More than 10 years ago, there was a game called Kid Chamelon on Sega Gensis. The game is set in the future where people no longer play game using controller and screen but they would enter a machine to play game in virtual reality. Fast forward to today, VR gaming may indeed become the mainstream way of playing games in a year or two.
So is VR gaming the future of gaming or a hype? I’ve got a chance to try out the latest Sony PlayStation VR at the GameStart Asia game convention held at Suntec this weekend.
What is VR gaming?
Put it simply, it is as simple as putting 2 small screens near your left and right eyes respectively via a head mounted device. Each screen shows what a left and right eyes would see similar to how 3D glasses work. Voila! You are now transported to a whole new world! With a controller, you can move and interact in the new world and get totally immersed in virtual reality. More details here for those who are interested.
Who is in the VR space?
Virtual reality (VR) has been made popular by a company call Occulus with their Occulus Rift headset funded on Kickstarter. Since then, many other companies are getting into VR.
Google with their famous low-cost Google Cardboard which is essentially a cupboard head mount for your Android phone to be placed over your eyes similar to the Rift.
Microsoft announced its own Hololens in Oct 2015 slated for shipment in 2016. Hololens however is a mix reality headset. Wearing it still enables you to view your actual physical surrounding with its transparent glasses. At the recent E3, Microsoft has demo-ed a Minecraft gameplay using Hololens.
If Microsoft is in the game, you bet Sony is. Sony’s very own VR headset, originally called Project Morpheus, was announced way back in 2014. It is now known as PlayStation VR and of course it will be powered by PlayStation 4. This is the set that I’ve tried at GameStart Asia.
Other notable mentions include HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR which is essentially an Occulus Rift design to fit over a Samsung Galaxy S6 or Note 4.
The experience at GameStart Asia
The PlayStation VR booth is undoubtably one of the most popular booth at GameStart Asia. I was given a chance to try the famous Summer Lesson PlayStation VR demo .
For those who don’t know about Summer Lesson, it is a demo built for the PlayStation VR where you meet this virtual blonde girl who asked you to teach her Japanese. Yes, it maybe weird and creepy for some, but I am absolutely certain that this makes having a virtual girlfriend even more real for some Otaku. You really need to experience this yourself.
After being ushered into the demo area, a crew member helped me put on the headset and earphone. While the screen is supposingly HD at 1920 x 1080 ( 960 x 1080 for each eye), the display is not as clear and sharp as I would hope to be. Also the headset has to be at a ‘correct’ angle for it to be in focus. A few times I was fumbling with the headset with my hand trying to get it to focus probably. To be fair, it could be because I am wearing glasses and that the set could still be a prototype.
Aside from the display, the entire experience is really immersive and surreal! The demo started with a beautiful blonde lady asking you to teach her Japanese. You reply using head gesture, nodding or shaking your head. Additional control via PS Move is detected by the PlayStation Camera setup in front though it is not available on this demo.
The girl was sitting beside me asking me to teach her Japanese. When I tried moving in closer to her, she actually shifted backward saying that I am getting too close! Wow! What a surprise! She is actually aware that I am there. There is also a moment when she bends in front of you and that really makes me feel that she is just beside me. Talk about an immersive experience!
I don’t have the opportunity to try out other demo, one which you are involve in a heist and get to use PS Move to shoot and another where you get to swim with a great white shark. The wait at the queue was simply too long. But overall, it was a memorable experience like your first time watching a 3D movie.
VR gaming is coming
Yes that is right. VR gaming is real and it will likely transform the way we play game today. I believe that console games will first take the lead with PlayStation VR and Hololens leading the way towards VR gaming. However, we have yet to try the headset on for a prolong period of time. Problem with such technology is that people may experience discomfort or giddiness over some time and this may affect how well gamers adopt this technology.
Nonetheless, we are excited about this piece of technology and hope to be able to review a full game on the VR or Hololen soon when it is out hopefully by next year.
PS: Check out Tow Kay New’s vlog on the actual event below: