I am on record cheering with unreserved optimism for the arrival of virtual reality to the mainstream. Technology that has been teasing me for as long as I can remember seems to finally be available in a way that legitimizes VR gaming as as worthwhile venture for both gamers and developers. As a console gamer, the peripheral I was most excited for was Playstation VR, which released early in October, 2016. Though it took me longer than I anticipated to finally give it a try, I spent a few hours with it last night, and I'd love to tell you all about it!



I tried Playstation VR at a friend's house with a pretty ideal set-up (meaning the requisite eight feet of space were available for movement) but right away it was apparent that my height was creating a problem. I am 6'2" and despite some camera adjustments, the user interface bugged out a few times while I was playing. The headset is light and comfortable, though I was very aware of the dark areas in my periphery. I was never without a reminder that I was wearing "goggles."

The first game I tried was Batman: Arkham VR. I am so happy this was my first experience with the Playstation VR, because all the other titles I tried were underwhelming in comparison. Before the game even started, I found myself gawking at my surroundings on the title screen for about two minutes. I really got the sense that I was standing on top of a skyscraper. I looked up into the sky to see aircraft flying past, and down off the edge of the building to see tiny cars and people milling about far below me. When the game actually started, I went from Wayne Manor to the Batcave to Arkham Asylum and a few other locales in between. Game play consists of swinging the Move controllers to throw Batarangs or shoot a grappling hook, but the sense of movement is hampered a bit by the fact that you can't actually walk around. Batman teleports to points visible on the screen with contextual button presses. Using the tools at your disposal you, as Batman, must solve a murder that hits very close to home. Although the game is just shy of one hour long, the developers managed to cram quite a story into the experience, with a dark conclusion that was twisted in all the right ways, even though I saw it coming from a mile away.

I was also able to try a handful of demos as well as the free Call of Duty VR title Jackal Assault. I didn't feel any of these titles held a candle to the Batman game, so although I hate to gloss over the rest of my experience, I don't think they're worth my time or yours.

So, as someone who was hyped beyond belief for Playstation VR, am I going to run out and shell out nearly eight hundred U.S. dollars for a PS4 and PS VR set up? Absolutely not. I regret to report that even if the software blossoms beyond the glorified tech demo that is Batman: Arkham VR, the peripherals do not accommodate my game play habits. I enjoy spending long bouts of relaxed immersion with a game that draws me in with story and a rewarding game play loop. There is a huge degree of novelty attached to the VR experience that is predictably much like motion controls. While it is likely that experiences like Fallout 4 will eventually have VR support, I don't see myself wanting to play even a game like that for more than an hour at a time.

I may be wrong, but at this time the price tag and overall novelty of the experience have proven to be barriers to entry for me. Have you tried VR? Do you own one? Were you as excited as I was to try it?

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