PS VR’S EXCLUSIVES DESERVE SO MUCH PRAISE. WE SHOULD KEEP UP THE SUPPORT OR RISK WATCHING IT DIE OUT LIKE PS VITA.
Sony’s inspired VR outlet needs more than a cult following
The PS VR party had already started by the time I arrived, once it got relatively cheap in the dying throes of the decade. I’d been fascinated by it ever since I donned the plastic cowl to play Arkham VR at Gamescom 2016 (I still use the T-shirt I was given as pyjamas), so unwrapping it years later felt like the start of a momentous virtual pilgrimage.
It was my Achilles heel, Psychonauts, that eventually unravelled my fiscal sensibilities. After nearly losing the plot waiting for the pennies to turn into pounds, I picked up a PS VR on Black Friday in 2018 and investigated every vertex of the Rhombus Of Ruin, never looking back. At the time, I simply would not shut up about the system when talking to my mates. From the blood-pumping grit of Blood & Truth to the synaesthetic soul food that is Tetris Effect, PS VR, above all other VR platforms, has a growing roster of games that feel especially curated, like a console launch lineup.
Where else have we seen such a breadth of unique experiences – weird, experimental oddities like Déraciné and Bound that defy the conventional gimmicky VR format in favour of unbridled creativity? Who could have predicted that one of the finest platforming games in recent years, Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, would be delivered via virtual reality and serviced by the most underpowered headset on the market? PS VR has constantly proved its haters wrong by doing so much with so little. It’s never mattered that the headset has a low resolution and the peripherals are ancient PS3 technology. When the games are that impressive, the medium barely gets in the way.
This is why I’m so excited for the future of PS VR. With
PS5 compatibility confirmed and five million units sold, I’m hopeful that a new generation of developers will be inspired by the likes of Tetris
Effect and drawn to the platform by its creative potential. With inspired games like Eric Chahi’s Paper Beast and Media Molecule’s Dreams on the way in 2020, it clearly won’t be gathering too much dust. Yet, this excitement arrives with a gigantic millstone of concern.
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
Much like the rest of the virtual reality headsets that have arrived in the last five years, PS VR has yet to achieve true mainstream success despite its low price point, and its exclusives are starting to run thin as they’re ported to other VR platforms. I’m not in the business of vapid gatekeeping; the more people who get to experience these excellent games, the better. I just hope the collective subconscious doesn’t forget about the provenance. These games debuted on and were nurtured by PS VR, and that’s something to be celebrated.
We mustn’t forget the cautionary tale of PS Vita either. I’m sure we’re all still hurt by the soul-crushing demise of the handheld, which fell to the wayside despite a serious cult following and some clever exclusives. I’m desperate that PS VR doesn’t suffer the same fate and find itself dissociated from the PlayStation ecosystem in the next generation.
Sony should take its somewhat successful streak seriously and continue delivering exciting games for the players – and in turn, we should do our best to voice our support for the platform, and make sure this special gateway to emotion and action doesn’t end up in the tat bin with the rest of the misfit toys.