Hello – welcome to VR Update, where I’ll talk about the latest VR news and highlights.
Cas here, and I wasn’t going to post a VR Update video today.
But I just cannot skip this one as we got one fantastic piece of news.
Sony unveiled their new PlayStation VR 2 controllers, which look epic.
So we’ll talk about design, specs and all that.
But that isn’t the only news either, as we got news about Microsoft VR, Oculus Quest,
and lots of VR game news, like free games for you to play.
Please do subscribe to the channel if you like to be kept up to date with the VR industry
as that’s a big support to us.
And now let’s get started and join me for this update.
So I think we should jump into the most exciting news straight away.
Sony today unveiled their new controller for the Playstation VR 2 for PS5 in a recent blog
post, and it looks absolutely amazing.
This is big news because the PSVR never had its own controllers; it only used the really
old and outdated MOVE controllers.
But these new ones can actually compete a bit with the Oculus Quest.
Let me clue you in by reading a bit out of the post…
I quote: ‘Our new VR controller speaks to our mission of achieving a much deeper sense
of presence and a stronger feeling of immersion in VR experiences.
It will build upon the innovation we introduced with the DualSense wireless controller, which
changed how games “feel” on PS5 by unlocking a new way to tap into the sense of touch.
Now we’re bringing that innovation to VR gaming.’
Exciting stuff.
So this is the design.
For now.
It has a little note at the top left saying that design and specifications are subject
to change without notice.
So keep that in mind, but for now, this is what they look like.
They remind me a lot of the Rift CV1 controllers, which are still one of my favorite controllers
because of the ergonomics.
Sony says they focused a lot on ergonomics, too, by balancing it well to make it comfortable
to hold.
They used learnings from testing users with a range of hand sizes and decades of insights
from controllers across Playstation platforms.
Sony calls this design an ‘orb’ shape that allows you to hold the controller naturally
while playing with a high degree of freedom.
This here is a tracking ring.
And Sony says the controllers are tracked by the new VR headset through this.
I like this placement, it looks like the tracking ring is a bit protected from any smashes against
walls.
Which is always good 😉
As for buttons, we got two joysticks on both sides.
And the PlayStation face buttons are divided between the controllers.
Option and menu buttons are on both controllers.
Like other VR controllers, these will also have the grip buttons at the sides, mapped
to the R1 and L1 buttons of the normal PlayStation controllers, and the trigger buttons, which
will be mapped to the R2 and L2 buttons.
Interesting.
Ok, now this part I’m probably the most excited about.
The features.
Sony is taking the features of the DualSense controller into their VR controllers.
I’ve got the DualSense controller right here, and by far, one of my favorite features
are the adaptive triggers, which will be added to the new VR controllers.
For those who don’t know what adaptive triggers do, let me explain a little.
So if you press these triggers in, they can give you some kind of resistance/tension.
Like, if you use a bow to fire an arrow, you can feel that tension through these triggers.
So these triggers will also be on the VR controllers and I think this is going to be excellent
for immersion in VR games.
However, it doesn’t seem like the grip buttons will have this feature as well, though, which
would have been great.
So Sony… maybe you can add that feature as well, now the controllers are still being
made?
Then the haptic feedback will be optimized as well.
The cool thing about this is that you can feel the difference between walking on a sandy
road or when you’re fighting on these controllers.
The controller will also have capacitive sensors!
Meaning the controller can sense where you place your fingers.
Maybe this will be like the Valve Index controllers, but we’ll have to wait and see the actual
implementation.
Pff, I’m beyond hyped.
Because some of these features are never seen before in other VR controllers in general,
and I think they’ll add so much to games.
Plus, seeing Sony innovate like this, I hope this will get other VR manufacturers to step
up their game as well.
So prototypes of the PSVR 2 controllers will be sent out to VR developers soon, so I think
we’ll hear more about this in the upcoming months.
What do you think about these new controllers?
Let me know in the comments below!
This wasn’t the only VR news this week, I’m not sure what is happening but more
news is always good news.
And make sure to stick around until the end of the video to hear about what VR games you
can get for free in the upcoming weeks.
BUT…
Before we get into it…
Before we get into it,
Thanks to Surfshark VPN’s continued support by being this video’s sponsor!
Surfshark, the VPN service we’ve been using for over a year now, even before they reached
out.
So let me quickly explain why:
A VPN keeps your data private by encrypting the data you send over the internet.
You can use it for other things too, like unlocking geoblocking on Netflix.
For example, you can watch The Big Bang Theory in the United Kingdom but not in the US.
Surfshark also have competitive prices.
But what I like a lot is that with one subscription, you can use Surfshark on an unlimited devices
at the same time.
So your phone, tablet, and laptop can all be protected simultaneously.
And if you’re tech savvy, use it on your router to protect all connected devices.
If you use our link in the description and enter our promo code, you’ll get 83% off
and 3 extra months for free.
They also have a 30-day money-back guarantee policy.
So if you think nahhhh, you can just cancel it 😉
Ok, moving on, this week, something caused a stir in the VR community as it looked like
Microsoft accidentally leaked a message that could indicate that they were working on a
VR headset for Xbox.
