A word from the developers

The developers have promised us an “intense single-player, action horror game” set 57 years after the originals Aliens videogame. The studio behind it is called Survios. They have an impressive portfolio of successful games such as Creed: Rise to Glory

“The vast universe of Alien is full of untold stories, and opportunities to create gripping original games,” said 20th Century Games’ Luigi Priore. “We’re thrilled to work with a team like Survios who shares our passion for Alien, and for immersing fans into new worlds and experiences.”

All the details we know so far about the new Aliens game

Information on such newly announced games is always small, but it does give good insight. The new Aliens game features a veteran soldier looking for revenge against the Xenomorphs. The Xenomorphs are an extraterrestrial hive-based alien species that most likely originated from the planet Xenomorph Prime. They are one of the deadliest species of aliens. The tricky thing about them is that they require a host and because of that their appearance may vary severely.

Xenomorphs and their powers

As we previously mentioned, it is believed that they operate under a hive mind. The species has a queen which communicates with other units both telepathically and verbally through shrieks. An interesting thing about this hive mind though is that they create religious cults. One such example was the case of Walter Golic, who received telepathical messages from a Xenomorph that made him see the alien as a god. This feature may lead to interesting plot twists in the new upcoming game if the studio decides to use it.

Closing thoughts

That’s basically all information there is about the new game. We are expecting it to be similar to the 2014 Aliens adaptation Isolation. It was a single-player survival horror game that vastly differed from a more recent title Aliens: Fireteam elite. Fireteam took more of an action-packed approach to the film series. Along with this Aliens game, a new title in the franchise is also in the development process. They announced Aliens: Dark Descent – a new single-player squad-based action game. Hopefully, with their hands full, the studios won’t prioritize one game over the other.

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2021 is probably the year in which the newest VR headsets found their way onto the market. Everyone from tech heavyweights like Hewlett Packard (HP,) to newcomers like Lynx are all hard at work, trying to stake a claim to a unique corner of the market.

Here, Bizznerd takes a look at the best that 2021 had to offer, in terms of VR headsets. We did not just go for the highest sales, which would speak – mostly – to popularity, but we looked at functionality as well. Without any further chit-chat, here are the best VR headsets of 2021.

5 Valve Index

The Valve Index is a class-leading piece of VR equipment, with its 2880 x 1600 at 120 Hz AMOLED display and individual finger tracking. Its sole letdown is its price, too restrictive for most consumers. Valve’s display system gives the Quest 2 and Vive Pro a decent run for their money, with a superior refresh rate of 120Hz as a standard feature. The 144Hz upgrade is still an experimental feature though. In addition to that, it offers an impressive 130° field of vision, which completely trumps competitors. The Valve Index would be higher up the list – at the top position – except, it’s the price (one could buy three Quest 2’s for its price) which makes it out of reach for the average consumer. More of an aspirational device for many.

4 HTC Vive Cosmos

The HTC Vive Cosmos has quite a lot going for it as a VR headset. With crisply accurate hand tracking, it fits comfortably and has the bonus of a conveniently modular design. The gripes that one might have with the device is that it is a tethered Head Mounted Display system, requiring connection to a PC. It also has a lower screen resolution than it should, for the price it fetches. The modular design seems to be the best selling point if you ask us. It offers the convenience of customizing one’s device with upgrades that they believe would be most beneficial to their immersive experience.

3 HP Reverb G2

On paper, this is a phenomenal headset. A 4K display system, at a lower price point than most competitors. The device also boasts a 114° Field of View in its 4320 x 2160 pixel, per eye, lenses. The only way this bad boy doesn’t trump the Quest 2 is its refresh rate, which equal’s Meta’s top-selling Quest 2 HMD system, at 90Hz. What lets this device down is the most sites tracking system, rather limited without – additional cost causing – base stations.

2 HTC Vive Pro 2

Then we have our runner-up, the HTC Vive Pro 2. This beast boasts a 4896 x 2448 display system, delivering a refresh rate of 120Hz. The LCD-based visual delivery system offers a 120° FoV, which is just awesome. The downside, however, is that this device – though it offers incredibly accurate hand tracking – requires a headset and tracking devices, which include a pair of controllers, and a pair of satellites. Which will set one back a cool 1,300 dollars. The headset alone will cost $799.

1 Meta Quest 2

Taking number one is the Meta – formerly Oculus – Quest 2, which stole the show in 2021. The 1832 x 1920 (per eye) display offers a 90 Hz (upgraded to 120HZ display, and a 100° FoV). Technically, it has drives that knock its abilities into the ground, but Quest 2 delivered the most consumer-friendly devices of the lot. Offering a competitive piece of VR technology, at a very consumer-centric price, the device became the go-to headset for consumers, new and old, to VR.

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Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, in the VR title, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, puts the player – through immersion – in a zombie tale similar to the ones the franchise usually present. The player even has the opportunity to make moral choices, which have an effect on gameplay.

Arizona Sunshine, developed by Jaywalkers Interactive, and Published by Vertigo Games, sees the player dealing with a lot of loneliness, while fending off waves of zombies. It relies on a single, nameless character – who may be the only surviving human – as opposed to it’s genre-mate, which has players deal with a good number of in-game characters.

We gave a look at both Zombie titles to see which was best. Here’s what we found:

Saints & Sinners

Developed and published by Skydance Interactive, in close association which The Walking Dead franchise creators, Skybound Entertainment, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is a VR-based First-Person-Shooter, Survival Horror title based on Robert Kirkman’s zombie franchise.

The game follows a lone traveller known as the Tourist. As the Trourist, who can be male or female – as the player chooses – one happens upon a post-zombie outbreak New Orleans. There are two factions vying for control of, zombie infested, New Orleans, the Reclaimed, and the Tower.

The game doesn’t get off to a friendly start, and informs the player of the realities of a zombie apocalypse right from the get-go. The first acquaintance one makes in the game – who is good for orientation purposes – soon meets his end, after the player is swarmed by zombies in the water. The player can either mercy-kill character known as Henri or let him die.

This is the first of several moral choices that the game will put in a player’s hands. Killing May Benoit, or not? Flooding an old military facility, or not? which of the factions to side with? The player faces a few choices that affect the overall storyline.

The game, released in 2020, saw a lot of critical praise after release. In addition to being nominated for awards, Saints and Sinners was lauded on if the best things to happen to the VR title. Though much of the praise could be attributed to the franchise it’s attached to.

Arizona Sunshine

This title puts the player on a lonelier path. As – what is seemingly – the sole human survivor of a zombie apocalypse, the nameless protagonist of this title has no allies to rely on, and must rough it alone. Waking in the middle of the Arizona River Valley, the player must hack and slash through zombie hordes until they come across a radio, wich offers one’s first glimmer of hope.

After finding a stronger radio, and determining the source of the signal (a refinery that enjoys military protection.) disappointed to find the place overrun by zombies, he goes into a fit of rage, and kills everything walking. His next stop is Sunshine, an Arizona town, which reveals an interesting twist in the plot.

Dates of Release: Arizona Sunshine was released in December of 2016, while Saints & Sinners saw 3 separate platform releases – January, May, and October – during 2020. Saints and Sinners has the advantage of being a newer game, allowing for updated graphics, and VR gameplay improvements, though Arizona Sunshine is no slacker on updates.

Platforms: Saints & Sinners can be enjoyed on Oculus Rift PC, PlayStation VR, and Meta Quest. Arizona Sunshine – on the other hand – is available on a number of VR platforms, Windows, PlayStation 4, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, HTC Vive, Valve Index, on account of being an older game.

Which Is Best?

Well that’s a matter of preference. Both titles have something to offer. While The Walking Dead’s storyline offers a lot of characters to interact with, one cannot enjoy multiplayer action while running through this title, Arizona Sunshine, on the other hand, allows for multiplayer, and single player action.

As we said, it depends on your style of gaming, Arizona Sunshine, though allowing multiple players to connect, only has zombies as in-game characters, while Saints & Sinners tries to be a complete story, having one make decisions around what a certain in-game character may have said, or done.

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There are more VR gaming titles out there than ever before. They span a wide variety of products, with many easily accessed on third-party ecosystems like steam VR.

Of the many VR games that are out there, there are a few that stand out. Here we have listed several VR games that bring a little more to the immersive experience than mere entertainment. They are some of the most engaging, and conceptually crisp titles we can find.

Lone Echo 2

Returning for a second run is photo-realistic, well-designed sci-fi thriller Lone Echo 2. The immersive experience sees the player take on the role of an android, Jack, who must help their human compatriot decipher a dangerous mystery.

Learning to navigate through Zero Gravity environments by pushing off objects will be tricky at first, but worth it. This title is incredible to play, and with the mystery only getting deeper in the sequel, it’s bound to keep one engaged for hours.

No Man’s Sky

This action-adventure survival game was one of the most anticipated games of 2019. It didn’t disappoint, as it delivered dozens of progressively generated planets to explore.

Blade & Sorcery

This medieval combat simulator is something epic. Immersed into a world where one has a blade, and sorcery as weapons – or both simultaneously – against computer-generated foes.

Firing bolts of lightning or infusing said lightning into one’s weapon, to brutally dispatch with foes is sure to deliver hours of fun – as well as stress relief. This offers one of the most unique VR experiences when lightsabers just won’t cut it.

Batman Arkham VR

Batman Arkham VR was a surprise title, as the last Batman game, Batman Arkham Knight was meant to be the final game in the Arkham series. The studio behind it decided to put VR enthusiasts in the Batman hood, with an investigative Batman title.

