Support NeoGAF

[Lunatic_Gamer]

VR2 overhead, headphones on, the two controllers in my hands – and it was a transformative experience. I can totally see why Horizon: Call of the Mountain is for PlayStation 5 and PSVR2 exclusively, utilising the graphical wallop for simply jaw-dropping visuals.

First of all the resolution is super fine, 2000x2040 per eye, and while that produces visual finery from the off, it's the combination of smooth refresh rate and super-wide view that generates the sense of true immersion. It's comfortable to wear, too, if my 20 minutes of testing is anything to go by.

Second is the game itself: I was really worried that Call of the Mountain would struggle to deliver the kind of tempo associated with a Horizon title. It's certainly slower – it has to be, realistically, to avoid motion sickness – but it doesn't shy away from a similar experience of being able to climb various fractured rocks and get up close with robotic dinosaurs and people alike.

The sense of scale is phenomenal too, that being an obvious strength of virtual reality. Call of the Mountain's opening scene sees you floating on the water in a rowboat, while a Stormbird, Tallneck and many other mechanical familiarities roam closely around you. Their presence is so much more powerful than I've felt in any Horizon game before, so I bet there are plenty of treats that I'm yet to experience in the full game.

I have now parted with £570 (it's £50 extra for Horizon on top of the £530 baseline price for the hardware), which speaks volumes in itself. Or maybe I'm just that jetlagged. But, no, it's not that, it's much simpler: Call of the Mountain reveals early on that VR games needn't be simple one-trick pony games, and that has me curious for much more.

I tried PlayStation VR2 with Horizon at CES – it’s the ultimate PS5 upgrade

Playing Horizon Call of the Mountain on PSVR2 was an immense experience – for me PS5's VR kit is a must buy

www.t3.com

 

[Jennings]

I hope it's compatible with the SonyHonda Afeela car, for the best gaming experience automotive technology can deliver.

 

[Imtjnotu]

But it's not 1080p per eye?..

 

[a multicultural team of v]

But it's not 1080p per eye?..

at 1920x1080 per eye

???

edit: wait I see what you mean - that the specs actually aren't 1080p per eye. And yes that appears to be correct, but the actual specs are higher than 1080p (2000 X 2040).

 

[Sakura]

???

Sony says it is 2000 x 2040 per eye unless I am confused.

PS VR2 Tech Specs | PlayStation VR2 display, setup and compatibility

PlayStation VR2 technical specifications, including display, refresh rate, compatibility with PS5 and more

www.playstation.com

 

[R6Rider]

???

Yeah. That info is incorrect.

It is 4K resolution at 2,000 x 2040 per eye, not 1920x1080 per eye.

 

[cormack12]

Yeah. That info is incorrect.

It is 4K resolution at 2,000 x 2040 per eye, not 1920x1080 per eye.

That guy should work for DF.

He makes it sound awesome. The twat. I don't wanna buy it but he will make me. The twat.

 

[saintjules]

 

[Raonak]

Can't wait !

 

[ahtlas7]

Well yes it’s VR. Who expected a downgrade?

 

[Umbasaborne]

Huh, does call of the mountain seem like a fully fledge game, or is it closer to an ultra guided vr experience

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Posted this save article earlier but got locked…?

Anyhow, very good impressions out of CES

 

[SLB1904]

 

[Gudji]

Dang this made me remember the good ol E3 days (without counting the 2 or 3 am conferences).

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Clearly a hype piece but I’m already locked in and can’t wait. Sounds great! Just give me Firewall Ultra at release!

 

[Moses85]

I am with you OP but I am not joining the ride until great Games are out.

 

[Fbh]

I mean....for the same cost as the console (or more, if you've got the digital one) it better be

 

[Ronin_7]

Where's Alyx

 

[GHG]

Where's Alyx

On PC.

 

[Crayon]

I'm open to the game being really good, but that sounds like it could be the words of someone who is just trying VR. Personally, I'm in for the hardware demonstration of my new toy.

