In a fortnight, the PlayStation VR 2 will finally be in the hands of the main interested parties. The helmet knows even before its release a good success of esteem, however tainted by a catalog nourished with ports. From there is born the indecision, a good number of players legitimately wonder the interest of paying so much to afford only the titles exclusive to the latest sony, but that would be to consider the ports as pale copies of the standalone or PC versions VRWhat is it really ?
While around 40 games have already been confirmed for launch, only two of them are exclusive to the latest platform VR from Sony: Horizon Call of the Mountain and The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR (which has been postponed). It is certainly very meager, but nevertheless logical given the nature of the market: produce AAA in VR would cost more than they would bring in, so studios need to adjust accordingly.
If the biggest games in the catalog meet with resounding success, we will be entitled to expect sequels, or even new titles that are ever more beautiful, more immersive and above all longer. This observation is also valid for all the other productions in the catalog. VR. Buy one PSVR 2 and big games going with it, it’s being able on the one hand to take advantage of it, of course, but also to bet on the future by encouraging the big studios to release funds.
We all know that many of the porters are remasters existing games on PSVR first of the name, when others come from blinds stand-alone or PC VR. Where the detractors will cry out for ease and a certain laziness, the developers are, on the question, of a completely different opinion. For the latter, the non-compatibility of the PlayStation VR 2 on the titles PSVR would not be a horrible punishment for the players, but on the contrary, a real blessing:
What’s great is that it’s kind of the excuse (Editor’s note: non-backward compatibility) that we needed to backtrack and make our titles real PS5 games. – Mark McDonald – Enhance (Tetris Effect: Connected)
In other words, if the headset was backwards compatible, the developers would not have needed or wanted to touch up their titles.while as it stands, non-backward compatibility forces them to render their games PSVR 2 Readymeaning more beautiful and immersive than ever.
Josh Stiksma, Series Design Director Moss speaks about this:
Whenever possible, we want to bring players with us as soon as we can, and I have to tell you, there are a lot of technical changes that go into the new hardware. The first and most obvious is that this is now a game that requires two controllers, and no longer a single DualShock. Basically, this changes the whole input part of the title.
On the side of Tetris Effect: Connected or Rez Infinite, these are elements such as definition, sound and frame rate which are central to the experience. This may come as a surprise, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that the primary purpose of these experiences is to bring synesthesia (combining of the senses) to players.
By questioning a good number of developers, the result is a consensus: do not settle for a hasty port. All without exception have this feeling that the last helmet sony will allow them to release the best version of their titlescompared to standalone and PC versions VR !
Jake Kazdalfounder of the studio 17-Bit (Song in the Smoke), said about the PlayStation VR 2 that he was delighted to be able to exploit it in a specific way and not as it did before, using the same version of the game for the PC experience VR and autonomous.
In addition to the significant graphical gain allowed by the PS5, THE PSVR 2 includes an eye tracking system that provides two functionalities: the first concerns foveal rendering, which allows you to render in high definition only the part on which your eye is looking, deteriorating everything you do not see. This saves resources while displaying more detailed and fine graphics. Second feature and not the least, the interaction : if we know that it is now possible to choose your weapons or to move in the menus in view, it will also be possible, like Tetris Effectto close your eyes to trigger the zen mode. As you will have understood, we are eager to know, as in the blessed era of the 3DS or the Wii, how developers will use these new immersive technologies to impress us.
THE PlayStation VR 2like the PlayStation 5, can boast of having haptic controllers, which casually allows sony to give its titles real immersive added value. Understand that between a version Xbox and a PS5 of the same game, you will have an equivalent experience, but the haptics of the DualSense will always bring (for compatible games) that little bit more than the other will ever have.
For the PSVR 2same fight, the director (Tyler McCulloch) of the excellent play Pistol Whip wants to remind us:
Our team tuned the haptics to match PSVR 2’s sensitivity, giving players a bit more jolt when hit. But that’s not all, the adaptive triggers add different levels of resistance to the trigger depending on whether the magazine is full or empty, these same triggers offer more realistic shooting vibrations, in addition to offering distinct clicks when you reload . It’s incredible !
The developers of Moss are not left out, evoking the possibility of feeling, likeAstro’s Playroomthe different textures of the game:
If you think about the number of interactions we have in Moss Book I and II, there are a lot of different textures and sensations that you will be able to experience through this feature. It’s pretty amazing when you start playing with it, and it’s something that will really, really surprise players.
On the side of the developers, it is necessary to justify the cost of each port, in particular by using all the specificities of the last helmet of sony. Some games also offer a free update (ex: Resident Evil Village). This “gift” is not the result of chance, games benefiting from a free update like GT7 or REV allow you to get an idea of what a port is worth on PSVR 2. The conquered player will inevitably ask himself the question of whether or not it is worth the cost of buying back titles that he has already made on other media.
But not all studios choose the free updateas is the case with PolyArc (Moss):
We had to go back and dig into the design of the game itself to optimize it for the platform, from haptic feedback, increased graphics, field of view, eye-tracking to setup controller, fundamentally changing the experience to be better and more immersive. We’re a small team working on this project, and if we want to keep creating worlds like this, we can’t just give things away for free.
Yes, do a portage VR which takes into account the unique specificities of the PSVR 2 is very expensive, both in time and money, much more than most players realize. When free is in the game, it is above all a strategic choice, which only the biggest studios can afford.
To conclude, buying these games will be above all a question of affinity with this or that title.but not only. It will also be necessary to take into account the original support of the said gamesomeone who is content with the autonomous (or who comes from PSVR) and which passes to PSVR 2 will obviously be much more amazed and in awe of this difference than someone who has already experienced most PC games VR using his RTX-4090. And yet, the latter could, and it is not excluded, wonder if HDR, OLED and haptic feedback are worth trying their favorite titles again in a new light. To such an extent, moreover, that the question arose for a long time, if not the fantasy, of seeing the helmet of sony compatible with PCs:
We look forward to further testing the PlayStation VR 2and above all and of course, tell you if the experience of these ports is up to what the developers announce. Do not hesitate to share your point of view in comments or on social networks, we will be delighted to collect your opinions and compare them with ours. If you are interested in the PSVR 2you can pre-order it at the next address.
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