Sony recently announced a successor to its PSVR headset that will "enable the ultimate entertainment experience with dramatic leaps in performance and interactivity". But that doesn’t mean it’s giving up on the aging PS4 peripheral just yet.
Sony said it was “delighted by the enthusiasm we saw from the community” around the recent announcement of its next-generation VR system, which we believe will be called PSVR 2.
The company has six new PSVR games on the way, and rolled out the announcements every 30 minutes as part of its PS VR Spotlight event on March 3. Read on for a round up of all the standout titles that fans of virtual reality won’t want to miss.
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Remember: the PSVR is compatible with the PS5, however, you’ll need to contact Sony to get a free special adapter if you plan on using the headset with the new PlayStation console.
Doom 3 VR: Edition - March 29
Attention, demon slayers! Doom 3, the first-person space shooter originally released for Windows back in 2004, is coming to PSVR. Doom 3: VR Edition will feature the original game and its expansions, Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission, but retooled for a VR experience.
Bethesda is helming the remaster (or “rebirth”, as it describes it), which will include a host of new gameplay mechanics designed to utilize the PSVR’s capabilities. You’ll be able to peer around corners and angle shots using the PSVR’s motion controls, avoid demons sneaking up on you from behind using the 180-degree quick-turn functionality and check in on a wrist-mounted display to track your health, armor and ammo.
Doom 3: VR Edition arrives on March 29 for PS4, and will be backwards compatible with PS5.
Song in the Smoke - 2021
Song in the Smoke, a new survival game from indie developer 17-Bit, looks set to drop players into a beautiful yet deadly world full of monsters and mysteries. Among other tasks, you’ll have to hunt beasts by tracking their scent and footsteps, scavenge for food to stave off hunger and build fires to keep warm. Aren’t video games supposed to be fun?
If that wasn’t taxing enough, Song in the Smoke will have you wielding a club and bow, using the PS Move controllers, to avoid being attacked by monsters - which the developer says will feel like you’re being hit by a “train”.
On the less intense side of things, you’ll use PSVR to bring food to your real-life mouth, turn herbs into tonics by mashing them with tools, and pour them into containers. There’s no confirmed release date as yet, but Song in the Smoke is set to arrive some time in 2021.
Fracked - 'Summer' 2021
Fracked is a fast-paced, run and gun shooter that seamlessly combines free running, skiing and climbing into a never seen before VR experience. Created from the ground up, Fracked promises to offer the gameplay depth and freedom of traditional games, but one that provides the immersion and control that’s only possible in VR. If you’ve been frustrated by the on-rails nature of some VR games in the past, then Fracked could be for you.
You’re tasked with taking down a gun-wielding, interdimensional army known as the Fracked. It’s up to you to eliminate them, but no pressure - you’re only the last hope for the world.
Developer nDreams says Fracked’s gameplay is “fast, exhilarating, and accessible” and all your character’s movements - whether you’re ziplining or base jumping - will happen seamlessly and fluidly. There’s also 1:1 grabbable cover and tactile weapon reloading.
PS5 owners will be pleased to hear that Fracked will also benefit from some enhancements when played on Sony’s next-gen console. Those who play the game on PS5 can expect improved framerates, faster load times and an increased resolution. PS4 and PS4 Pro players will have the same gameplay experience, though.
Fracked is set to launch “this summer”, which is December to February if you’re in Australia.
I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy And The Liar - 2021
Four years since the award-winning original I Expect You To Die launched on PSVR back in 2016, the sequel, I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy And The Liar, comes to PlayStation’s virtual reality hardware in 2021.
Sending you back into the immersive world of espionage and undercover danger, the sequel sees you infiltrating the Zoraxis organization to stop its latest scheme of world dominance. Take advantage of your telekinetic abilities in all-new environments and surroundings as you expose a diabolical plot and risk your life for the greater good.
I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy And The Liar doesn't have an official release date just yet, but the game is expected to launch later this year.
Zenith - TBC
You wouldn’t associate a VR game with being an MMO RPG (massive online multiplayer role-playing game), but that’s exactly what Zenith promises to be. Inspired by developer Ramen VR’s love of anime, Zenith takes place in a vibrant world that’s full of adrenaline-pumping action and adventure gameplay.
The game features hand-crafted environments that include everything from lush canopies to crystal clear waters, along with the hyper-futuristic city of Zenith itself. The game takes place generations after an event known as The Fracture, which sets the stage for an engrossing tale as you fight against man and gods alike to prevent history from repeating itself.
You can use your hands to climb practically anything in Zenith, including towering skyscrapers, and discover secret areas as you search for hidden treasure. You’ll need to keep an eye on your stamina, though, or risk plummeting down to the depths below mid-climb.
Zenith will also let you soar through clear blue skies using the game’s Gliding system, which allows you to quickly travel to distant areas of the map. Throw in an immersive combat system that’s “only possible in VR”, according to the developer, and you’ve got the ingredients for an intriguing VR game that marries MMO RPGs, anime and virtual reality.
After the Fall - 'Summer' 2021
From the creators of Arizona Sunshine, Vertigo Games, After the Fall is a co-op fast action FPS set in a post-apocalyptic world that sees your fighting for survival. You play as one of four heroes tasked with fighting off the snowbreed, ferocious, undead creatures roaming the frozen remains of an alternate 1980s LA.
You and your friends have to keep a cool head while trying to fend off these hordes of pack creatures, but you'll want to keep an eye (and ear) out for some of the more dangerous types, with some more brutish snowbreed any to remove your head from your body in an instant.
While the cinematic trailer is enough to get us excited about this chilly FPS, Vertigo Games has said that an "all-new gameplay trailer" will arrive in the coming weeks, which will reveal what you can expect from After the Fall's world, co-op and AI companions - for those who would rather go solo.
After the Fall will make use of full VR motion controls on dual PS Move controllers or the PS VR Aim controller, so make sure you have the right equipment ahead of the game's release in "Summer" 2021.
Escape reality
While many believed Sony might leave VR behind, it’s clear that the company is fully committed to bringing virtual reality to the masses. PSVR 2 will certainly be a more tempting proposition to newcomers and PS5 owners if it already has an established lineup of games at the time of release, and quality of life improvements such as only having one wire and a dedicated VR controller will only help its appeal.
- Interested in VR? Read our Oculus Quest 2 review
