Due for official release on 13th October this year, Sony PlayStation® VR is set to be one of the most anticipated gaming releases in recent times. Described by its creators as a means of “experiencing gaming in an entirely new way”, PS VR dominated Sony’s latest E3 event last week at which the company unveiled a large portion of the titles that will be available upon the headset’s release later this year. But with just under four months to go until its arrival in the gaming world, what do we know about PlayStation VR so far and what news should we expect between now and its release?
Specifications
The response to the Playstation VR’s specifications has so far been overwhelmingly positive and looks very promising for the device’s gameplay. Priced at £350, the specifications are surprisingly competitive with the more high-end options offered by Oculus Rift and HTC Vive while being significantly cheaper and not requiring an expensive PC for gaming.
Within the headset is a custom-built 5.7” OLED screen that enables ultra-real 3D environments for completely immersive gameplay. There is much debate in technological circles regarding the superiority of OLED or LED screens in televisions and mobile phones, but there is an increasing belief that OLED screens are the better technology, particularly more effective in low-light environments, making this choice of screen for the PlayStation VR headset a wise decision. Further to the screen, the headset features a 360-deree tracking system that gives a seamless field of vision while a frame rate of up to 120 frames per second is more than twice that of most video games and thus offering an optimised, lifelike experience of your video game.
Revolutionary Stereoscopic Sound
As with the 360 field of vision, Sony have opted for 360-degree surround sound in the PS VR headset to provide complete 3D audio. The motion tracking system that monitors your slightest movements also allows for stereoscopic sound, meaning that if you turn your head towards a particular in-game sound, that sound will change as your proximity and direction moves towards or away from that sound. A built-in microphone allows users to communicate with friends during gameplay, but the system is also intelligent enough for your voice to become part of the gameplay where necessary; for example, if you find yourself within an eerie cave shouting for help, you will be able to hear your distressed voice echoing from the walls around you.
The Headset
The PlayStation VR’s headset is designed for prolonged gaming use with comfort clearly high on the agenda; This is especially true when compared with the chunky goggle designs for Oculus’s Rift and HTC’s Vive where the weighting towards specs evidently drew some focus away from comfort. The PlayStation VR headset is surprisingly light and comprises a quite simple single headband design with ergonomic rubber eyepieces that can be easily worn with glasses. The delightful comfort of the headset allows the user to forget you are wearing a VR headset, offering a more immersive experience in your game world.
Not Yet Wireless
While jousting wirelessly around your living room might sound like fun (if not a little bit dangerous…), this will not yet be possible with PlayStation VR. Sony have indicated that they are working on making the headset wireless, but for now the device will be hooked up to a 5m cable—which at least means no need for charging!
Future Potential
Sony vice president Masayasu Ito recently revealed to Japanese newspaper Nikkei that PlayStation VR does have the potential to eventually be rolled out to PC. In the interview, translated by Eurogamer, Ito explained that “The possibility exists [to roll out PlayStation VR on PC] since the PlayStation 4 shares many of parts with the PC. At the moment we’re concentrating on games, so I have nothing to announce at this point, but we’re looking to expand in a variety of areas.” Watch this space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GXvYexMoZY
The Games:
Along with announcing the official release date, Sony’s E3 conference saw the announcement that 50 games were confirmed for PlayStation VR. See below for a full list of the games that will be available, and click on the game’s title to see its official trailer.
