The game has gotten much heat on Steam for only supporting Meta hmds - and Index still is not supported, but devs will support other hmds soon.
For now the game works flawlessly with my trusty Rift CV1. It's dark in the tunnels below ground, but the Rift CV1 oled panels shine here. The game even supports native Meta drivers for optimal performance - that's awesome. The game can be found here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2206320/Hello_Neighbor_VR_Search_and_Rescue/
This may not be the kind of game I'd normally play - but my 11 year old son loves it - I still had a fun time testing the game. There are 3 settings for shadow detail - I used the highest. Using Rift CV1 ss 2.5, maxing out MSAA levels was too much to keep 90 fps with my oc'ed RTX 3090, but using medium MSAA worked in 90 fps (note that ss 2.5 is an insane 27 million pixels per frame combining both eyes). Using ss 2.5, medium and high levels of in-game antialiasing looked the same to me.
But how does high-end VR differ from the lowest-end? I dug out some vids on YouTube - clearly the game is massively enhanced for PCVR with dynamic shadows, 3D grass, great lighting - while the Quest 2 version looks really barren and ugly (very low-res textures compared to PCVR, no shadows, lighting limited the flashlight):
This is the Quest 2 version - jump to 2:00 and see no 3D grass at all:
This is PCVR - jump to 4:00 to compare with the above vid at 2:00:
Graphics are close to a night and day difference - also for the lighting and reflections in the underground entrance/sewer. Would be nice for the devs to tell Steam users that the PCVR version is something special on the Store page. Also see the wooden textures here:
Wooden textures - Quest 2 (captured from 1440p vid):
Wooden textures - PCVR (captured from 1440p vid):
While the wooden textures aren't that impressive for PCVR and could have been much better, these still are massively improved over the Quest version. The PCVR version is three times bigger than the Quest 2 version also in GB (1.6GB vs. 5 GB).
Here are examples of nice textures in the PCVR version - I took the shots while playing the game:
Maybe hard to see - but the key has some nice fine texture details. See also the fine scratches on the metal door above.
Here you can see the sun beams in the room (not available in the Quest 2 version):
- and real-time lighting adds reflections in the water here:
Here are examples of dynamic shadows (not available in the Quest 2 version):
I'm shining a flashlight on the railing in the above image - see how this casts shadows on the walls - such effects are not in the Quest 2 version, and probably of lower quality in the PSVR2 version (more blurry shadows)
I believe the PSVR2 version is just 60 fps with reprojections - while PCVR easily is solid 90 fps (or 120 fps) - and you can add super-sampling for awesome image clarity - way beyond both Quest 2 and PSVR2. Also the PSVR2, even being of lower quality than PCVR, seems much ahead of Quest 2:
"Reflections of light on doorknobs, glowing effects on those coins, a magnifying glass that actually magnifies and tons of improvements all add layers to the PSVR version that the Quest is missing. Exploring the house is fun and every unlocked door offers up something new to discover with the story quickly moving past the initial premise into something a little deeper and a little more surreal, offering some unexpected settings. There’s way less pop-in and the clarity of the textures compared to Quest 2 version and even better balancing in the ambient lighting allowed for better views of the house and the stuff inside it, essentially making it easier to see and solve obstacles that requires a closer eye. Is it the best-looking game for the PSVR 2, not even close, but compared to the Quest, it shines and is the version I recommend people play."
https://www.thevrgrid.com/hello-neighbor-vr-psvr-2/
I'm starting to sound like a commercial, lol - of course nice graphics do not solve gameplay issues, but do help tremendously for immersion and the feeling of presence.
A few screenshots from the PCVR version:
You only get real-time shadows in the PCVR version - and can select different levels of shadow detail
Nice lighting adds much to the atmosphere - only PSVR2 and PCVR have this lighting
Only PCVR and PSVR2 have 3D grass and more - this means we got much higher poly count in the PCVR version than the barren Quest 2 version
I'm relatively new to the Hello Neighbor games - I'm aware of the first game, but I really only play VR games. Maybe this has been discussed before, but I do get some vibes from Hello Neighbor VR to this old classic:
In Neighbor VR, you control different kids placed in different locations in the house - maybe also like Day of the Tentacle. And there's some maniac controlling the house - each of the kids in Neighbor VR have different tools and must work together to free a captured kid.
In Maniac Mansion you also used different characters to rescue a kidnapped friend. And even if the houses in Maniac Mansion and Day of the Tentacle are more "crazy" than in Hello Neighbor VR, the difference isn't big, lol 🙂
So welcome to the light edition of Maniac Mansion in VR 😉
The devs say about Hello Neighbor VR (and I could have written something very similar about Maniac Mansion):
- Multiple playable characters: Switch between characters to outsmart the Neighbor. Each unique character has their own key items and skills. Switch between the perspectives of the Rescue Squad team members at will, solving puzzles and avoiding the Neighbor as you attempt to reach the creepy basement!
- Environmental puzzles require creative solutions: You will have to increasingly use your wits to find alternate solutions to a dynamic range of puzzles and challenging environmental obstacles. Many puzzles that may seem unsolvable at first glance require you to use the perspectives of multiple characters in conjunction to overcome them.
- Non-linear exploration: Use your own approach to infiltrate Mr. Peterson’s house by alternating perspectives, combining character’s skills to dynamically solve puzzles, uncover hidden mysteries, and reveal new pathways through your environment.
Took a few more shots to show details:
Nice light reflections
High-res textures are somewhat sparse - but the handle looks great
Nice view - view distance is great
This is real-time lighting, not fake lighting like in the Red Matter 2 and Bonelab Quest ports. The light increasingly illuminates my hand as my hand approaches the lamp - this does not happen in Red Matter 2 due to the fake light. Also note the nice wallpaper texture
Playing the game some more I still do not see what's not to like/love. It may look like an enhanced Quest port, but I'm not that sure it is - it also looks a lot like a port of the 2D version from 2017, which may have been further cut down for the Quest 2.
I really have no errors in the game - no crashes - it works fine with my CV1 using native Oculus drivers and touch. (The game is on sale right now on Steam.) Btw, Quest ports normally have no settings - but this game has the following settings:
Admitted, maybe not my best screenshot ever - but there are settings for antialiasing and shadows
Looks like Maniac Mansion VR to me:
- and he does look like a maniac 😉
A few more shots:
A fun ride...
Nice view distance
I fueled the car, but my brain has some trouble finding out what to do next, sigh 🤔 😁
You can save the game whenever you want - just press the red button
The keys to everything 😉
