EDIT: See the new specs here:
https://www.roadtovr.com/sony-playstation-vr-2-announcement-psvr-2-specs-field-of-view/
Original post:
Close to breaking news - if true - I just love oled so much more than LCD (well at least if oled gets similar ultra-low SDE like modern lcd panels):
"One important holdout remains: Sony Group Corp. plans to use Samsung Display Co. OLED panels in its next-generation PlayStation VR goggles, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The Japanese console giant sold more than 5 million units of the original PS VR, launched in 2016, and is aiming to release the successor in the holiday period next year, the people said, asking not to be named discussing internal plans."
Depending on the panel, lcd could still have more subpixels and higher res (like Vive Pro 2) - there're tons of things we don't know yet. And Sony hasn't confirmed anything.
Red arrow marks the arrival (first impact) of PSVR2 oled 🙂
Still spending my time in Synapse - seems to be the best VR game available at the moment. I've beaten the first behemoth, and now these heavily armed dudes will occur in other levels too. I just died here:
Here I'm taking bullets from a behemoth in front of me - and getting laser-grilled by a sentinel in the air 🙂
Also got my dear and highly beloved grenade launcher 😍
Some prefer shotgun parties, but there's nothing better than grenade launcher parties 😁 Like here, where I'm giving a few grenades away for free 🤓
There's also nothing like holding a flying sentinel in your hand and preparing a grenade 🙂
Some of the awards are rather amusing
You can of course also grab more common enemies and shoot them, but I'd rather save grenades for bigger and better things 😇
Some new environments, but Synapse is not much about sight-seeing - get Call of the Mountain for that instead:
All levels are handcrafted, not randomly generated - but you'll start at a random location when revisiting a map. Doom VFR is quite good too, but having been there and done that, I guess Synapse is the next best hardcore shooter. Like Alyx and Doom VFR, Synapse is a first person shooter with big guns and tons of explosion (also some enemies seem inspired by Serious Sam, like some suicidal enemies running fast toward you and about to explode).
Switchback had a major (8GB) patch enabling foveated rendering to massively increase performance and image resolution:
Unfortunately, some of the great dynamic shadows also got cut - this is before the patch:
- and this is after the patch, note the missing or reduced shadows:
That said you do get nice dynamic shadows in the game, although I am suspicious some shadows are now using lower res than before.
The trade-off is worth it though, I think the res may be twice as high as before - or at least 50%.
Maybe the biggest news - to some - Vertigo 2 is now officially coming for the PSVR2:
https://store.playstation.com/en-th/concept/10009050
UploadVR recently rated Vertigo 2 the next best PCVR game of all - with Alyx being number one:
https://www.uploadvr.com/best-pc-vr-games-25-steam-oculus/
Quote: "Vertigo 2 is one of the best PC VR-exclusive experiences available and a masterclass in enthralling, VR-first game design. What's even more impressive is that it's largely put together by one solo developer – Zach Tsiakalis-Brown from Zulubo Productions.
The game pays homage to Valve classics and seminal VR releases, but doesn't fall victim to copying them. Instead, it forges ahead to create an impressive solo gaming experience in the same vein as Half-Life: Alyx. Featuring tactile weapons, creative enemies and an engaging narrative-driven campaign, it's a shining example of what PC VR still has to offer in 2023."
If you can't have Alyx, I guess Vertigo 2 will be the close to the next best thing.
I do not agree with Ryan McCaffrey from IGN on this subject:
https://twitter.com/DMC_Ryan/status/1689033750704005121
You could say that Valve made a hmd, and then only one game, while Sony made a hmd and already 6 exclusive games: Call of the Mountain (AAA), Resident Evil 8 (AAA, but 2D ported), GT7 (AAA, but 2D ported), Switchback, Synapse and VR Skater. VR Skater launched a few days ago - and is the first PSVR2 exclusive to use 90 fps (I think):
Also, what may be the best game in a long time is coming only for PSVR2, namely Resident Evil 4 Remake (AAA, but 2D ported). I do not think Sony is burning customers, but making great content takes time, and the users willing to adopt to VR no matter the panels may still be limited.
There are about 100 games for the PSVR2, including great ones like Hubris. There are many awesome games for the PSVR2. There's a difference saying "there are no PSVR2 games" and "there are no PSVR2 I haven't already got for PCVR or Quest that I want to play" - and McCaffrey may be saying the first but meaning the latter.
Sony just introduced 9 PSVR2 games coming this fall:
I think Heroes of Forever and Teardown are exclusive to PSVR2 - for the VR versions. Teardown is available in 2D too.
I'm not much for playing with Legos, but Teardown does look awesome (voxel-based):
Heroes of Forever reminds me of the old great arcade Sega shooters - and even models look crude, there still are quite a lot of polygons, and real-time shadows - more here:
"For instance, our key aim is to evoke nostalgia throughout the player’s journey. With the help of PS VR2’s 3D audio, we’ve developed immersive soundscapes that transcend familiarity, adding a unique sense of wonder to every scenario. Dynamic lighting also enhances the low-poly visuals of our game, granting a fresh feel to the retro-inspired scenery for players to enjoy."
Seems Heroes of Forever won't be here this Autumn though:
