Media Molecule’s creative videogame Dreams was long sought after by PlayStation 4 owners until February with PlayStation VR fans having to wait a little while longer. That wait is finally over with the launch of v2.16 today, adding virtual reality (VR) support as well as other improvements.
If you already own Dreams then VR support is a free update so you start playing immersive content or creating your own using either PlayStation Move or DualShock 4 controllers. While there might not be a lot of user-generated VR-compatible content, Media Molecule has created its own selection to get you started.
‘Inside the Box’ is a showcase for what VR in Dreams can be, a selection of examples and inspirations with games, kits and more.
- Box Maze – Use the power of grabbing to help the cube bots find their way through the maze
- Box Blaster – Put your sharp-shooting and speed-running skills to the test in this futuristic blaster.
- Box Escape – Jump, dive and resize your way outside the box.
- All Aboard VR – An introduction to VR in Dreams, highlighting the different settings and controls used to play in VR.
Media Molecule wants to make it as easy as possible for players to start building, creating a bunch of how-to guides:
- 10 Top Tips: Creating VR Dreams – 10 great best-practices tips to think about when designing VR experiences in Dreams.
- How To… Use the Head/Camera Tracker – Learn how to use the new Head/Camera Tracker, a brand new gadget which, in combination with the Look Cursor Sensor, allows you to track a player’s head movements to get even more out of your logic.
- How To… Use the Hand/Imp Tracker – Learn how to use the new Hand/Imp Tracker, which lets you keep track of the location of your player’s imp, what it’s pointing at and what it grabs. You can even replace the imp with something else!
- How To… Create 3D Audio in VR – Learn how to use 3D sound within VR, to make your games feel even more immersive, when playing with headphones plugged into the VR headset.
As mentioned there are quite a few additions in the v2.16 update to play with, here are the rest:
- Head/Camera Tracker – A gadget that makes it easy to track, and attach objects to, the game camera.
- Hand/Imp Tracker – A gadget that makes it easy to track, and attach objects to, the imp.
- Look Cursor Sensor – A sensor gadget that detects where a player is looking, with associated tweaks on supporting gadgets.
- Dreamiverse Screen Size – Control how large Dreamiverse screens appear when in VR.
- Allow Low Frame Rate in VR – Control what happens when frame rate drops below our performance standards.
- VR Filtering Options – Specify whether you want to see VR content in the Dreamiverse.
- Flip Menu Buttons – If using the left-handed setting and swapping often between motion controllers and wireless controller, turning this on keeps the ordering of buttons in the create menus consistent.
- Comfort Mode – For VR users. When enabled, camera motion is reduced or removed.
- VR Experience Ratings – Allows players to rate the level of VR experience for which they feel creations are suitable. This rating will appear on a creation’s thumbnail in search.
- 1 – For those new to VR
- 2 – For those with some experience of VR
- 3 – For those experienced in VR
- VR Compatibility Labels – Allows creators to specify the suitability of creations for VR.
- Non-VR: Only enterable in non-VR; not visible to VR players with default filters.
- Not Sure: Enterable in non-VR or VR, but will issue a warning for VR players upon entry; not visible to VR players with default filters.
- VR Compatible: Enterable in VR or non-VR.
- VR Only: Only enterable in VR; not visible to non-VR players with default filters.
- Imp Beam – Allows player to interact with objects from a distance in VR.
- Reel – Once you’ve grabbed onto something with your imp beam, you can use Reel to easily move it toward or away from you.
- Camera Change – VR only: Right stick moves the camera up and down, rather than rotating it. Useful for VR players to preserve the horizon line for orientation.
To mark the launch Dreams is available for a limited time discount, knocking 25% off the regular price. So until 5th August, the title is available via PlayStation Store for £26.24 GBP ($29.99 USD). As Media Molecule continues to expand Dreams and add further content and features, VRFocus will let you know.