One does not get to be a violent, thug-beating Batman, but are forced to take on the role of Batman the world’s greatest detective. This title has the Bat solving a mystery while exploring the darker, grittier parts of Gotham, with a few appearances from a few of the hero’s most famous foes.

Astro Bot: Rescue Mission

This is a platformer that is just great, the fact that it’s VR based is more of a bonus. This game – you’ll have to play it to believe it – is just incredible.

Armed with an assortment of guns, the player must travel across space to rescue crew members. The worlds are 3D, which offers a unique dynamic to the platformer genre.

Danger Goat

Danger Goat is a puzzle/platform game from nDreams, a British VR gaming studio. Now available on PSVR, and Windows VR, the title was designed to showcase the now discontinued Google Daydream MR (Mixed Reality headset.)

Using one’s controllers, one must manipulate the world which Danger Goat must traverse to reach safety. There are 28 inventive levels laden with boobytraps and enemies who fully intend to destroy your goat friend.

Beat Saber

This is Dance Dance Revolution mixed with Star Wars. To a tune, one is expected to hack and slash at floating blocks, while ducking under, over and sliding away from obstacles.

Not a game one can enjoy in a seated position, Beat Saber is one design to have you breaking a sweat. Very simple concept, also incredibly engaging. This title is fantastic for a solid cardio workout.

Half-Life: Alyx

The first Half-Life game in quite some time. Half-Life: Alyx has players take on the role of Alyx Vance, a fan-favourite character, attached to the Half-Life series of games.

The title is set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. This is 11 hours of solving mysteries and combating Combine alien enemies. Experiencing the Half-Life universe through the immersive power of VR is quite the trip.

Star Wars: Squadrons

Star Wars is one of those franchises that are just may for immersive experiences. The sci-fi genre seems to fit quite well with Vy.

In Squadrons, players have the choice of being either Rebel or Imperial pilots. Whichever side you pick doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that one gets to pilot a spacecraft and take part in the most epic space-based dog fights. It’s a combat flight simulator that puts one in the cockpit of one of those Star Wars jets, and blasts enemies to smithereens.

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Since 2015, HTC shifted its focus from the smartphones that had helped the Taiwanese corporations gain the International acclaim it enjoys – a direct result of increased competition from Apple and Samsung, to fighting for a leading position in the fledgling Virtual Reality market.

To that end, HTC spent a good part of the past half a decade or so concentrating mostly on commerce-oriented Virtual Reality solutions – even though the company’s Vive range offered headsets that were up to task for the purpose of VR gaming.

This time, the HTC Vive Flow brings the company’s focus right back to the entertainment focused VR consumers – everyday people like you and I trying to get a taste of the latest in immersive entertainment technology. However, one should not look at the ultra lightweight Vive Flow as a direct competitor to the Oculus Quest 2 – even though the MSRP of $499 might have you thinking that it is.

Key features and specs

One of the HTC Vive Flow’s most noticeable characteristics is how it looks – visually, this headset definitely doesn’t follow the same design ethos of the typical VR goggles that we see on the market. It’s front end features a pair of sizable mirrored lenses that give it a Magic Leap AR Glasses x WW2 pilot goggles look.

That said, the Vive Flow’s price tag should not get the gaming focused VR enthusiast too excited as this headset was not developed with Half Life Alyx in mind – you won’t find any handheld controllers for this pair of VR goggles. Instead, HTC made portability and convenience their main areas of focus of the Vive Flow.

“We wanted to get to something lighter, more wearable, easier to travel with,” noted Dan O’Brien, the head of HTC’s VR division.

A goal that O’Brien and his team definitely fulfilled, the Vive Flow weighs in at an ultra light 189g – especially impressive when considering the Oculus Quest 2’s comparatively hefty weight reading of 500g – and works by connecting to your Android device.

However, to achieve this goal, some concessions had to be made. Beyond almost completely ignoring the rapidly growing VR gaming market with the Vive Flow, this VR headset relies mostly on external sources to power it. According to HTC, using a fully charged 10,000 mAh power bank should get you roughly 4-5 hours of immersion – or simply plugin to the nearest USB-C port.

That aforementioned immersion is experienced through two 1600 × 1600 resolution displays – giving you a total resolution of 3,2k – with a 75Hz refresh rate. The field of view seems a little restricted at 100 degrees, especially when compared to the Quest 2’s 120 degrees.

On the inside, the Vive Flow is powered by the Qualcomm’s XR1 processor and 4GB of RAM. The Vive Flow gives the user 64GB of memory – which cannot be expanded – and has two cameras on the front end that are responsible for motion tracking.

Final thoughts

From it’s rather unique design, to it working via an Android device, the HTC Vive Flow is substantially different from any other VR headset on the market – in fact, it could easily be mistaken for a pair of Augmented Reality glasses.

That said, the fact that it isn’t meant for gaming puts a lot of restrictions on the headset’s use cases – especially at that price point. For many everyday consumers, $499 might be a little too steep for the simple pleasures of VR during a flight or a long haul bus ride – even with the 100-150 apps it supports.

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Developed and published by WarpFrog, Blade and Sorcery: Nomad is a Meta Quest 2 exclusive of the immensely popular “built-for-VR medieval fantasy sandbox” game that’s been making waves on PCVR since its release in December 2018.

Being a version that is optimized to suit a stand-alone VR headset, Blade and Sorcery: Nomad has had a little bit of it shaved off so one should not expect it to be as visually gratifying as its PCVR counterpart. However, the physics – which is a major factor of why this is such a great title – remains largely unchanged.

What’s it like to play?

Blade and Sorcery: Nomad is all about the player, by that I mean, there is no storyline that dictates when you get to do what. With this game “the combat is limited only by your own creativity.”  Though it is a game, Blade and Sorcery simply aims to be the best simulation of medieval combat – with a bit of magic thrown in for good measure.

“A big component of Blade & Sorcery, and something that might be tricky for people to wrap their head around at first, is that primarily it is a simulation and secondary a game,” as per The Barro, who is a  developer at WarpFrog and the community manager of Blades and Sorcery.

That said, Quest 2 owners who want to give  Blade and Sorcery: Nomad a run will be in for a little less in the way of enemies and maps. For example, players who’ve had a taste of the PCVR version might notice that Nomad is missing the Citadel map – which thes been giving the developers a hard time as they’ve been battling to get it to work on Quest 2.

Besides using the games renowned physics and a wide variety of medieval weapons to slay hilariously doll-like “AI” enemies, Nomad also features a “Dungeons” game mode that is a little more structured than the regular sandbox delivery of play – it’s the same thing, just procedurally-generated.

Magic is also a key part of playing Blades and Sorcery: Nomad and it can be used as a direct attack – like throwing a ball of fire at a foe, or used to enchant an equipped weapon, or even slow down time for those YouTube worthy cinematics. All in all, this game amounts to a satisfactory experience for those who would be interested in simulating the gore of medieval combat – even with the enemy’s clownish behaviour.

Other key points

Nomad is set to receive all the exact updates as it’s PCVR sibling, meaning Quest 2 players are also in line to get the “Progression mode” update that is set to release next year – basically an upgraded form of the Dungeons mode. What this entails is the ability to unlock new weapons, create a separate character from your sandbox character and a range of new abilities and being able to collect loot.

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The decision from Valve – which was taken sometime in October – came as a surprise to many, especially when one considers the massive growth that’s been happening on the back of a sharp rise in the popularity of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). These NFTs, coupled with an in-game cryptocurrency, play a central role in the economics of the vast majority of blockchain built games.

Valve’s decision to ban crypto games as a whole was brought to the public’s attention by SpacePirate, a game developer directly affected by the new rules. Using Twitter as a voice, the developer behind the blockchain game, Age of Rust, reiterated Valve’s new publishing guidelines which do not want blockchain built games that “that issue or allow the exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs’ ‘.

With Steam being one the biggest distribution points for the gaming industry, SpacePirate’s views the new rules as having the potential to create significant disruptions for crypto gaming.

“While I’m disappointed for Age of Rust being removed, the point is more to the fact that Blockchain games as a whole are going to be removed. This is a setback for all.” As SpacePirate explained on Twitter, “While I respect their choice, I fundamentally believe that NFTs and blockchain games are the future. It’s why I started this journey with all of you.”

Though Valve themselves have avoided giving the public any kind of rationale regarding the changes, there have been a few speculative ideas that have done the rounds. One of those being that the company would like to avoid the possibility of getting pulled into some of the bad press that’s been associated with the NFT market,  with the evolved apes debacle being thrown around as an example.

However, according to Space Pirate Games, Valve’s reasoning is as simple as “items [NFTs and in-game cryptocurrencies]  have value and they don’t allow items that can have real-world value on their platform,”.

It’s not game over yet

Though the decision to ban crypto games on one of the most popular game distribution platforms made ripples, the blockchain built games and in-game cryptocurrencies is a concept that’s been gaining momentum for a few years now, and riding the wave of an all-round bull was an added bonus for this segment blockchain technology.

Beyond the general resilience and willingness to adapt that is seen in legitimate blockchain projects and the cryptocurrency market – which have been called scams a countless number of times, one should also consider the fact that Steam has competition, it has competition that is always looking to get an upper hand.

One of those competitors is Epic Games, also a bug name in the gaming industry, Epic believes that NFTs and crypto gaming pose no real threat to their business and are open to having them hosted on their distribution platform. However, the company had previously stated that they currently have no desire to incorporate crypto or NFTs in their own games.

What to take home

Steam’s ban on crypto and NFT infused games was never really going to cripple the new segment, however, it does point to a problem that has been with the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector since the heyday of ICOs – something needs to be done about the scams.

On one hand, decentralization has always been one of the most attractive attributes of blockchain and crypto, however, this leaves the sector quite exposed to the potential threats that look to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. This is not to say that the more centralized approach is flawless, scams have been around before cryptocurrency – in an endless game of cat and mouse with authorities.

Realistically, this is probably the fate of crypto gaming as well. The developers and the public will have to constantly adapt to threats that will consistently do the same and a failure to do so means losses. This is especially true for the public as they are the scammer’s main targets.

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Set will be released in April of 2022 and was developed by startup XR (extended reality) firm, Lynx. The VR-MR headset is designed to deliver the best of both worlds and will blend Virtual Reality (VR,) and Mixed Reality (MR) capabilities into a single device.   

The device is so popular with extended reality fans – ahead of launch – that its Kickstarter fundraising effort doubled its target funding amount. The 15 personnel-strong firm, headed by founder Stan Larroque is hard at work, getting the R1 VR-MR headset ready for its 2022 release – mostly working on software. 

Stats of the Lynx Headset

The Lynx-R1, which is set to be positioned as a competitor to VR-technology’s breakout hardware device, the Meta (formerly Oculus) Quest 2, comes packing some decent, though not class-leading, heat. Battery-life remains a contentious issue, however, as the R1 headset needs the standard 3 hours before it needs a recharge. 

It also packs in its innards a two-LCD display system, running 1600×1600 pixels at 90Hz per screen. The display system offers a 90° field of view – both, horizontally and vertically – on a 56-72mm two, individually adjustable, screen. 

The compact – weighing about 500g – XR device rocks 6GB of RAM, as well as 128GB of internal storage (extendable, up to, 1TB through an SD card.) The device’s in-class competitive hardware is supported by the – the industry-standard – Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2, and is set to come in at a (quite comfortable,) $500 price point when it reaches the market. 

The Lynx-R1’s developer, Lynx – perhaps, as a result of its blending of XR technologies into a single device  – has put a great deal of focus on its (the R1 headset’s) hand-tracking capabilities. The firm has equipped the device with a 6DoF (Degrees of Freedom) Ultrareal hand-tracking system. 

The R1 will also feature Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5 connectivity technology, and while being a standalone device, is also PCVR compatible, and can connect to Steam VR through WiFi. The lenses of the device are quite well designed. The Four-fold catadioptric freeform prism shape gives a distinct look while delivering competitive display technology.

The best selling point of the headset

The Lynx-R1’s greatest selling point – if we have anything to say about it – is the headset’s unique transitioning functionality, between Virtual, and Mixed Reality. Through a technology called RGB passthrough, one can go from being fully immersed in a VR environment, to interacting with virtual objects in the real world. 

The device that is currently available – for critical testing, and prototype display -is a Devkit version, running an Android 10 operating system. The company is still building-out the R1 headset, on the software front, and hopes to be done by April 2022, when the device is set for release. 

Once completed, the device will have its operating system, and fully decked-out ecosystem, and feature the ability to connect to OpenXR. Its display utilities will also get a software-side boost, which ought to take care of the slightly pixelated display and lag in visual adjustment that critics have pointed out. 

Closing

All-in-all, The Lynx R1 is a promising device, with the potential to take up a good amount of market share in the burgeoning XR industry. Ely has potential for new industries – if not, new forms of industrial use – with its VR – MR through capabilities. 

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Released in 2017, 5 years after the last instalment of the original Mass Effect trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda – though based on the original set of games – took the Mass Effect narrative in a completely different direction. Much to the chagrin of the franchise’s most die-hard fans, the fourth Mass Effect title took on a more exploration feel to the original. 

How does Mass Effect: Andromeda differ from other Mass Effect games?

As the game was set in a different galaxy, it put less emphasis on combat, and more on exploration and relationship building. Leaning too heavily on the first Mass Effect game’s strengths backfired, however, and fans – who probably expected more of the intense combat offered in the follow-up Mass Effect titles – expressed their displeasure at the game’s slow pace. 

Mass Effect: Andromeda – being the extended exploration of the Citadel Space Station is set in 2185, sometime between the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3. Humanity – in collaboration with other races in the Milky Way galaxy – set out on a mission to colonize the Andromeda galaxy. 

The Andromeda Initiative (as the mission is called) fleet arrives in the Andromeda galaxy 637 years after departing, and things don’t go as planned. Much of the fleet’s Arks – each housing about 20,000 of the potential population – are unaccounted for, and conditions in the new world are very different from what scans originally revealed. 

The story and exploration-focused nature of the game would probably be a dream for the immersive experiences offered by Virtual Reality. From the light – and quite predictable – missions, to all the conversations and discoveries that one does while playing the title. 

The backlash of the new title

Although the game may have missed the mark – in the eyes of fans – in terms of being a great sci-fi shooter – its slower narrative, and emphasis on the main character’s social life may have been better carried through in a VR format. Immersive technology, like VR, may have been a better medium on which to present the gaming studio’s intention, which 4 years on, seem much clearer. 

Mass Effect: Andromeda was intended to be a completely different tale from the original trilogy. As with the first game in the original set of Mass Effect titles, it looks to have been intended to lay the foundation for a much bigger story.

Bioware and Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect: Andromeda was shelved by Bioware due to all the criticism received, and lacklustre sales. However, four years on – and being less angry with the title – one can’t help but wonder how the story may have turned out, had it continued. One Also wonders what the game’s phenomenally designed environments and conversations would have been like in a VR.

The title is, in many ways, similar to the first Mass Effect game, with it’s its world design, allowing for a great deal of exploration and relationship development. As the main character, tasked to lead humanity into a brave new world, one is thrust into a similar position as the original trilogy’s Shepard character, de facto ambassador. Not just an ambassador for a single race, but the entire galaxy. 

Closing

Much like the Star Trek, instead of Star Wars, Andromeda’s “weaknesses”  would make it a great VR title, in the league of Lone Echo, No Man’s Sky, or Star Trek: Bridge Crew. The conversations, where what one says determines how a relationship with another life form develops is something that would have set Andromeda apart, in VR, as opposed to being its Achilles heel in PC, PlayStation, and Xbox formats.

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Augmented Reality in the past

For many years, the idea of Augmented Reality impacting our day-to-day lives was something that would remain bound to our imaginations and the sci-fi-themed media we consume – an artificial luxury from our distant future.

However, looking at where we are today, that future might be upon us. In the past few years, we’ve seen numerous startups and products as the fields of VR (Virtual Reality) and AR have expanded. Many of these companies promise to change many aspects of our lives like gaming, education, how we interact over long distances, and even the medical profession.

Surgery and Augmented reality

In many cases, those promises are being kept. In one of the most groundbreaking surgeries in recent history, AR went beyond helping to train surgeons – as per the usual notion of AR in medicine. Instead, they use of Augmented Reality played a pivotal role in the success of the medical procedure.

“We’re going to a place in medicine that has just never existed before,” Dr. Steven Murphy – an orthopaedic surgeon at the New England Baptist Hospital – said of the results of the breakthrough hip replacement procedure.

Dr. Murphy is also the founder of Surgical Planning Associates and developer of Hipinsight, the intra-operative Augmented Reality guidance system that was used throughout the procedure.

How does it work?

The platform dubbed ‘Hipinsights’ works by loading a set of 3-dimensional images of the patient’s exact anatomy onto a pair/s of suitable headsets – specifically Microsoft’s HoloLense 2 Mixed Reality headset.

A specialized tracking system is then attached to the patient. Once ready, the lenses are synchronized with the tracking system, giving Dr. Murphy and his team a 3D view of the patient’s anatomical details as they operated.

“What this does is it takes all the critical three-dimensional information of that patient and puts it right where you want it, when you want it, in real-time,” Dr. Murphy said.

One could think of it as giving doctors a real-time X-ray view of the patient which gives them a whole new level of exactitude.

“Little differences turn out to be big differences for the patient. Being able to lock in and be sure that everything you’re doing is exactly what you planned and you’re accomplishing exactly what you’re setting out to do, is a difference-maker for surgery,” Murphy added.

Dr Murphy’s system was approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as early as January 28 and it did not take them long to get to work. North Atlantic Surgery Suites in Salem, New Hampshire, used the system to assist with a hip replacement procedure only a month later. Dr. Murphy hopes that the system can be adapted for other procedures like knee replacements in the near future.

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The mod features no Portal Gun but enables the use of Half-Life: Alyx-native Gravity Gloves, which will aid one in pulling objects (cubes in this case) closer. The mod does a phenomenal job of recreating Valve’s Portal 2 – despite the Portal Gun being absent from this playable mod.

What the mod is like?

In 2020, the game’s developers teased fans with a mod that allowed one to walk through a Portal 2 map. This time around, players were able to interact with the environment, thanks to the added gameplay that this mod comes with. Instead of merely exploring the map, and picking items, one encounters some challenges.

It took a team of four developers and less than a month to put the demo together. The Aperture VR mod features over 200 models, either ported or freshly created. The creators even went as far as offering a Source Pack which includes all scripts, maps, models, prefabs, etc. This is intended to enable developers to create custom test chambers in VR.

The portals seem to be a good basis for something more, and it seems the development team has similar hopes. By making the mod’s Source Pack widely available, they hoped to attract a wider team of developers to create more test chambers for the VR title. The mod can be found here.

