So, I finally received my VR Headset.
First impressions. This thing just looks so cool and futuristic. Aesthetically, it is much prettier than the Vive or Oculus.
When I put on the headset, I was initially quite disappointed in the resolution when looking at the standard PS4 menu. You can distinguish between pixels fairly easily, and it made me quite worried about what I had just bought. However, I carried on with testing, starting with Playroom VR first, and omg, VR is amazing. It doesn't matter what I or anyone else says, the experience of entering a virtual world is unparalleled and awe inducing, and it really cannot be imagined without having tried it. The graphics themselves were also quite good, with in-game objects offering more detail that I had anticipated. Sure, things can be blurry at a distance, but the lighting and the actual models can be surprisingly good. Bending forwards when standing in front of an edge and looking down into the abyss is insane. It's a shame that most of the games within Playroom VR is geared towards several players, as I had a lot of fun with the one game I did play.
I then fired up the demo disc that came with the headset, eager to see if I'd experience any discomfort when playing fast paced games. Fortunately, I handle VR perfectly fine. No headaches, and no nausea.
Ocean Descent was my first stop, and it was memorizing. I just stood in my room, looking like a complete moron, with my jaw all the way down to my feet. It was really cool. Next up was Battlezone, and wow. The cockpit of your tank is massive. You really get the feeling that you're sitting in a giant behemoth of a tank, and if I was excited about the prospect of playing AC7 in VR before, then I lack words for describing how excited I am for it now. It's going to be bloody amazing.
I might pick up Battlezone, as it seemed like a lot of fun.
RIGS surprised me with how fluid movement is, and how amazing the draw distance can be in VR. When I got blown up, I got launched into the air, and while I was supposed to pick a new place to spawn, I just couldn't do it. The view was just breathtaking. Definitely going on my list of games that I probably need to buy.
Wayward was another pleasant experience, with nice music, potentially awesome story, and some fun interaction with your environment. When you first boot up the demo of that game, you're position at a desk of sorts with a things around you that you can interact with. I picked up a model airplane, moved it about while making dumb airplane noises (in real life), and then proceeded to see how far I could get it to fly. It flew surprisingly far. I then picked up a radio, inspected it a bit, and then casually tossed it over my shoulders. It's so simple and stupid, but I had a blast doing these things.
The other experiences didn't do a whole lot for me, as they were either too short, or just not my thing. The Demo takes forever to load games, and for some reason, it boots you out to the main menu of the demo disc, rather than letting you replay the demo immediately. Quite frustrating to be honest.
The small in-ear headphones you get are decent at best, so next I'll see if I can comfortably wear my Sony MDR-1's with the VR headset on, as they offer much better sound. Do the 3D sound require specific headsets? (I am aware that the headset needs to connect via Jack)
Conclusion. VR is awesome, and you should get VR now.
The one significant problem is the resolution. It can be surprisingly difficult to identify anything that is far away, which is rather immersion breaking.