This was uncovered by IGN Italy, and so the message is in Italian.
Which I cannot read but This translates to: The VR headset needs to
be updated.
An update is available for the VR headset.
Intersting!
But before you get your hopes up, several news outlets already reached out to Microsoft
about this, and as a response, they’ve said that VR for Xbox is still not happening and
that this message was inaccurate due to a localization bug.
Missed opportunity, in my opinion, especially with Sony going all in and now getting a headstart.
Microsoft could really compete since they do have the knowledge.
Let’s move on to some Oculus news.
Last week a report was released from The Information that there are now ten thousand people working
on VR/AR at Facebook.
This may not tell us a lot, but it does show once again, Facebook is still serious about
investing in VR’s future.
Unlike Xbox I guess.
And now we got Sony doing it too; what big company do you think should be next?
I’m curious, so let me know below.
Another interesting news came during a panel at the online GDC showcase.
Facebook’s VP of XR content is claiming that the platform is nearly a sustainable
developer ecosystem and that the data shows a clear route in which VR will eventually
reach triple-A scale games.
So far, the really triple-A VR games can maybe be counted on like two hands.
But it looks like we’re getting close to an era where all games will hopefully be as
good as Half-Life: Alyx.
I can’t wait; I look forward to it.
Ok, before we move on to VR game news.
Let’s take a tiny break for something funny.
This Dude from an Oculus Quest Facebook group is living in the future.
I love it; what a smart thing to do when you want to game and snack at the same time.
You should definitely take care of yourself while playing VR, so don’t forget to drink
and eat 😉 I know how easy it is to forget that.
Anyways, let’s talk about some VR game news.
First of all, Beat Saber is releasing their new free original soundtrack, OST4, today.
I can’t wait to check it out later tonight, and for those interested, tomorrow we’ll
be playing some Beat Saber multiplayer sessions during our live stream, so I invite you all
to join.
And back to Sony again, because as part of the PlayStation’ Play at Home 2021’ initiative,
there will be 10 free games to download starting March 25th.
Which include a bunch of PSVR games too, like Moss.
So also during this week’s GDC showcase, Pistol Whip developer says the game is getting
a new story-based campaign similar to Pistol Whip 2089.
I am not sure if this is a free update or a paid DLC, but it is cool to see existing
games still getting more content.
Pistol Whip is for sure one of my favorites to dive back into if I need to train my legs
a little while listening to some epic music.
Then the popular game that kinda came out of nowhere, Gorilla Tag is now available for
free on App Lab for Quest.
This is a VR multiplayer title where you play tag as a gorilla but the locomotion is impressive,
which is why it became so popular.
I have to be honest, I haven’t tried it yet, even though I’ve had numerous people
ask me to try it out, so I guess I’m going to have to play it later.
If you want to try it out, I’ll link below.
Then we talked about this game before, but now it has a release date.
Originally a PC VR game, Carly and the Reaperman is now coming on Oculus Quest on April 15th.
This is a fun asymmetrical puzzle game where one player controls Carly in 3rd person, and
the other player controls the Reaperman, who has a top-down view and can help Carly solve
puzzles.
If you want to see what the gameplay is like, I’ll link our video down below.
It’s a super old video, though, so please ignore some of the noob things we did.
Now, if you got Xbox Game Pass, here’s some good news here as well.
Star Wars: Squadrons for PC and Console is free with your subscription starting today
at 2 PM PT.
Squadrons is a starfighter combat game and space flight simulator.
It’s really good, I recommend it.
But even if you don’t have Game Pass, it may be worth it as you get to play many different
games for about 10 dollars a month.
And for your first month, I think it’s only about 1 dollar, and I think if you don’t
like it, you can also just cancel it.
I’ve got one more free thing for you to do.
Yes, one more.
The Museum of Other Realities is free to visit from now until March 26th in celebration of
select British XR artists.
If you haven’t heard from it, this is an immersive multiplayer art museum for VR, which
usually costs 20 dollars.
You can download it from Steam.
Link is below.
Then, last piece of news.
Amazon’s show about VR called Upload is coming with season 2.
If you haven’t seen this show yet, it’s a bit of a comedic show about people in the
future uploading themselves into an afterlife after they are done with real life.
It’s not actually the perfect life there, though, because the software they are uploaded
into is run by big corporations who are only doing it for profit.
The show kinda talks about a bit of a dystopian VR future in a comedic way and I enjoyed the
first season a lot, so check it out if you haven’t yet.
You can watch the season 1 on Amazon Prime.
That’s it, I hope you enjoyed it.
I also hope you like me posting these news videos when big news comes out; definitely
let me know what you think down below in the comments.
Now, if you want to talk about these stuff with us then join our live streams on Fridays
at 9 PM CET.
Tomorrow, we’re checking out the new Beat Saber soundtracks and I welcome you to join
us for a few multiplayer sessions.
Thanks for watching.
Stay healthy & a special thanks go to all our Champions, especially these Patrons down
below.
As always, VR on!