Test Chambers

Half-Life Test Chambers have a dark history. They were set up in, according to game history, in the ’70s by Aperture Science to test products. The Chambers required live humans. They created GlaDOS – a half-human.

The plan goes awry when GlaDOS is first activated. The artificial life form attempts to gain control of the facility housing the chambers. Her creators seize control despite the havoc she creates, but she soon breaks free of their control and accomplishes her goal. This leaves a lot of scientists trapped, and a good number of test subjects dead as a result of her unforgiving testing.

The test chambers have a sterile feel to them, looking, very much, like clinics, or laboratories. The dull, grey walls are flanked by observation room windows, likely designed to give the subject the impression that they are constantly being evaluated by an unseen person, or group. They also operate as light sources for many of the chambers.

Having gone from era to era, and the facility dilapidated, or partially demolished, and being rebuilt repeatedly, the number of chambers has increased from the first Portal era to the Portal2 era.

In Closing

The Aperture VR: Thinking Without Portals mod has brought the Half-Life Refreshment Center Test Chambers experience to life. Being immersed in the Test Chambers brings that eerily serious feel of a hospital home, the use of Gravity Gloves as opposed to Chell’s Portal Gun is also something that gives the mod an updated, VR feel.

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China-based VR hardware firm, Pico Interactive, following protected pre-launch marketing, brought the third edition of their Pico Neo 3 VR headset model to market earlier this year. Launching a consumer version of the Pico Neo 3 for the Chinese market towards the back-end of the third quarter, the VR company sought to corner a consumer market, starved of Facebook’s Oculus line of VR goggles.

Owing to the fact that the Oculus 2 device is not available to Chinese consumers, on the back of a government ban on Facebook, Pico Interactive have moved to provide a staple VR device for the Chinese consumer. A Pro version of the Neo 3 has also been made available. Targeted at Western markets, Pico Interactive’s Pico Neo 3 Pro, is designed to serve professional and enterprise needs.

Pico Neo 3 specifications

Launched on the 10th of May, the Pico Neo 3, as well as the Pico Neo Pro 3 came in at a consumer-friendly price point; $420 and $467 for the 128GB, and 256GB versions of the consumer headset, while the Pro (to launch In 3rd quarter of 2021) is currently going for the pre-order price of $699.

Aside from the differences in hard drive space, the consumer versions of the Neo 3 are technically similar. It does a lot to measure up to the Oculus Quest 2, offering a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chipset, along with a 4k low-persistence 90Hz curved display with 3664 x 1920 resolution, allowing a 98° field of view.

Both headsets offer 6GB RAM (running at 2133 Mhz,) Wi-Fi 6 and USB-C 3 connectivity, 3 Physical IPD adjustments, Optical Positional tracking aided by four tracking cameras (which boast 400×400 resolution and run at 120Hz Maximum, and 10m x 10m area to tracking, along with and millimeter-precision accuracy,) Optically Tracked Controllers, with 32 tracking points.

5300 mAh battery, for around 2.5, to 3 hours of non-stop use. Integrated audio, with 3.5mm jack to allow for the connection of external headphones, Wi-fi streaming or tethered streaming to SteamVR integrated in the runtime. The Pico VR headset runs on an Android 10 operating system, equipped with Pico SDK for development.

Compared To The Oculus 2

The Pico Neo 2 is quite an impressive device. In comparison to the Oculus Quest with regard to key technical specifications. Like the Neo 2, the Oculus packs a Snapdragon XR2 chip platform, along with 6 GB of RAM.

The Oculus, appears to be targeted at more consumer segments, as it comes in 64 GB, 128 GB, as well as in a 256 GB variant. The Oculus’s display delivers 1832×1920 of resolution, at a refresh rate of 72Hz, while a 90Hz upgrade is still in the works.

The Oculus requires a minimum of 6.5 x 6.5 feet (about 1.98 meters) of room for it’s sensors to work their magic, which is trumped by Neo3. The Oculus 2 also sports adjustable IPD with three settings for 58, 63 and 68mm, similar to the Chinese competitor.

The Neo 3 Pro

Aimed at professional, and commercial users, the Pro version is aimed at the European, and US markets, where the firm already has a well established market. With the Neo 3 regular, the firm has pretty-much locked the Asian consumer market, but the Neo 3 Pro is Pico Interactive’s foothold into Western markets.

Priced at nearly $700, the Neo 3 Pro, only comes with a 256 GB hard drive, but comes with upgraded RAM of 8 GB. The Pico Neo 3 Pro Eye – set to price at $899 – also comes with Pico Interactive’s patent Tobii eye-tracking system. With two Pro devices are sold by a, globally dispersed, sales team, which affords the product an air of exclusivity.

In Closing

All-in-all, the Pico Neo 3 line offers a decent alternative to the better-known Oculus, Vive, and HP VR hardware offerings. Whether for professional, or entertainment purposes, the Asian brand more than holds its own against the more established products.

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Having been released at a very consumer-friendly price point  (starting at $299,) the Virtual Reality (VR) headset has become the go-to VR device for many consumers. With talk of a third and fourth generation of the wildly successful VR offering being already in development Facebook executives, earlier this year, confirmed that we would sooner see a Pro version of the Oculus Quest 2 before an Oculus Quest 3.

The Oculus Quest 3 is still a possibility for the breakthrough VR headset brand, however, the Quest 2 has been so successful on the market, that the firm seems to have taken an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. Instead, Oculus plans to extend the Quest 2’s shelf life, and (not in 2021) release a Pro version, featuring improvements to its namesake’s functionality.

What can Quest 2 users expect?

“For those who are curious, Quest 2 is going to be in the market for a while—for a long while, and it’s gonna be, you know, I think the best bet for the most accessible way to get into VR and have a great experience,” – Andrew Bosworth, Facebook Reality Labs Vice President, In Upload VR hosted, Twitter Q&A session this April.

Good news for Quest 2 users, as the announcement means that services and software upgrades dedicated to the Quest 2 VR headset will continue to be dished out for quite some time. With the Quest 2 a long way away from obsolescence, the device stands to be the go-to VR device for the next several months.

The Oculus 2, which features standalone capabilities, means – unlike previous VR headsets – does not need to be tethered to a powerful PC or laptop to run. With a Qualcomm Snapdragon, XR 2 processor and 6GB of RAM in both the 64GB ($299,) and 256GB ($399) options, this device requires little improvement hardware-wise at this stage.

In terms of updates, Facebook’s breakthrough VR brand has, through software updates, increased the device’s refresh rate from 72Hz to 90Hz. There were plans of an additional increase to 120 Hz when we last checked.

“I did hint at an AMA earlier this year about Quest Pro because we do have a lot of things in development where we want to introduce new functionality to the headset along with the kinds that people theorize that we would want to introduce, and that’s a little ways off still” commented Bosworth, during the Q&A session, suggesting that the Oculus Quest 2 would not see a successor in the market in the foreseeable future.

Closing thoughts on Oculus 3 and 2

The Oculus 3 is a long way away from being a reality, though it is rumored already to be in Research & Development. The Quest 2 made such a splash that Facebook seems to be placing big bets on its continued relevance, opting to better the VR experience it delivers through continuous upgrades. It is such a decent device that we look forward to a Pro version, I a new edition won’t be available shortly

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One of the most significant bits of information around this VR remastering of Resident Evil 4 is that it is the first confirmed Quest 2 exclusive release. Even locking out its predecessor headset – which it has shared releases with since launching in October 2020.

Capcom isn’t building this particular project. Instead, Capcom sought the help of Oculus Studios and Armature Studios. Armature Studios is primarily support-focused. They also create original works like Factory Fail and Sports Scrabble.

Changes to this release of Resident Evil 4

The original creator confirmed that the release will have original cutscenes. However, they have made some key changes. The first and most noticeable change is the VR ported version of Resident Evil 4’s gameplay is experienced through a first-person viewing perspective. This point of view makes a lot of sense. Because this VR version allows players to dual-wield.

Another key change to the classic’s gameplay is that players will now have all the joys of interacting with the in-game environment. That brings the game closer to the levels of environmental interaction that VR players are getting accustomed to. Even though the original Resident Evil 4’s equipment menu is still available, players will be able to select weapons right off of their bodies. That is a key benefit of the added in-game interactivity.

Gameplay details

When it comes to moving around, players can use Quest 2’s analog sticks or teleportation. The latter being a recommended option for players who are prone to VR motion sickness.

As for the technicals of the Resident Evil 4 VR remake, Armature remastered the game on Unreal Engine 4. All that while keeping the character animations unchanged. The company parades how they enhanced roughly 4500 textures for a crispier first-person view.

The game is a clear-cut classic, but whether or not Resident Evil 4 is a good reason to switch to Quest 2 – for those who don’t own one – is a question that still needs to be answered. The only way to do that is to wait for the release and then give it a go.

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As the Virtual Reality gaming scene continues to gather forward momentum, the year thus far has seen a number of exciting releases and announcements. Including VR remastered classics to entirely new offerings. From this flood of new options, Wanderer is a standout. It may very well find itself at the top of many favorites.

Wanderer – Gameplay

Players partake on an epic journey through time from the point of view of Asher Neumann, the game’s main character. Within the gameplay footage that the developers have released thus far, there are numerous historic figures and moments in time that players will have the chance to interact with and influence in a fully immersive gaming experience.

The gameplay begins in an apocalyptic timeline. In which our reluctant hero comes across a number of curious items. Such as a mysterious wristwatch that enables Neumann’s expeditions to various key moments in time.

