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PSVR goes on safari with 'Virry VR' nature documentary
Slowly but surely, PlayStation is releasing more non-gaming offerings for the PSVR headset. Next up is Virry VR, an app that wants to put you within arm's reach of Kenyan wildlife. Among other things, you'll see rhinos bathing and lions eating according to the European PlayStation Blog. The entirety of the video was filmed at Lewa Downs, a UNESCO heritage site home to elephants, Grevy's zebras, hyenas and leopards.
'Farpoint' will feature online co-op
There's even more riding on the success of Farpoint, the first PlayStation VR title that uses Sony's new Aim controller. The company has revealed that the game will also be a showcase online VR FPS co-op, with two people exploring alien worlds and killing things in tandem. At launch, there will be just four co-op levels, with pairs competing with players from all across the world to ratchet up the highest score.
PlayStation VR's gun controller lands on May 16th
If you've been waiting to try Sony's VR light gun, or PS VR Aim Controller, then you can now start to get excited. Independent developer Impulse Gear has let slip to RoadToVR that the peripheral will hit store shelves on May 16th, 2017, alongside the VR shooter it created, Farpoint. We've known since E3 last year that Farpoint was designed for the new controller, although details of the bundle are new.
Sony has sold nearly 1 million PlayStation VR headsets
Ever since PlayStation VR, speculation has been rampant: is console-based virtual reality here to stay, or will it die an early death? Apparently, its near-term future is secure. Sony's Andrew House tells the New York Times that the company had sold 915,000 PSVR headsets as of February 19th, just over four months after its October 13th debut. That doesn't sound like much for a company that has sold tens of millions of PlayStation 4s, but it's well ahead of expectations -- Sony had hoped to reach the 1 million mark by mid-April. Sales might have been better still if the company hadn't been purposefully cautious with production, leading to shortages centered primarily in its home turf of Japan.
Sony made a PSVR music video you can move around in
When it comes to the immersive visuals virtual reality offers, the audio needs to be equally as compelling. That includes having the sound adapt to your movements as you navigate a scene or event. To show off what its PlayStation VR setup is capable of, Sony enlisted violinist Joshua Bell to record a 360-degree virtual reality studio session. With adaptive audio and positional tracking, the company offers the ability for you to "step inside" the venue a lot more realistic.
PlayStation VR bundles are back
Sony knows that you probably don't have the camera and Move controllers needed to make use of its PlayStation VR headset, so it's reviving and expanding its virtual reality bundles to help get you started. On top of the original bundle, which includes the necessary hardware, the PSVR demo disc and PlayStation VR Worlds, there's a new GameStop/EB Games exclusive bundle that packs in the on-rails shooter Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. Both will cost the same $499 as the previous bundle, and it's really just a question of when you can get them: the regular bundle will hit stores next week, while the Rush of Blood kit will be available later in February.
'Resident Evil 7' is the most terrifying VR game on the market
I didn't recognize Resident Evil 7: Biohazard when Capcom revealed it at E3 2016 with a mysterious teaser trailer. To begin with, it was a first-person game, when Resident Evil is famously a third-person perspective series. Secondly, the trailer showcased a dilapidated, cockroach-filled house that looked like it would fit in a modern horror title like Amnesia or Outlast, rather than Resident Evil's universe of Raccoon City and the Umbrella Corporation.
PlayStation VR now supports 360-degree YouTube videos
PSVR is still a young whippersnapper in the virtual reality world, striving for parity -- and in games, superiority -- with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Today it's taken another step forward with support for 360-degree videos on YouTube. That means you can boot up anything on the platform, including a New York Times 'Daily 360' video, and move your head to change the perspective. You're stuck in one place, of course, but the experience is still fairly immersive, especially in comparison to the desktop YouTube experience (dragging around with your cursor isn't much fun).
Nothing immerses you in 'Resident Evil 7' like a 4D candle
4D experiences are typically only found in theme parks and fancy theaters, but soon you'll be able to trick your senses at home with the launch of the "official Resident Evil 4D candle." Yes, a candle. Created by Capcom and merchandise merchant Numskull, it's intended to make playing Resident Evil 7: Biohazard on PlayStation VR even more immersive by filling your den with the scent of the game's Baker House Mansion -- which, given it's an abandoned house, should probably smell like damp and old socks.
Virtual reality content startup Jaunt lands on PlayStation VR
The PlayStation VR just got some additional content via the recently announced app launch by Jaunt. The platform will have instant access to 150 cinematic titles from the startup. The app includes videos like the award-winning animation Invasion, CBS' JPL Mars 2020, Shaq Goes to Cuba, Zombie Purge and the Pure McCartney Experience from the former Beatle.
Dino VR adventure 'Robinson: The Journey' stomps to Oculus soon
Virtual reality is the best (and safest) way to get up close and personal with dinosaurs. And next month folks with Oculus Rift headsets can do just that thanks to Robinson: The Journey's PlayStation VR exclusivity going going extinct expiring.