Title |
Studio/Developer |
Game Genre |
Release Date |
100ft Robot Golf | No Goblin | Sport Arcade | TBC |
Adventure Time: Magic Man's Head Games | Turbo Button | Platformer | TBC |
Ace Combat 7 | Bandai Namco | Flight Simulator | Oct. 2016 |
Atom Universe | Atom Republic | MMO | TBC |
Adrift | Three One Zero | Sci-Fi Adventure | TBC |
Albino Lullaby | Ape Law | Horror Adventure | TBC |
Apollo 11 VR Experience | David Whelan | FPX | TBC |
Arizona Sunshine | Vertigo Games | FPS | TBC |
ARK: Survival Evolved | Studio Wildcard | MMO | TBC |
The Assembly | nDreams | Sci-Fi Adventure | TBC |
Attractio | GameCoder Studios | Puzzle | TBC |
BassDrop | Hyperkin Laps | Rhythm Shooter | TBC |
Batman Arkham VR | Rocksteady | Action | Oct 2016 |
Battlezone | Rebellion | Sci-Fi Shooter | Oct. 2016 |
Bebylon Battle Royale | Kite&Lightning | Party Browler | TBC |
Bound | Santa Monica Studios | Adventure | TBC |
Carpe Lucem – Seize the Light | Application Systems | Puzzle | TBC |
Chernobyl VR Project | Reality 51 | FPX | TBC |
Classroom Aquatic | Sunken Places | Stealth | TBC |
Cult County | Renegade Kid | Survival Horror | TBC |
Crystal Rift | Psytec Games | Dungeon Crawler | TBC |
Dead Bug Creek | California Rex | Adventure | TBC |
DEAD OR ALIVE XTREME 3 | Koei Tecmo | Sport Arcade | TBC |
Dead Secret | Robot Invader | Crime Puzzle | TBC |
Desert Bus 2.0 | GearBox | Arcade Racing | TBC |
Dimensional Intersection | Nicalis | Music Visualiser | TBC |
Disco Flux | Solus Games | Rhythm Shooter | TBC |
Distance | Refract | Arcade Racing | TBC |
Dynasty Warriors 8 VR | Tecmo Koei | Action | TBC |
Dreams | Media Molecule | Creation Tool | TBC |
Driveclub VR | Evolution Studios | Arcade Racing | TBC |
Eagle Flight | Ubisoft | Flight Simulator | Oct. 2016 |
Earthlight | Opaque Media | FPX | TBC |
Eclipse | White Elk | Sci-Fi Adventure | TBC |
EVE: Gunjack | CCP Games | Sci-Fi Shooter | Oct. 2016 |
Everest VR | Sólfar Studios | FPX | TBC |
EVE: Valkyrie | CCP Games | Sci-Fi Shooter | Oct. 2016 |
Farpoint | Impulse Gear | Action Adventure | TBC |
Fated | Frima Studios | Fantasy Adventure | TBC |
Filthy Lucre | Fabrik | Stealth Action | TBC |
Final Approach | Phaser Lock Interactive | Strategy | TBC |
Final Fantasy XV | Square Enix | Adventure | TBC |
Futuridium EP Deluxe | MixedBag Games | Shoot 'em up | TBC |
Futuridium VR | MixedBag Games | Sci-Fi Shooter | TBC |
The Gallery: Six Elements | Cloudhead Games | Puzzle Adventure | TBC |
Gang Beasts | Double Fine | Party Game | TBC |
Gary the Gull | Limitless | Interactive Story | TBC |
Get Even | Farm 51 | FPS | TBC |
GNOG | KO-OP | Puzzle Adventure | TBC |
Godling | Solfar Studios | Puzzle Adventure | TBC |
Ghost Theory | Dreadlocks | Horror | TBC |
Golem | Highwire Games | Action Adventure | Oct. 2016 |
The Golf Club | HB Studios | Sport | TBC |
Gran Turismo Sport | Polyphony Digital | Racing Simulation | 16th November 2016 |
Gunship Battle 2 VR | Joycity | Flight Simulator | TBC |
Harmonix Music VR | Harmonix Music Systems | Music | Oct. 2016 |
Hatsune Miku Project Diva X | SEGA | Music | Oct. 2016 |
Headmaster | Frame Interactive | Sport | Oct. 2016 |
Hellgate VR | Hanbit Soft | FPS | TBC |
Here they lie | Santa Monica Studios | Horror | Oct. 2016 |
HoloBall | TreeFortrress Games | Sport | Oct. 2016 |
Holodance | narayana | Music | TBC |
How we Soar | Penny Black Studios | Flight Experience | Oct. 2016 |
Hyper Void | N Framez Technology | TPS | TBC |
The Hum | Totwise Studios | Survival Horror | TBC |
Hustle Kings VR | VooFoo Studios | Sport | Oct. 2016 |
iOMoon | Headtripgames | Sci-Fi Adventure | TBC |
Job Simulator | Owlchemy Labs | Simulator | Oct. 2016 |
JoysoundVR | Xing Inc. | Music | TBC |
Jurassic Encounter | Supermassive Games | FPX | TBC |