Words from the creators

”Moving through time to assist Nikola Tesla with his inventions, to going on critical World War Two missions, to taking part in the moon landing, this adventure thriller’s graphics, gameplay, and the story will offer an exciting prospect for VR gamers” the game’s creators said in a statement.

According to the developers, the gameplay is a “unique blend of escape room style puzzles and hands-on activities that will see you bring together objects and events from various time periods”. Naturally, all of this would be pointless if players didn’t get to do this in “sometimes unlikely and inventive ways.”

The creators have planned Wanderer as a three-part series. Even though they have collaborated with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) on this first offering, Oculus will have the game supported on their VR platform of choice.

From the ground up, Wanderer was designed and developed for Virtual Reality. It represents a major step into the VR space for both studios. That said, PSVR players can expect to get full PlayStation Move support while wandering through time to save the human race.

For now, players will have to wait until the official release to “Discover bygone eras and visit real moments from history. Or jump to futuristic and post-apocalyptic settings to crack codes and solve puzzles.”

Unfortunately, neither of the developers has confirmed exactly when that might be. All we know is that it is set for later this year.

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Benefits of Virtual Reality for skateboarding games

As far as simulating both real-world and artificial environments, situations, and activities, Virtual Reality has always been touted as the next major step forward. And since retail targeted VR and AR (Augmented Reality) products really started to find their feet sometime around 2016, the VR gaming market has grown tremendously.

This is especially true when it comes to the available options. VR gamers have benefited from a wider selection of genres and titles to choose from. However, through all the new releases and VR registering, the void left behind by the aging of classics like Tony Hawk Pro Skater had yet to be filled.

And so to that end, an independent developer – Deficit Games set out to take skate to the next level of gaming with VR Skater. The result of that endeavor – which was made available through Steam Early Access – is what the developers call a “finely mix between arcade and realistic”.

So that means that players are able to defy the laws of physics – for the sake of fun –  in some instances, while the game still maintains a focus on realism, like the in-game environments.

The Gameplay of VR Skater

Just as it’s with the real thing, VR Skater starts the player off right at the beginning – learning how to move and pop tricks on a board, and getting it wrong countless times in the process. This is one point of the game where developers paid close attention to realism.

For example, moving forward requires that the player move one arm in the same manner as they would their leg to get the board moving. However, when moving on to learning tricks, things get a little trickier – another point where the game stays true to its real-world inspiration.

This is the same as learning to move, the movements required to perform a trick are very similar to those done by skaters in the real world – with shove-its among the hardest to get a gang on. To this particular trick right, one has to – quite aggressively – swing their arms back and forth, with precise timing. Players will struggle to achieve it.

Thankfully, the developers added multiple tutorials to help players get into the groove of skating in VR and will walk you through the process of learning to move around and finally learning a few tricks.

The feeling that comes with a successful Kickflip are far greater than the ones we got during the Tony Hawk era, that’s because VR Skater’s Kickflip takes more out of a player than simply pushing a button does.  Furthermore, this game far out performs any other skating title when it comes to experiencing a sense of the speed of skateboarding.

And the environments?

Players get to know the game inside a school on the first map. Interestingly the studio has opted out of the traditional route of skate parks. Instead, they opted to design linear environments that put a focus on Ollies and grinding.

From grinding park benches, to jumping out of windows, players will experience a level of excitement. That excitement console and screen were never able to portray. This is Virtual Reality after all.

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Following in the footsteps of games like WipEout: Omega Collection and, Radial-G: Racing Revolved – which have both given gamers a good idea of imaginary space-car racing might be like, however, this segment is still lacking in terms of available choices to play.

To remedy some of those issues, Z Race VR’s approach looks to liven things up by opting for a 3rd person view over the more common 1st person view. Beyond this, the game’s visual style and Formula 1 inspired space racers are some of the other unique features that this title stands out from the others – can’t really call it a crowd.

The design of the race courses themselves is also a well put together affair. Though mostly tubular in their building, there are moments when they are open, exposing pristine views for racers.

Generally speaking, Z Race VR has what it takes to become a truly enjoyable game. However, the fun comes to an end far too quickly. For starters, there are only 10 vehicles for players to choose from and these are split into categories based on the speed of the space racer ships. In order to move up from one category to the next, players will have to upgrade their vehicle to the maximum of its capabilities – which can only be done by using coins gathered through playing and winning races.

As for the race tracks, there are a total of twelve to race on and, in much the same way as the vehicles, these are also split across three categories – which are the Bronze, the Silver and the Gold cups respectively. The tracks are far less impressive in terms of variety of the terrains – making the experience feel monotonous by the time you get to the Gold cup. However, XOCUS attempts to relieve this stress by increasing the number of obstacles one may encounter during a race.

These obstacles – there to make the game more challenging of course – will slow you down when you hit  them, so avoidance is key. However, this is easier asind than done when racing spaceships in a tunnel. To help with that, Z Race VR gives players options like nitro-boost – which are blue orbs scattered around the track – and the ability to use slow-mo – which can be used 3 times per race.

Final Thoughts

Z Race VR can make for some properly thrilling gameplay, with stiff competition with the intense thrill of high speed sci-fi racing. However, not seeing the action from inside of the cockpit may not sit well with some players who’ve already gotten themselves acquainted with sci-fi racing – as first person view is the truest means of rendering the sensation of moving at high speeds.

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Since then, as the virtual reality field has grown from strength to strength – with millions of different headsets sold since the beginning of the VR craze – there have been numerous reports of people feeling a little unwell. As weird as that may sound, scientists have taken the time to study this phenomenon and have begun to reach a consensus on the subject. Virtual Reality headsets do indeed cause a form of motion sickness in some individuals.

It is interesting to note that, it is generally believed that women are more susceptible to VR motion sickness – with earlier research implying a female to male risk probability of 5:3. However, some later examination of these studies suggests that the number of variables considered might have been too little to reach a solid conclusion.

This different take on Cybersickness noted a number of factors like, an individuals body mass index, Interpupillary distance IPD size, prior experience with VR, and field of view (FOV) issues that prior surveys might not have accounted for.

“while females are generally thought to have higher susceptibility to cybersickness than males, this relationship has not been well-characterized, especially for the latest generation of VR headsets.”  Reads the research

That said, people who experienced cybersickness are avoiding VR headsets as a good way of stopping it. This shouldn’t be too difficult for most people as VR technology is still quite costly and tends to attract dedicated gamers and tech-addicts. However, as time passes and technologies become more affordable, one can expect to see further proliferation of VR tech. Furthermore, VR is poised to go into an enterprise driven push to mass adoption – playing a role in design, training, and operational support.

It is for these reasons that diving deeper into the questions around what?, why?, who?, how? of VR motion sickness are very important.

As for the question of who might be more susceptible to cybersickness, it was found that the fit of the IPD might play a very big role in the perceived gender bias of VR motion sickness. It was observed that IPDs that fit properly on women resulted in reports of cyber-sickness that were very similar to men’s in terms of symptoms and duration.

This points to a need for headsets with a wider range of IPD fit adjustments to help minimise motion sickness. Furthermore, it also does a great job of answering – though only in part – the question of, why?

As for the how. If you’ve tried VR and had a bout of cyber sickness, it could easily make you feel like VR is worth your time. However, if you take it in small calculated steps, you could train your body to get used to the unfamiliar sensations of VR immersion. If that approach doesn’t do it for you, then your only option will be to patiently wait for the aforementioned IPD fit remedies.

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However, having moved on as time and technology have is where some players may find that nostalgia sometimes comes with a few drawbacks. Unfortunately, video games tend to be quite susceptible to this reality.

Over the years, successful video game developers have become very adept at taking advantage of new technologies, and learning what works and what doesn’t in order to increase their monetary allotments for creating new games. This has resulted in a major gulf between the old and the new, as far as the experience is concerned.

For many players, a trip down memory lane can lead to some degree of letdown when revisiting some of the classics. Nonetheless, the chance to relive an experience with the added immersion of VR is one that might be particularly difficult to resist.

So What’s Doom 3 PSVR Like?

The Archiact and if software due have done quite a bit to better the Doom 3 experience for PSVR like, improved resolution. However, it might be a good idea to remember that this game was not released as a fully remastered version of the original – so as not to be surprised if some aspects of the gameplay feel like they were crafted during the first few years of the millennium (that’s because they were).

The situation with lighting and animation is much the same as the aforementioned. Though not completely unbearable, there are instances where it is visibly dated – shining a spotlight on the limitations of modern polishing techniques used to remaster video games.

The positives of the PSVR version of Doom 3 make these few shortcomings easier to overlook. When played with the immersion of VR, Doom 3 offers a lot more depth to the affair than the original. The interplay between light and dark, shadowy areas that conceal horrific dangers is a big part of what made the original a success. With the 3 dimensional view of VR, Doom 3’s iconic shock you silly moments are sti there, though not as potent as when you first played the game all those years ago.

In VR, even a scenario that wasn’t supposed to be a scary one could have slowing down your approach, or maybe even retreating a little bit. So it is rather strange (for fans of the original arrangement) that the flashlight not be a stand-alone item, like in the original. Approaching a dark room with the option of either equipping yourself with a gun, or your torch was part of what made Doom 3 such an enthralling experience. This little omission may leave some players wanting.

Closing Notes

Overall, porting Doom 3 to PSVR has been a successful endeavour. Though it might not make the game feel completely new, the development team behind it have done a great job of making many aspects of an already great game better.

