Until this week, my time with PlayStation VR had been very limited. The longest I'd probably spent strapped in to the headset in one session was maybe 15 minutes, so I hadn't really had an opportunity to test how it feels to play virtual reality in extended sittings. Luckily, I was invited up to Rebellion on Wednesday, where I spent over an hour playing Battlezone co-op in one go.
And I felt absolutely fine. The week prior, I'd been to EGX 2016 – a major UK gaming convention attended by almost 200,000 people. As a consequence, you can probably imagine that I've not been feeling my best; I've got a serious case of man flu right now. But even with my white blood cells working overtime, I didn't really have any problems remaining in the virtual world.
This should come as positive news to many of you, as I know a lot of you have been asking whether you'll be able to play the headset for longer than a few minutes at a time. The reality is that if my team hadn't been wiped out while playing Battlezone, I could have easily gone for another hour or so at least. It's probably going to depend on the game and the person, but I felt fine.
And it's a reminder of just how comfortable Sony's headset is. It's very light, and any weight is distributed across the head, rather than being focused on a single area. In fact the only downside I found from playing so long is that it really messed up my hair; it's probably time to coin a new phrase – "VR Hair", anyone?
[source bit.ly]
Comments 25
How did you get on with the heat of the thing? Previous VR headsets I've used have all steamed up after extended sessions. Wonder if they've got round the fogging up of the lenses, not seen any one mention it.
Thanks
@T0N10 Absolutely no problem at all. Lenses were as clear at the end of the session as they were at the start.
Was it running on a Pro, or base PS4?
@ChoZanWan Base PS4.
This is one of my concerns so thanks for addressing. I wondered about Rigs because that seems as fast as a standard FPS which in terms of swirly head sickness, is pretty fast.
If I do get VR on release I am torn on whether to go with Rigs or Battlezone - was leaning towards Rigs but this looks a little more my style.
@Rudy_Manchego The problem I foresee with RIGS is that you aim with your head, which seems much more tiring than Battlezone, where you aim with the analogue stick.
@Rudy_Manchego Battlezone looks ace!
You don't wear specs do you, @get2sammyb? Mine keep steaming up whenever I wear a Rift, and it's my only vague concern about my impending PSVR delivery. Luckily I've managed to get a months free trial of contacts, so I'll have an alternative if needs be!
Get well soon Sam chin up kid.
Whithout putting a dampner on the whole Virtual Reality hype to me it looks like 1st person view as a programmers point of view this should not be difficult to implement in game.
lots of rest man flu is no joke.
@AhabSpampurse Oh yeah, no glasses while playing VR, I see what you mean!
@AhabSpampurse I am curious to know if you have tried VR wearing no glasses? Surely the screen is so close you don't need to wear them unless you are long sighted?
two weeks until launch day! I'm losing my mind in anticipation!!
@get2sammyb Oh right - I didn't realise. I have to wait another week for my VR trial! That does sound slightly more effort and vom inducing. Feels a little more movement orientated then I was expecting from a control function.
@ChoZanWan It is looking pretty ace
@SethPuddle Same here. It didn't hit me till a couple of days ago, with all the pro/slim news coming through.
Now I'm all aboard the hype train into VR!!
@aric201812 yeah, I gave it a shake. To be fair to Oculus they provide a plethora of lens caps and other gubbins that you can pop in the headset, to help accommodate the visually challenged like myself. Unfortunately my eyes are a bit odd (an astigmatism in one eye plus short sightedness, and long sighted in the other), so wearing the headset without my glasses or even with the wonder-lenses that Oculus provide still proved a no go as everything was too blurry. This is why I've thought ahead and will give contacts a try.
It's not uncomfortable to wear a headset with glasses, it's just irritating when my lenses keep steaming up. Saying that I've also considered using motorcycle visor wipes on my specs for VR sessions, which are purposefully designed to prevent steaming in the materials. The point is, I'm prepared
@AhabSpampurse 👍😀 I had laser surgery a couple of years ago... obviously in anticipation of the VR revolution!😜 So I'm good to go.
@Fight_Teza_Fight I know, time flew by and now everything is so close to releasing. October is a ridiculous month for releases already without the VR. I'm going to be absolutely broke by the end of October.
The hype is real. I'm really excited for this. Sammy, how adjustable is the headset for different head sizes? I've got a really big head myself.
@GooRoo If it's anything like your avatar you'll need a specially made head set to get it round that thing
@GooRoo Seems pretty flexible. It's a very well thought out product IMO. Can't really say much more until next week, though.
@aric201812 goddamnit... that's the only thing I haven't considered. Best start saving...
@get2sammyb How much room do you need to fully enjoy it. That was the problem my wife and I had with Kinect on 360...not enough room, so it didn't pick you up that well. If we actually fork over the money for this, I'd like to know if we would fully be able to enjoy it...as I'm looking forward to Until Dawn Rush Of Blood and possibly (hopefully) a new Sports Champions for it.
@Star-Lord Yes it does.
@JLPick You really don't need much space at all. Obviously some games which demand you move around require more room than those that don't, but for just the sitting experiences, you hardly need any space.
@get2sammyb Hi, I was just curious of the image quality. The time I had with PSVR seemed fine but I have read reports of PSVR being cloudy like looking through a window. Are you allowed to tell us if this is true or is it false journalism or fan boys looking for a story.
@SnowstormX I mean, it's not razor sharp like you're used to with your HDTV, but nor was it ever going to be. Some games are better than others, but once you've got it focused, I find it to be "good enough".
If you were happy with what you experienced in your demo, then you'll be happy with the final product.
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