PlayStation 4's YouTube app is slowly gaining PSVR support
We're over two months out from the PlayStation VR's launch and, well, new stuff is a bit sparse at this point. But hey, an update is rolling out that'll put 360 degree YouTube videos on Sony's headset. Before you get too excited, though, Reddit users (spotted by UploadVR) are commenting that the quality isn't so hot. That's likely due to the videos capping out at 1080p resolution, and how it has to stretch across a 100 degree field of view, at 360 degrees. By user morphinapg's calculations, resolution equals out to around 354p.
'Battlezone' Classic Mode fulfills the promise of '80s VR
It's been 36 years since Atari released Battlezone and effectively created the first-person shooter in the process. The game's immersive periscope viewer and vector graphics influenced decades of game design and provided arcade goers with an early glimpse of what a virtual reality world could look like. While we've argued here that Battlezone's PSVR reboot is the ultimate fan service and a great first leap into VR gaming, it was still missing one key thing: the old-school, glowing green cathode-ray tube vibe of the original. That'll change next week, when Rebellion Studios adds a free Classic Mode update as their "faithful homage" to the title that arguably started it all.
Sony's new high-end wireless PS4 headset coming on January 17
Sony has unveiled the Platinum Wireless Headset aimed at PS4, Playstation VR, and mobile users. The model has hidden noise cancelling microphones and, like the Gold model, supports 7.1 virtual surround sound. However, it's also equipped with the 3D audio tech used on the PlayStation VR, meaning you'll be able to get the same surround-sound effects from a regular PlayStation 4 console. Though no PS4 games currently support 3D audio, Naughty Dog will release a patch that brings it to Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
New in our buyer's guide: the Pixel and Pixel XL, and more!
Nope, we're not done adding phones to our buyer's guide. Hot on the heels of inducting the new iPhones (and before that, the Galaxy S7 and HTC 10), we're tossing in both of the new Google phones, the Pixel and Pixel XL. While we're at it, we decided the PlayStation VR deserved a spot in our gaming section right alongside other premium virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. At the opposite end of the price spectrum, the $50 Amazon Echo Dot is a great value at that price. Lastly, GoPro -- a staple company in this list -- earns a spot for its newest flagship action camera, the Hero5 Black. Find all that in more in our buyer's guide, and stay tuned for our next round of additions, likely sometime after CES.
Why are dinosaurs everywhere in VR?
There's a key scene early in Jurassic Park when the visiting scientists see their first dinosaur in person. Paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and paleobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) clamber out of their Jeep as they stare at the majestic brachiosaur looming above them. "It's a dinosaur," Grant stammers in disbelief. His reaction matches the audience's: After a lifetime of looking at fossils and picture books, here, in the flesh, is a real, live dinosaur. We'll never experience this ourselves, but virtual reality can convincingly take us face to face with these extinct creatures.
Fly over Paris with all your VR friends in 'Eagle Flight'
While Microsoft and Sony sort out why one person playing Rocket League on a PlayStation 4 can't compete against someone on an Xbox One, VR developers are bringing everyone together regardless of which headset they own. The folks behind Eve: Valkyrie started it and now Ubisoft is on board as well with Eagle Flight.
PSVR shooter 'RIGS' gets a new mech and arena next month
PSVR multiplayer mech-em-up RIGS is one of the platform's most stunning launch titles, delivering enjoyable and fast-paced action -- if your stomach can handle it. In a bid to keep players blasting each other over the holidays, developer Guerilla Cambridge has announced that the title's first major update will arrive next month.
Play 'Star Wars Battlefront' on PSVR December 6th
Electronic Arts teased out its Star Wars Battlefront VR experience way back in March, and now we know when it's actually exiting hyperspace. Come December 6th, you'll be able to strap on your PlayStation VR headset, jump into a virtual X-Wing cockpit and hopefully destroy the Death Star. Remember, this will be a free download for anyone who owns Battlefront. And because today marks the game's first birthday, EA has seen fit to drop a glut of details about the latest, and final, map pack, Rogue One: Scarif -- also out on December 6th. As the name suggests, it brings in a quartet of maps from the upcoming movie, two new heroes (Jyn Erso and Orson Krennic) and a new "multi-stage game mode with space and ground combat." Sounds just a bit like the Battle Station mode from the recent Death Star pack, if you ask me. Speaking of which, starting today and running through the 20th, you can play the previously released Bespin, Death Star and Outer Rim packs for free, and earn four times the experience you usually would. That is, if you can pull yourself away from the free Overwatch weekend taking place starting tomorrow, too. Decisions, decisions.
'The Martian' VR experience comes home
It's been a long time coming, but The Martian VR Experience is finally ready. Fox has released its virtual reality take on the stranded-on-Mars movie (plus Andy Weir novel) for the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, with Oculus Rift support coming soon. Spend $20 and you can fill the boots of astronaut Mark Watney as he struggles to survive and make it back to Earth, both in 3D sequences and 360-degree videos. As Fox explains to Variety, this isn't just a polished version of the demo we saw at CES in January -- there are many "technical and narrative improvements" that could make it feel fresh.