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For many, this move may seem very natural IO Interactive, however, successfully porting games to VR can prove very tricky – forcing developers to cut corners on some aspects of the game. This is exacerbated by the inferior resolution of the PSVR’s display – when compared to the competition, and tracking issues with the Dualshock 4 controller.

Getting Into Hitman 3 VR

Bearing in mind that Hitman 3 VR is an older game that was remastered and then ported to PSVR, it is quite understandable that compromising would have to happen. In this regard, what IO interactive has given us in the VR adaptation of Hitman 3 has a bitter-sweet effect on the senses.

The Dubai map is one example of this. As prestinely designed as it is, the lack of reflections -when played in VR – does drain some of the “wow” effect that is synonymous with Hitman maps, beyond that, it takes nothing away from the gameplay. One other effect of corner cutting are the crowds that suddenly appear, and happen mostly when you enter a room hastily on make that have large numbers of NPC’s.

That said, Where Himan 3 shines, it shines to the point where it will blind to all the other flaws. By this, I mean the maps themselves – this is one point where IO Interactive has always put its best don’t forward, since the very beginning of the Hitman series.

The level of immersion experienced when playing Hitman 3 in VR is quite outstanding, even with limitations on the graphics and controls. This is mostly due to how much attention to detail went into the designing of each of these levels, it is truly extraordinary. From the walkways in Chonqing, China – that let peek into peoples homes, to the very realistic atmosphere of entering an underground nightclub in Germany – where the sound of music and party goers gets louder the deeper in you go. IO clearly put a lot of labor into making it feel very real.

As for the control scene, this is where Hitman 3 VR seems to have missed the mark. IO Interactive made some baffling choices when it came to the control options they chose. Rather simplicity of Resident Evil 7style controls, or going “the whole nine yards” with the twin move controllers – they opted for a mixed set of controls that doesn’t do the game any justice.

This strange control setup means that general movements are controlled by the standard set on the controller, while the aggressive actions performed by agent 47’s right arm is engaged by using the DualShock 4’s light bar. Some of these issues may become especially annoying when in a high intensity situation.

Closing Notes

Overall, the level of immersion makes it easier to forget the shortcomings of Hitman 3 VR, making it a VR title that you’ll spend more time playing than getting annoyed with. Hopefully, in due time we may see the trilogy being released in full for other more up to date VR headsets.

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Virtual Reality technology is designed to immerse people in environments, and have them experience exhilarating gameplay in a more engaging way than ever before. What the Swedish video game firm behind the Wraith: The Oblivion title exemplifies, is just how far the medium allows the mind to stretch, in terms of constructing novel narratives. 

Set to release on Oculus Rift, & Quest platforms, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Valve’s Index, as well as Steam within the month. Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife is based on a 1994 book by White Wolf Publishing, that goes by the same title. The game forms part of the stable’s World of Darkness narrative universe. The World of Darkness series of games features other titles, like Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and Vampire: The Masquerade. 

Players who have encountered any of the titles in the World of Darkness series may be familiar with the game’s setting, The Barclay mansion. A palatial residence that has a lot of metaphysical stuff going on beyond its opulent façade.

In the Wraith: The Oblivion game, players step into the shoes – so to speak – of a recently deceased individual who expired under mysterious circumstances, during a séance. Returning as a restless spirit, or wraith, one explores the question of what lies beyond the grave while haunting the Barclay mansion, in search of answers as to why – and how – they died. 

One quickly finds that they are not the only spirits wandering the mansion’s halls. They’re not out to have a conversation or compare notes about the whole ‘being dead’ thing either. Though some combat aspects are incorporated into the title’s gameplay, the game puts a greater emphasis on stealth. This means one does a great deal more sneaking, and escaping than actual fighting. 

Being a spirit – after all – one is equipped with some special abilities to make the investigation a tad easier. Ducking and diving around other restless souls, probably mad about their own deaths, one has the ability to Wraithgrasp, become insubstantial, and employ their Sharpened Senses ability whenever the situation calls for it. 

With the Wraithgrasp ability, one can lift, and move, objects from a distance, regardless of weight, or size. This might be an acquired ability however, not one that is available from the onset. Insubstantiality, on the other hand, allows one the ability to phase through walls, when certain markers appear. Excellent for quick escapes in tight situations. 

Sharpened sense, is pretty much a homing ability connected to the game map. It enables one to, more easily, reach their next objective by scanning their environment with their hand. One of the player’s hands will glow when they are close to getting close.

Though based on a book, the game – put together by a team consisting of director, Erik OdelDahl, designer Daniel Kihlgren Kallander, and programmer, Casper Renman – the game is still set up to be easy to play, by gamers who are to the World of Darkness series.  This game is targeted at narrative-based horror game enthusiasts, and features no gore. Just suspense, and thrill. 

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With virtual reality – since the Oculus Quest 2’s release – having become a veritable mainstream industry, the VR arms race is undeniably on. Vive seems to be intent of cementing themselves as a dominant brand in the burgeoning VR industry. With the Vive Tracker 3.0 in their product portfolio, they may do just that – and then some.

The new Vive Tracker 3.0 enables users to interact with virtual reality in a completely new way. Bridging the real world and virtual reality, the Vive Tracker 3.0 allows for the tracking of real-world items, enabling them to be incorporated into a virtual environment. Camera, baseball bat, or full human body, Vive will virtualize it. 

Vive have designed their new tracker to be a nifty, and versatile little device that can be used for a number of purposes. From in game tracking, to game development – not to mention training for various industries.

Precise Body Tracking

The Vive Tracker 3.0 also allows for the tracking of inch-by-inch body movement within a virtual space, this requires at least three trackers though. The device’s sensitive tracking makes it ideal for animation, filmmaking, and video game development. 

Vive’s new tracker presents an efficient, and cost effective way for production houses to perform the motion capture part of the creation process. The system can also be used with the Unreal Engine powered, Cine Tracer real-time cinematography simulator. 

In Industry

VR technology, beyond its boundless entertainment value, is enjoying increasing use in industry as well. Athletes, Corporate professionals, medical practitioners, as well as military, and law enforcement can harness the technology, for training purposes, in particular. 

With HTC Vive Tracker 3.0 incorporated into an immersive training system, professionals have the luxury of tracking real-world equipment, to deliver a fuller training experience. 

In Gaming

Where most people’s interest in VR lies. Full-body, and real-world object tracking potentially enables a more complete immersive experience. Seeing one’s own hands during gameplay should make the experience more real for most users.

Not many titles support full-body tracking at this point in time, but as the technology proliferates, more titles will come equipped with the ability to track hands and feet. Which should solve much of the movement problems associated with VR, in its current state. VR based chat apps will also benefit from full-body tracking, allowing them to simulate more natural social experiences, and environments.

VR technology has taken a very long time to get off the ground. It now seems as though the technology is undergoing a golden age of development. With social distancing being a reality that many of us have become accustomed to, VR fills in many of the gaps our social distanced existence has left. 

ViVe’s new tracker enables a whole new dynamic to the virtual experience, which  makes it that much more natural. It’ll be fun to watch what leaps this device inspires. 

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While hardware extensions to standalone gaming console staples,  Xbox, and Playstation inspired a fitness gaming craze, VR technology has taken it to a whole new level. The Kinect, Nintendo Wii, and PS Move were geared at encouraging users to be more active. The very movement intensive nature of Virtual Reality (VR) consoles means that a simple gaming session can easily turn into a full body workout.

The fact that VR offers a more physical, and immersive, gaming experience than classic screen-display, couch potato gaming, did not go completely unnoticed by gaming developers. As such, Oculus offers a number of phenomenal fitness oriented gaming titles.

Supernatural

This is – by far – VR’s most highly ranked fitness app. It doesn’t just deliver a rhythm based gaming experience that is intense enough to give one a workout, it is an app that was purpose built for fitness.

Instead of having to slash through shapes with a virtual lightsaber, or leaping, and squatting to fit through strangely shaped objects, users of the Supernatural app are treated to aerobic workouts – delivered by actual humans. The coaches have different personalities and deliver motivation throughout the workout, so one can choose how to keep themselves going. 

The app features workouts of different intensity, and length, along with enabling one to choose from a host of popular songs to workout to. In addition to that, users also have the freedom of picking from a number of different scenic locations, to have their workout session. 

FitXR

FitXR isn’t as aesthetically put together as Supernatural, the music is generic, the graphics are – well – OK, and much of the bells and whistles that make Supernatural such a phenomenal app are not to be found on this game. However, the game’s intensity, and mix of boxing, or dance based workout routines makes it a great workout title.

Players can choose to either dance, or box their way through their workout session. Boxing workouts require one to jab, hook, and uppercut to bust targets that come at them at varying paces. One has to really throw an elbow in order for the hit to effectively destroy a target, so one can expect to get some good cardio work out of this title. 

Beat Saber

Not exactly a workout app, but it really gets the job done. Beat Saber equips the player with a lightsaber, which they must use to cut through objects that fly at them at variable intensities. 

The game is challenging enough to inspire multiple playthroughs, so it’s pretty simple to work into a more interactive, and dynamic workout routine. It would be cool to have a duel wield option, just for laughs.

VZFit 

VZFit offers the gaming experience of titles like Beat Saber, or FitXR, combined with the scenic interactivity of Supernatural – on an exercise bike. By attaching a cadence sensor to one’s excecise bike, they virtually cycle around the globe, with the help of Google’s immersive street views. 

Though the game seems more roughly put together than other Oculus fitness titles, it shines most when using Google’s immersive street views. It’s turning mechanism has a very natural feel to it, really creating the effect of actually paddling past the Louvre at 4am in the morning. 

