be inside a world, standing in an alternate reality, with your vision completely hijacked; 360 degrees of somewhere else. But until you’ve strapped on the headset and booted your first game you don’t really get it.
The first title I booted up was The Deep from the PSVR Worlds disc. This particular demo is less game and more “experience”, but it’s a good one. The narrative has you popping in a cage and sinking below the briny depths of the sea, when a particularly massive shark takes an uncomfortable interest in your delicious flesh.
There’s nothing particularly clever or original about the brief tale The Deep tells, but experiencing it in 360 degrees of underwater terror is engaging and scary in the best possible way. When the shark moved towards me I moved back, when it started worrying the cage bars with its massive teeth I cringed and tried to hide. Intellectually I knew the only thing to worry about was banging my knee against the coffee table, but intellect came in second place to what my eyes and ears were telling me.
My next stop was Batman: Arkham VR, which again was more a series of interactive experiences rather than a consistent game. That said, the experience of standing in the Batcave and fanging batarangs at distant targets was as enjoyable as any prior Batman experience I’d ever had. The title’s third act twist into insanity was also genuinely shocking and I felt like I’d lived through something unique. Now I’ll probably never play Batman: Arkham VR or The Deep again – once you know what the experience holds, it’s over – but they were both hugely memorable.
Other intriguing experiences were the excellent David Attenborough documentaries First Life VR, Cocos: Shark Island and Atomic Ghost Fleet. If you’ve ever wanted to exist in a world narrated by Sir Dave’s dulcet tones then these are for you, and honestly a clever way of making nature docos more immersive and compelling.
The Software
Experiences and documentaries are all good and well, but eventually you’ll hunger for something more substantial. You’ll want the games. So how does PSVR stack up? Right now it’s a mixed bag that’s getting better. If you do invest in PSVR these are some games you need.
Farpoint – boasting a snazzy new Aim Controller (aka the gun) and a robust, challenging story campaign, Farpoint is the best shooting available in VR. Check out our review here.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew VR – It’s the best game currently available for VR and with 2-3 mates an easy contender for Game of the Year. A massively enjoyable experience, review here.
Rez: Infinite – an HD remake of the classic PS2 game, Rez: Infinite is a glorious, trippy, colourful adventure that causes intermittent bouts of ecstatic synaesthesia. That’s not an exaggeration, ten minutes in Rez feels like a day’s worth of powerful hallucinations. The old school visuals, the pumping soundtrack and the surreal aesthetic make this a day one must buy.
Resident Evil VII: Biohazard – a great, great game that I loved upon release, but it comes with a caveat. Many folks have experienced severe bouts of nausea when playing REVII in VR, including yours truly. I highly recommend you try at a friend’s place, or in store, before investing the money, unless of course you already own the game, and you should – it’s great. Playing in VR, however, takes the horror and fear to the next level and if your stomach can take it, this is an unmissable horror experience.
Star Wars: Battlefront (VR mission) – although Battlefront was a little disappointing in terms of combat depth, the free downloadable VR mission is a must. Live out your dreams of piloting an X-Wing in this authentically cinematic experience.
Also honorable mentions go to Thumper, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Eve: Valkyrie and the hilarious Job Simulator.
So let’s talk about overall quality. First…
The Pros
- Easy to set up
- Comparatively cheap price point
- Wide range of software with Sony continuing to support the tech
- Genuinely immersive experience unlike anything else
- An early look at the future of gaming
But, also…
The Cons
- You may need to rearrange furniture in smaller lounge rooms
- Even a “comparatively” cheap price point is a significant investment
- Only a handful of mind-blowing games so far
- Can cause dizziness, nausea and sweating in some people
- The technology is new, so bugs do occur
The Conclusion
At around $499, PSVR is the cheapest and friendliest VR in town. That said, it’s still a significant investment of your time and money. The question ‘is it worth it?’ is a deeply subjective one, and you probably know the answer already.
Are you the kind of person who wants to escape to a different reality, and are you capable of overlooking a few rough edges for the sake of a beautifully immersive experience? If so, then PSVR will rock your world. It’s not perfect, but it’s a confident first step into a new way of experiencing games and media. Just watch out for that coffee table, though.
PSVR is available now for PS4 and PS4 Pro – as is all the software discussed. Special thanks to the crew at One Green Bean for their support.