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes | Steel Crate | Party Game | TBC |
Kerser | Technolust | Arcade Racing | TBC |
Kittypocalypse | Bolvërk Games | Strategy | TBC |
KÔNA | Parabole | Survival Adventure | TBC |
Loading Human | Untold Games | Sci-Fi Adventure | TBC |
Mars 2030 | Fusion Media | FPX | TBC |
Megaton Rainfall | Pentadimensional Games | Action | TBC |
Mind: Path to Talamus | Carlos Coronado | Puzzle Adventure | TBC |
The Musik Room | Chrome Coda | Music | TBC |
The Modern Zombie Taxi Co. | Santa Monica Studios | Arcade Racing | TBC |
Mortal Blitz | Skonec Entertainment’s | FPS | TBC |
Moto Racer 4 | Microids | Racing | Oct. 2016 |
Nighttime Terror 2 | VR Bits | Top-down Shooter | TBC |
O! My Genesis VR | XPEC Entertainment | Strategy | TBC |
The Occasional Encounter | UserJoy Technology | FPX | TBC |
Omega Agent | Fireproof Games | Action | TBC |
Paranormal Activity VR | VRwerx | Horror | TBC |
P.O.L.L.E.N | Mindfield Games | Sci-Fi Adventure | TBC |
The Playroom VR | SCE Japan Studio | Party Game | Oct. 2016 |
Playstation VR Worlds | SCE London Studio | Five Different Games | Oct. 2016 |
Project CARS | Slightly Mad Studios | Racing Simulation | TBC |
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin | Double Fine | Puzzle | TBC |
Q.U.B.E.² | Toxic Games | Puzzle | TBC |
Radial-G | Tammeka | Arcade Racing | Oct. 2016 |
RAW DATA | Survios | FPS | TBC |
RIGS: Mechanized Combat League | Guerrilla Cambridge | FPS | Oct. 2016 |
Resident Evil VII | Capcom | Horror | 24th Jan 2017 |
Rez Infinite | Enhance Games | Music Shooter | TBC |
Robinson: The Journey | Crytek | Sci-Fi Adventure | Oct. 2016 |
Snow | Poppermost | Sport | TBC |
Star Wars Battlefront VR | Dice | Sci-Fi Adventure | TBC |
Statik | Tariser Studios | Puzzle | Oct. 2016 |
Star Trek: Bridge Crew | Ubisoft | Sci-Fi Adventure | Oct. 2016 |
Superhypercube | Kokoromi | Puzzle | TBC |
Super Stardust Ultra VR | Housemarque | Arcade Shooter | Oct 2016 |
Summer Lesson | Bandai Namco | Communication Game | Oct 2016 |
Surgeon Simulator | Bossa Studios | Simulation | TBC |
Synthesis Universe | Olivier JT | FPX | TBC |
Tactera | E McNeill | Strategy | TBC |
Tea Party Simulator 2015 | Liens Power Up to the Maximum | Simulation | TBC |
Tethered | Secret Sorcery | Strategy | Oct. 2016 |
The Telltale Project | Winking Entertainment | Sci-Fi Adventure | TBC |
Technolust | Iris VR | Adventure | TBC |
Tekken 7 | Bandai Namco | Beat 'em up | TBC |
Time Machine VR | Minority | Sci-Fi Adventure | TBC |
Thumper | Drool | Rhythm Racing | TBC |
Thunderbird: The Legend Begins | Innervision Games | Puzzle Adventure | TBC |
Trackmania Turbo | Ubisoft Nadeo | Arcade Racing | TBC |
Tumble VR | Supermassive Games | Puzzle | TBC |
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood | Supermassive Games | On-Rails Shooter | Oct. 2016 |
Vanguard V | Zero Transform | TPS | TBC |
Vector 36 | Red River Studio | Arcade Racing | TBC |
VEV: Viva Ex Vivo | Truant Pixel | Survival Adventure | TBC |
Visage | SadSquare Studio | Horror | TBC |
VizionEck | VizionEck | Puzzle | TBC |
vTime | Starship Group | Social Network Experience | TBC |
Volume: Coda | Mike Bithell | Stealth Action | TBC |
Waltz of the Wizard | Aldin Dynamics | Fantasy Adventure | TBC |
War Thunder | Gaijin Entertainment | Flight Simulation | Oct. 2016 |
Wayward Sky | Uber Entertainment | Puzzle Adventure | TBC |
Werewolves Within | Red Storm | Party Game | TBC |
White Day: Swan Song | Rio Games | Horror | Oct. 2016 |
World War Toons | Reload Studios | FPS | TBC |
WRC 6 | Kylotonn Racing Games | Racing | TBC |
XING: The Land Beyond | Lotus Interactive | Puzzle Adventure | TBC |
Pre-order the PlayStation VR Headset today from The Hut with free UK and international delivery available.