VZFit comes with some games as well, one can paddle to send a race car barreling down a track, or be a tank commander, mowing other vehicles down with heavy artillery. Paddling faster makes the vehicle go faster, while head turns cause the vehicle to turn. Simple enough, fully engaging.

Racket: Nx

Fancy a game of squash? Try it in a Sci-Fi themed, thunderdome-like environment. Racket: Nx is another of those accidental fitness titles that just deserve honorable mention for the calorie burning workout they delivers. armed with a racket, the player must work at destroying illuminated hexagonal tiles.

There is a tracker-beam between ball and racket so one has the added benefit of calling the ball back for another beating. It also helps to send the ball up in a way that enables it to knockout multiple tiles at once. So, some hand-eye coordination is in order. 

Oh Shape

This is a dance-based fitness app for folks who don’t dance much. This isn’t Dance Central, or FitXR. In fact, Oh Shape doesn’t look much like a dance game, as there are no avatars to create, or any dance routines to master. What players of this title will appreciate most, is the novel, and simplistic approach to the dance genre.

All one does is stand on a conveyor belt, ducking walls. The key twist is that these walls have different body poses cut into them, that the player must contort, lunge, and jump to fit into. I doubt that I really need to say more. The workout that awaits players of this game is probably quite clear already. 

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Set to be released in the Northern Hemisphere’s fall, Hubris VR is a bit of an enigma, as aside from a trailer and some promotional lines, we don’t have much to go on regarding gameplay. The game’s visuals however, have set many a critical tongue wagging with excitement at the title’s impending release. 

Slated to release on PlayStation VR, Steam VR, and Oculus platforms, the VR First-Person-Shooter puts the player in the virtual hands of a recruit of a multi galactic organization known as  the Order Of Objectivity. Said recruit is sent to a stunningly designed world, in search of an Agent of theirs. Aided by a pilot named Lucia, one gets a complete VR workout, interacting with the landscape and water while combating the Order Of Objectibity’s enemies – all while the planet is being Terra-Formed.

The Sci-Fi theme shines through quite conspicuously as the gaming stable’s latest title will be released in episodes. The first episode’s trailer footage offers an impressive glimpse into what players can expect. With help from Unreal gaming engine, players will move through his, vividly realistic, hostile environment, trying to survive exhilarating fire fights, explosions and various other perils, while pausing to solve puzzles, and make friends who help uncover the OOO’s dirty laundry

Why We’re Excited

Hubris’ visuals set it among a handful of VR titles that are visually worth writing home about. This title joins a pantheon populated by few; Arizona Sunshine, Half-Life: Alyx, and  Phantom: Covert Ops are recent visual masterpieces that spring to mind. 

About Cyborn

Cyborm Games is a 3D animation/app studio based in Antwerp, Belgium. The firm was founded by current CEO, Agemans Cyborn, way back in 1998. At first, the firm was a 3D animation firm, like Pixar, but has since moved into other fields, such as VR apps, and for-hire work in the medical, film, and gaming industries.

Hubris is the latest in a series of releases (apps, games, animated series, etc, these guys are busy,) and is set to launch in the fourth quarter of this year. The game will be followed by an accompanying miniseries called Terra-former. 

Rounding Off

Coming from a firm that prides itself on being at the forefront of technology, Hubris is a VR title that really got critics beside themselves with anticipation. With a trailer that indicates that the game will really deliver on the excitement factor, who wouldn’t? 

If gameplay  – which we still know nothing about – is anything close to other titles in its league, intuitive, and realistic, then Hubris seems to promise a hell of an immersive experience. Here’s hoping it sets the tone for classic gaming series. 

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About six months since it first went on sale, the Oculus Quest 2 has blown past a lot of rivals by delivering a great VR experience, at a more accessible price point. The VR product’s success is perhaps evidenced by the usage stats presented, every month, by Steam. Last month’s survey painted a similar picture. 

In February, Oculus Quest 2 took up 22.91 percent of total VR hardware numbers, while the Oculus Rift took second position with 21.58 percent of the platform’s total adoption rate. Placing third, and securing Oculus’ dominance over VR headset adoption, is the company’s Oculus Rift (standard model,) commanding 16% of VR hardware adoption rates. Tallied together, that is a total of 60.48% of VR hardware usage of the gaming platform belonging to Oculus products.

In March however, the numbers are slightly down from the previous month (by about 8.2%.) Total Oculus adoption in March added up to 52.28%, with the Oculus Quest 2’s popularity showing no sign of abating, increasing its share of Steam’s on-platform VR hardware uptake rate to 24.25%. Oculus’ Rift S headset usage rate indicates that it may be falling out favor with users, with its adoption rate falling slightly, to 20.96%. The Rift (proper) on the other hand, may be losing ground to newer models, as it went shrinking violet in March, giving up a good amount of market share to finish the month off with 7.07% of VR user patronage.

The best VR headset of 2021 – thus far – is the Oculus Quest 2, according to PC Gamer. Hard to see why it shouldn’t be ranked so, despite the fact that the Oculus Quest 2 really isn’t the most technically powerful of the current crop of VR gaming products out there, as it delivers amply on factors that have made VR more than just a novelty technology that can be appreciated by a few.

Having moved 1.1million units (by last count, back in February) since launch, the Quest 2 is lauded as the VR headset that finally brought VR technology into the limelight. The headset was less awkward than previous models, with built-in tracking, ergonomic, lightweight design, and most importantly, it was wireless. Previous iterations of VR headset technology had required a wire link-up to powerful – and expensive – gaming PC’s. Which left the average casual gamer out. 

Oculus sought to marry the two separate spheres of the gaming market, by designing a VR headset that delivers on the needs of both hardcore, and casual gaming enthusiasts. At a price point that left nobody complaining. “When I first tried Quest, it really felt like the experience I had seeing the first iPhone,” explained Mike Verdu, Facebook’s Head of AR/VR Content, to GQ magazine UK back in February.

The jury is still out on whether, or not, the company can keep up it’s dominance over the VR headset market. However, Facebook have stated, repeatedly, how bullish they are on the technology, and have moved to dominate the space by delivering an intuitively designed piece of hardware. Oculus’ VR hardware offerings are obviously the ones to beat right now, and from the looks of things. Other VR brands aren’t about to rest on their laurels. Expect VR technology to be a hot topic in the months to come.

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“We’re continuing to work on new hardware [which] will fit the same platform, so the content that works on Quest 2 should be forward-compatible, so that we’re going to build one larger install base around the virtual reality headsets that we have.” said Zuckerberg, in an earnings call statement back in January. About two months ahead of the The Information interview. The announcement inspired a bevy of speculation, as to how far along the development journey the next generation Oculus was, and what it would look like. Right down to the improvements it would featureover it’s predecessor – which is currently selling like hot cakes.  

Oculus’ current premier headset model, the Oculus Quest 2 has only been out a few months, and has already garnered critical acclaim as the best VR headset to date. The Quest has also earned the title of most used VR headset on video game streaming platform, STEAM. The fact that Facebook has confirmed news that they are already designin third and fourth edition of the headset does indicate that the current model will have a short run, however. 

With information on the next Oculus headset is currently scant, and severely hard to come by, we can only – at this point – speculate on when Oculus might trickling – at the very least – images of the next Quest headset. Seeing as the Oculus Quest 2 has only just seen the light of day – having been released during the tail end of 2020, this year is most likely out of the running for a Quest 3 release. 2022-2023 may bring us our first glimpses of Oculus’ next VR product, if Mark Zuckerberg’s bullish statements are anything to go by. 

So why the rush to announce? “Because of how hardware gets developed, you kind of need to know what your next three products are going to look like, all at the same time. It’s not like software where we’re changing it every week or every couple of weeks,” explained Zuckerberg  “So we have product teams spun up now working on the next few generations of virtual reality and what Quest 3 and 4 are going to look like. And then of course fundamental technology that goes into that in terms of improving the optics, and the performance of it, and making it smaller and lighter, and adding a lot of functionality that you’d want.”

Zuckerberg also said – during is discussion with The Information – that all improvements added to their Quest VR headsets were based on the company’s drive to offer ” social presence”. This probably means that future versions of the Quest will come packed with features that make the VR computing experience feel more natural. 

“For example one of the things that I’m really excited about for future versions [of the Oculus Quest VR headset] is getting eye-tracking and face-tracking in, because if you’re really excited about social presence, you want to make sure that the device has all the sensors to really animate realistic avatars so you can communicate well like that.” – Zuckerberg

Improvements – over the current iteration of the Quest product – that are expected ranged from form factor (product look and feel), to display as well as performance. The Quest 3 and 4 will continue the “standalone device” element of the product, that much is certain (I mean – why revert back to cables, right?)

Anyway, it looks as though the next generation Quest will host a far higher refresh rate than the current model. We’re talking 120 Hz, as opposed to the standing 72Hz. Integration into the Facebook ecosystem is something that is likely going to continue with the Quest 3 and 4, requiring users to have a Facebook account to operate the device. A improved controller experience is probably also on the cards, as the firm will most likely want to take advantage current haptick feedback technology that is found in gaming consoles, in an effort to improve he VR experience.

The technology entrepreneur also highlighted some challenges to the Quest delivering an even more seamless immersive experience, that the firm was focusing on with subsequent models. Varifocal, and HDR displays. Unlike the mobile phones – with a single display screen – VR has been battling with fine tuning the display experience for one focal length. . “So your eyes try to focus [when looking at close objects] and you can’t because they’re just projecting one distance. That’s something that needs to get solved…” Mark eloborated.

