PSVR2: Next-Gen Boogaloo

[Asura]

There was something of a lack of full length games on PSVR. Loads of “experiences” or big title gaiden stuff. It needs to be treated as a stand-alone platform with ground up exclusives.

It depends on what you see as "proper" games; I think that's part of the issue. There are a lot of people who genuinely say that Half-Life Alyx is the only "proper" game for VR; but I find many of those people are the same people who say things like no mobile games are "proper" games and Visual Novels that aren't Ace Attorney aren't "proper games". I'm not saying anyone here is being so reductive but still, it happens.

The PSVR had numerous pretty big budget, VR games, many of which were exclusive (or at least, were "doesn't need a 3-grand VR setup" exclusive at the time). Off the top of my head, I can think of Wipeout HD, Dirt Rally VR, Blood & Truth, Farpoint, Starblood Arena*, RIGS*, Skyrim VR, RAW DATA, SuperHot, Moss, Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, Firewall: Zero Hour. These were all fantastic. I mean the PSVR had more exclusive reasons to buy it after ~18 months than the PS5.

*it's criminal that these two closed really quickly. Sony really dropped the ball there.

I too want to see more stuff like Half Life Alyx and Blood & Truth, and it's fair to say if that's what you want, you're really limited to about ~4 games across all of VR. But I still think it had plenty to like which wasn't just a tech demo.

[fuse]

Sounds very impressive from a technical POV - proper controllers, the pass-through mode, just one cable and so on are all very exciting. My biggest worry is that my big dumb head is going to generate too much heat using the thing. Shaven heads for PSVR2!

Game-wise I'd so glad about RE8 - 7 was the thing that made the original headset worthwhile for me, and whereas I'm told it is not quite as good in regular-o-vision, I'm quietly hoping that a bit more immersion will make it. I've not really had any interest in the Horizon games before, but I'm thinking I might take the plunge for this VR one given it's a shorter more concentrated experience rather than the great big open world setup that puts me off so.

Also can't post in this thread without my usual comment: geez-o, I sure hope they find a way for PSVR1 games to play in it!

[Cassius_Smoke]

It depends on what you see as "proper" games; I think that's part of the issue. There are a lot of people who genuinely say that Half-Life Alyx is the only "proper" game for VR; but I find many of those people are the same people who say things like no mobile games are "proper" games and Visual Novels that aren't Ace Attorney aren't "proper games". I'm not saying anyone here is being so reductive but still, it happens.

The PSVR had numerous pretty big budget, VR games, many of which were exclusive (or at least, were "doesn't need a 3-grand VR setup" exclusive at the time). Off the top of my head, I can think of Wipeout HD, Dirt Rally VR, Blood & Truth, Farpoint, Starblood Arena*, RIGS*, Skyrim VR, RAW DATA, SuperHot, Moss, Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, Firewall: Zero Hour. These were all fantastic. I mean the PSVR had more exclusive reasons to buy it after ~18 months than the PS5.

*it's criminal that these two closed really quickly. Sony really dropped the ball there.

I too want to see more stuff like Half Life Alyx and Blood & Truth, and it's fair to say if that's what you want, you're really limited to about ~4 games across all of VR. But I still think it had plenty to like which wasn't just a tech demo.

There are some 'proper' games on it. But there is easily 4x that number that are just a VR mode tagged on to a full game, a VR experience, or a VR game that's at best 5 levels long.
I think psvr was a good testing ground for this kind of thing, but psvr2 needs to get its big boy pants on and give us big open world titles, full racers, mmorpgs ect.

[Neon Ignition]

Honestly, I think for those seeking games the scale of Alyx there's almost no hope at all on that front. Alyx was great but if anything it almost heralded the end of AAA VR games, the returns clearly aren't large enough to warrant the investment. So, the alternative is the RE8 approach of adapting existing titles which is fine but never reaches the heights of games intended for VR. Next up you then have 'experience' games which are ten a penny but again, as the reveal of the Star Wars remaster shows, are known entities for the most part with less coming out than there used to be. That pretty much leaves the middle ground of 2-6hr titles made by Sony themselves barring the odd exception like The Walking Dead: Sinners and Saints.

