Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR is still a couple of months away from celebrating its first birthday – which Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have already done – yet it’s already proven to be the most popular of the three, with SIE claiming over a million headsets have been sold. While this is likely down to two contributing factors, price, and the massive user base of PlayStation 4, the company also ensured it had some good exclusives at the ready like Rez Infinite to tempt gamers. But that was last year, so what about 2017. Well there’s been no shortage of titles available and VRFocus has chosen six of the best.
PlayStation VR might be popular but it doesn’t quite offer the same immersive virtual reality (VR) experience as its rivals. Having only one camera, which is located directly in front of the player, experiences are generally seated so you can’t turn round for 360-degree, roomscale style gameplay which HTC Vive and Oculus Rift both offer. While the tech may not quite be as advanced as the other two – the PlayStation Move controllers initially released in 2010 for use with the PlayStation 3 – that doesn’t seemed to have hampered it or the videogames available.
With so many developers working on PlayStation 4 titles the headset has benefited from those studios keen to experiment with the latest VR technology, expanding original 2D IP’s such as Supermassive Games’ Until Dawn: Rush of Blood or Double Fine Productions’ Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin. Then there the original videogames like Farpoint or Ko-OP’s GNOG which are exclusive to the headset.
It’s not always about exclusivity. While the console market is renown for its exclusive wars – some of which has filtered into the VR industry – there are a number of titles available for all the headsets, some of which are cross-platform multiplayer – the most well known being EVE: Valkyrie by CCP Games.
If you already own a PlayStation 4 or its more powerful sibling PlayStation 4 Pro, then PlayStation VR is the easiest way to get into high-quality VR gaming. So what videogame should you buy? Well there are plenty on offer, with some of the launch titles not to be overlooked. However it’s 2017 VRFocus is concentrating on, picking six experiences that should be in your library.