While it may take a bit before the next iteration of the Oculus Quest sees the light of day, Mark Zuckerberg also shed some light on the internet firm’s XR glasses, Facebook smartglasses – due later this year. The Facebook founder also divulged some details about a wrist worn device the firm has been running through Research, & Development. He did say his company was bullish on the tech. 

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The gaming firm behind the upcoming title is no stranger to the Zombie genre. Having found a good around of success with their other undead themed shoot-em-up, Arizona Sunshine, which immerses the player into a lonely, post-zombie-apocalyptic narrative. This title, however, offers a more cooperative gaming experience, allowing up to four players to get in on the action.

Also unlike its predecessor, After Fall sets the player in a colder and more metropolitan setting. The game throws in a variety of mutant-zombie types, all the more to keep you busy with my sweet. Some players may appreciate the game’s retro theme as well. 

Players will find themselves immersed in alternate 1980’s Los Angeles. 20 years after a cataclysmic event. Players venture out into a frozen ruin of a city, and must use makeshift weapons, and powers to fend off horde after horde of grotesquely misshapen undead. The best part is that one doesn’t have to go it alone with this title. Up to four players, or a single player backed by AI allies, can help you get prepared for the real zombie apocalypse (should it ever occur.)

“Armed with full VR motion controls, After the Fall will make you feel like a slightly overpowered 1980s action hero as you engage in the game’s high-paced combat with real-life movements.” stated the studio, in a statement announcing the game’s pre-release material; which included gameplay screenshots, as well as cinematic, and gameplay trailers. 

Critics have complained about the game’s immersive experience when the studio – back in 2019 – a preview of the After The Fall gaming title. Vertigo – as the gameplay trailor suggests – seem to have really put some work into making the game’s VR gameplay feel more natural. We noted gesture based reload action.

Another thing to be excited about, regarding the upcoming release of After The Fall, is that Vertigo have guaranteed fans that they have engineered the title “from the ground up” to be compatible with multiple VR platforms at time of release. Game streaming platform, Steam, PSVR, Oculus, and a few other VR hardware brands have already announced support for the title, upon release.

Players can visit the After The Fall official website to sign up for their newsletter to get the latest in the game, or to put themselves in line to be the first to try the game out in a pre-release, beta version. “Go solo or team up in cross-platform 4-player co-op as you explore an all-new post-apocalyptic VR world from the creators of Arizona Sunshine.”

This title sort of reminds one of the indie PC title from a few years ago, Left For Dead. It also featured a co-op zombie shooter element to it, as well as some really challenging mutant zombies. The immersive experience, added to this type of game is bound to garner a nod of approval from critics.

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Created by a team of developers under the same name, Superhot Team, the brings with it a refreshing rethink of bullet-time mechanics – think Neo dodging bullets in The Matrix, which has seen a lot of use and adaptation over the years. However, no title has ever done it with the same sort of unique brilliance as Supehot VR.

In this game of simplistic – yet immersive – visuals, the player is put against hordes of glass enemies, armed and coming from all directions. Given the speed at which they approach, superhuman powers are the only means of surviving.

A player’s key to success lies in how they make use of their ability to slow down time. More specifically, in this game, time only moves when you move. This approach playing feels unnatural at first, and might take some getting used to for some. Nevertheless, once you get a rhythm going, this unique manner of playing becomes a big part of why Superhot is such a wholly satisfying title to play.

Available on Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and PSVR, the texture free visuals are noticeably better on the former two platforms. Not that it really matters, as Supehot VR was never really a visuals oriented game. Here, the magic is in the action.

From the campaign to the survival mode, it’s a rewarding experience – from shooting, to punching, to stabbing, and kicking your glass enemies to shatter them. However, there’s a catch. When you move they move, and the faster you move, the faster they will move. 

Should you find yourself taking enemy fire from multiple directions, shooting back and fast-turning in a panic will only result in you getting shot a whole lot quicker. A sudden and rapid turn of the head to check one’s periphery will only yield the same fatal result. 

The idea here is to remain calm and timing your moves. Teaching yourself to move like a Tai Chi master is the best way to put it. Making small slow movements is how we achieve victory here. Moving in this way will buy you the time you need to respond to a threat accordingly, like grabbing a dead enemy’s gun and blasting his mates with it. Or simply sidestepping a game of bullets in Matrix style slow motion.

As you play the game, you progress from level to level, with more enemies you have to deal with.There are about five or more sections to each level, and one must always remain aware of the fact that they are just as fragile as their glass opponents. One hit is all it takes to make you start a section over.

Verdict

For those who love a good bit of action and are appreciative of good creativity, Supehot is one title that you must try out. It still offers a lot of value, in terms of pure unadulterated fun in 2021.

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As new as the Virtual Reality field is, it has quickly developed into a highly competitive space over the past seven or so years, with a growing selection of VR headsets to choose from. There are offerings from HTC, Facebook, Microsoft, and Now Hewlett Packard (HP) – all sold at different prices.

Which just so happens to a major factor of the VR experience at this point in time. Like most other contemporary technical developments, the price – many instances – is a good indicator of the quality of the experience. 

With price vs quality in mind, comparing PSVR to Facebook’s Oculus – which many regard as the pinnacle of VR, one might quickly shrug it off without bothering to give it a try (PSVR is not by any means the cheapest on the market). That might be a mistake, because the bugger packs a bit of punch.

PSVR Experience vs The Competition

Remaining on the point of entry costs of a higher level VR experience, Sony’s PSVR has a number of clear advantages over its competitors – The PSVR is compatible with both the PS4 and PS5.  When considering the fact that more than 100 million people around the globe already own PS4 consoles, and an average of selling price of around $300 (HTC Vive and Oculus Quest go for around $599), the PSVR could easily be the gateway to VR gaming.

Even for those who do not already own a PS4, Bundle packs purchases might still turn out cheaper than buying a stand alone setup like the Oculus quest. Moreover, gaming consoles are cheaper than gaming PCs if you’re not going the stand-alone route.

The PSVR has another trick up its sleeve, one that has helped it remain relevant since its launch in 2016. That trick is the sheer vastness of good quality titles available for you to play. The veteran status of the PlayStation brand came in very handy here. It was only natural that big name releases like Skyrim, Resident Evil 7, and No Man’s Sky would have eye on the PS market.

Sony’s inhouse Fist-Party Studios and independent developers also put their best foot forward on releases like Blood and Truth, Paper Beast, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, and many others. One could quite easily argue that the PSVR has the widest selection.

However, there are some downsides to committing to PSVR. Most of which stem from the year it was released. It is 2021 now and the PSVR was a little dated in 2020. The PSVR in its current state is not by any means obsolete, and still very capable of delivering a fully immersive VR gaming experience.

However, new releases from the competition means that there is a widen gulf between the PSVR and its rivals. Though compatibility might not be an issue, the releases of the PS5 may inadvertently apply pressure on Sony to update its VR headset.

Furthermore, the PSVR’s tracking is limited to 180 degrees, which causes it to lose some of its shine on a number VR titles. When adding  more up to date features to that equation like, inside-out tracking, the situation starts to look worse for PSVR.

Closing Comments

The decision on whether or not to buy a PSVR in 2021 really comes down to one’s own means. For a product on the less expensive end of VR gaming, the PSVR is still a top contender. However, a ticking clock means that there are some dark clouds on the horizon.

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Firstly, the PS5 brings in a whole host of new technologies, while the PSVR – which it thankfully is compatible with – has really done its fair share of ageing, especially when pitted against rivals like the Oculus Quest 2.

Secondly, the Dualshock4 controller will work specifically on PS 4 supported games, and only the DualSense controls will be usable on PS5 games.

This backwards compatibility issue – the need to have a PS4 controller at hand to play last gen games – represents an added cost on those who might have sold their PS4 consoles, or simply never owned one. However, the added spend on the buyers side does not come as a surprise. The Story of previous PlayStation releases went a similar way – the DualShock 2 was not compatible with the PS3, with the narrative remaining unchanged for the release of the PS4.

All Eyes On VR

Another issue is VR, a budding gamer looking to enjoy their PSVR experience via the technologically superior PS needs more than just a headset and standard console. In this instance, one needs to be prepared to purchase the whole enchilada. That’s the PS Camera as well as the PS Camera adapter for PS5. Furthermore, many instances may require you to get your hands on a DualShock 4 controller, a pair of PS Move controllers, and possibly even the PS Aim controller.

In the meantime, PS5 owners will have to get around those sorts of hurdles to take advantage of the current PSVR – yes, there are whispers of a PSVR 2 going around the rumour mill.

However, not all prospects of the DualSense controller’s use in virtual reality gaming are bleak. There happens to be a hidden talent that the DualSense controller comes with – despite the DualSense’s lack of a light bar (used as a part of many game’s motion tracking mechanisms), it can still be used for titles that don’t employ controller tracking.

These are games like DirtRally, SkyrimVR (in gamepad mode as opposed to PS Move mode), and Resident Evil 7 VR – all of which utilise the camera for head tracking instead of controller tracking.

This one feature could go some way in relieving the frustration – for those who don’t have DualShock 4 – that may come from those titles that require the older controller. At least you’ll be able to play some of the titles in your collection.

Closing Notes

For the time being, this is what PlayStation 5 owners looking to get in on the virtual reality craze will have to deal with. This should only worsen with time as new release titles start to leave old technology behind, especially after Sony releases the much anticipated update to their PSVR platform.

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