Sony has announced a new series of PlayStation VR games for later this year. It includes a virtual reality adaptation of Doom 3, as well as titles from some successful VR studios and some relative newcomers to VR.
Sony announced a new generation PSVR for its PlayStation 5 console last month. The headset has a redesigned controller, a single cord instead of the original cable box and a higher resolution screen, among other upgrades. But Sony did not reveal the headset or offer many details, and it is said that the device will not arrive in 2021. So today’s games will be launched for PSVR – with the promise of a better driving experience.
Doom 3 VR, the only title with an exact release date, will be released on March 29 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.. It’s a “reload” port of the original 2004 shooter and its two extensions, designed for PSVR’s rifle-like Aim accessory. A short trailer provides a preview of the game and updated graphics.
This is the second Doem game for PSVR, following the VR original 2017 Doom VFR. This is not the first time either Doom 3 appeared in VR. The game was originally promised as part of the Oculus Rift headset, but it was canceled amid a lawsuit from Doem right holder ZeniMax. (ZeniMax was acquired by Sony’s rival Microsoft last year.) Recently, a modding team unveiled. Doom 3 to the Oculus Quest.
Vertigo Games, creator of a zombie VR shooter Arizona Sunshine, will bring its collaborative follow-up After the Fall to PSVR as well. After the Fall was announced a few years ago, and is expected to launch in 2020 on both PSVR and PC-based VR. This was partly delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, which was rescheduled for early 2021 – a window that Sony is repeating here.
PlayStation VR will also be supported I expect you to die 2 – a sequel to the hugely successful Escape Room title, originally announced for Steam in January. The game promises the same rich interactive spying-themed puzzles as I expect you to die, which has been one of the most popular VR games since its launch in 2016.
The other games do not have the same instant name recognition, but they are intriguing additions to the PSVR catalog. Burst was developed by nDreams, the studio behind kayak-based stealth shooter Phantom: Covert Ops. Continuing the sport-plus-gun formula, and the new game is an action shooter built around skiing – along with climbing, zippering and old-fashioned duck-and-deck combat. Apparently it is also about a hydrofracking facility that has been “taken over by an army of weapon-wielding, interdimensional maniacs.” (It’s unclear if the maniacs are pro- or anti-fracking.) The game will be released this summer for PlayStation Move controllers on both generations of Sony consoles, but with improved frame rates and resolution on the PlayStation 5.
In a slightly calmer tone there is Song in the smoke by Galak-Z developer 17-Bit. This is a VR survival game that focuses on crafting, hunting, capturing and exploring in a mysterious world. A preview shows beautiful landscapes and creatures, as well as mechanics such as archery. It will be launched at an unspecified point in 2021.
Sony also announced the 2021 release Zenith, a massive anime-influenced multiplayer role-playing game funded on Kickstarter last year. It takes place in a high-tech fantasy world designed for players to climb and slide around, in addition to fighting with a VR-adapted version of conventional RPG battles.