That should make PSVR2 worth picking up at some point but... I really have little faith in Sony delivering steady content for it to make paying out Day 1 worthwhile. I'm largely bracing myself for the Vita scenario again, something that is great tech but Sony leaves it to die on the vine after two years of initial support. Horizon actually has a good chance of being possibly the only PS5 visual standard VR game we ever see released.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I think the best way to make this successful is to open it up to PC. If the headset exists on 2 'systems' it will attract more users and more developers.

[Asura]

I think psvr was a good testing ground for this kind of thing, but psvr2 needs to get its big boy pants on and give us big open world titles, full racers, mmorpgs ect.

I can say right now that I think you're going to be disappointed with PSVR2 in that case, even if the hardware is great. I just don't think we're in a place with VR where you can expect a conveyor belt of AAA-in-scope games.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I can say right now that I think you're going to be disappointed with PSVR2 in that case, even if the hardware is great. I just don't think we're in a place with VR where you can expect a conveyor belt of AAA-in-scope games.

I know. I can dream right.
Probably the best way is to put VR modes into existing games. So you can play Spiderman 2 in VR ect. I know it's not that easy but that's the kind of thing that would sell it to the masses.
Still, if GT7 is the full game in VR then that's it sold to me.

[fuse]

I think one of the things I like most about the VR trend is that it brings shorter, more diluted, dare I even say more arcade-y experiences back into the forefront. Even RE7, which I keep evangelising, was pretty punchy (let's not talk about the last third, eh?). The idea of having an open-world, low-engagement collectathon for 80 hours with a helmet strapped to your head does not appeal at all to me.

[wakka]

You didn't enjoy trudging around the boat made out of one copied and pasted corridor?? That was the best bit!

I never actually played 7 in VR, loved it in pancake-o-vision though (apart from the boat) and was envious of those who played it with headsets. But the good news is, although I bought 8 on release day, I actually never got round to properly playing it - so I'm saving the experience now to re-buy in VR

RE: shorter experiences, yes, I'm more than fine with that. I feel exhausted just looking at an open-world-a-thon a lot of the time now. Even Elden Ring I bounced off. Just felt overwhelming, despite being clearly very well made.

[Asura]

Well, ****.

https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1570826219196944385?t=LGM_6EQsMiepimbIHZrIfQ&s=19

[Cassius_Smoke]

Well, ****.

https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1...mbIHZrIfQ&s=19

I expected as much.
I guess they could make a 'ps5' version of some of the easier games, like Wipeout, that don't need the moves. Just head tracking. Doubtful though.

[Neon Ignition]

Till Sony announces an excellent, sustained line up I'm not touching it. Skipping all the content feels like an open invite to be shilled stuff like Superhot and Beat Saber again

[Neon Ignition]

Embedded Tweet

Double down, we don't need loads of regurgitated PSVR1 content

[Family Fry]

Well, ****.

https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1...mbIHZrIfQ&s=19

As suspected when Sony have been radio silent about it for months now, something like BC you shout about from the rooftops.
Obviously there’s no light based tracking on the new headset and every PSVR2 title was made for that tracking which can’t be done.
I’ll be getting it because it’s jazzy new gear and I love that stuff but I’ll only be playing PSVR2 stuff on it, I simply won’t re-buy the stuff that’s redone, simple as. BC should have been looked at and a method should have been created for it.

[kryss]

I think one of the things I like most about the VR trend is that it brings shorter, more diluted, dare I even say more arcade-y experiences back into the forefront. Even RE7, which I keep evangelising, was pretty punchy (let's not talk about the last third, eh?). The idea of having an open-world, low-engagement collectathon for 80 hours with a helmet strapped to your head does not appeal at all to me.

You say that, but No Man's Sky is VR is the ONLY way I will play it now. I can't go back.

Same for Star Wars Squadrons. Amazing in VR, meh on the TV.