At my local Best Buy here in South Florida, I noticed a crowd of onlookers in the center of the store. As I inched closer, I immediately noticed the unique design of Playstation’s VR headset and the words “Demo here!” on a banner.
Sony announced at E3 its step into the world of virtual reality; PS4 users are finally getting an affordable (considering the outrageous price of Oculus Rift) chance to use VR.
As I sat down, ready to try on the headset, I noticed it isn’t as heavy as it looks. I initially elected to take my eyeglasses off, but the woman handling the demo told me there’s no need. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as I anticipated, but next time I use it, I’ll take ’em off.
The experience was the most immersive I’ve had in a while with video gaming. There were a handful of demos to choose, but I tested “Headmaster,” a game where soccer balls fly towards you and the goal is to, well, head them into the net.
Pardon me in slacks and a dress shirt. It was hours after church, after all.
It was tough initially. I had to grasp how sensitive each head movement could be and the result it had in-game. The accuracy pleasantly surprised me.
Looking up, down and all around my field of view was almost breathtaking. There were stars in the sky, grass at my feet, a scoreboard I tried reaching out and touching — it felt absolutely real. Of course, graphics weren’t at their peak, but I gave that a pass in light of it being a demo build.
I chastised VR for years prior to E3 and my personal experience. I said it was all a gimmick for hundreds more dollars to be poured into gaming.
Well, I’m changing my tune. Virtual reality is a treat for video gaming, and Sony is bringing one of the cleanest experiences to date for PS4 users.
Ball’s in your court, Oculus and Microsoft.
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Have you tried the HTC Vive? If you have, how do you think it compares to Playstation’s VR experience?
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I haven’t, unfortunately. I wish the Vive were more available to demo like PS VR. It does seem both the PS VR and Vive are going to be more solid than Oculus, though.
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