People are down on it though, and I think it's got a chance to be something more.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Cannot unsee -

 

[Baki]

I post a lot in these PSVR2 thread (negatively) but that's because I get frustrated knowing that Sony has the capability of producing a headset that will receive robust developer support but have done everything they can to ensure PSVR2 remains niche. Not a single tethered headset has broke out into mainstream success. The only mainstream VR product is the Meta Quest & you need a headset that can get to 20-30m units, so that developers can make money producing software on the platform. Meta Quest 2 is going to be the only game in town at this rate. Other than some initial launch support, Sony themselves aren't planning to support PSVR2, they're expecting indies to carry this wired, expensive headset.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Not a single tethered headset has broke out into mainstream success. The only mainstream VR product is the Meta Quest

That’s because it’s low end and standalone VR, and arguably total units sold isn’t the best metric if they’re all collecting dust

It has very little to do with a tether, but total cost to play

 

[SlimySnake]

not much to go by. any actual gameplay impressions?

 

[Crayon]

. Other than some initial launch support, Sony themselves aren't planning to support PSVR2, they're expecting indies to carry this wired, expensive headset.

How do you know this part? All we know is the launch lineup and it's fuckin great so far.

If you want a number of full aaa games, you will not find that on any headset. This is not a 20-30 million selling product. You'd have to be crazy. This is a high end big kid toy. Yes it will be niche. Will it be enough to get VR out of the mobile ghetto? Who knows.

 

[Baki]

That’s because it’s low end and standalone VR, and arguably total units sold isn’t the best metric if they’re all collecting dust

It has very little to do with a tether, but total cost to play

That's baseless speculation. Regarding retention, do you have a citation for retention? Because Oculus store did $1.5B in software sales just a few months ago. Seems like a very healthy ecosystem to me. Again, the only mainstream VR platform has been wireless and self contained. Quest is the VR market. It will continue to be the VR market until someone can bring a competitor that is self-contained and has robust publisher support. Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft are the 3 companies that could do this.

Quest Store Surpasses $1.5 Billion in Content Revenue, Showing Continued Growth

At Connect 2022 this month, Meta announced the Quest content store has surpassed $1.5 billion in purchased VR content since its launch in 2019, representing continued but decelerating growth likely due mostly to market seasonality. Update (October 18th, 2022): Article updated with the latest...

www.roadtovr.com

 

[RJMacready73]

I post a lot in these PSVR2 thread (negatively) but that's because I get frustrated knowing that Sony has the capability of producing a headset that will receive robust developer support but have done everything they can to ensure PSVR2 remains niche. Not a single tethered headset has broke out into mainstream success. The only mainstream VR product is the Meta Quest & you need a headset that can get to 20-30m units, so that developers can make money producing software on the platform. Meta Quest 2 is going to be the only game in town at this rate. Other than some initial launch support, Sony themselves aren't planning to support PSVR2, they're expecting indies to carry this wired, expensive headset.

Ah yes, you must sit on the Sony board and have seen their 5year plan alongwith all the in-house studio lookaheads, man to have your insider knowledge....

 

[Baki]

How do you know this part? All we know is the launch lineup and it's fuckin great so far.

If you want a number of full aaa games, you will not find that on any headset. This is not a 20-30 million selling product. You'd have to be crazy. This is a high end big kid toy. Yes it will be niche. Will it be enough to get VR out of the mobile ghetto? Who knows.

Ah yes, you must sit on the Sony board and have seen their 5year plan alongwith all the in-house studio lookaheads, man to have your insider knowledge....

That's what Shu from Sony said. Indies will take the risk.

Sony’s Yoshida says ‘indies will take the risks’ on PlayStation VR 2 | VGC

A senior PlayStation executive has said that he believes indie games are a key part of PlayStation VR2.

www.videogameschronicle.com

 

[Crayon]

That's what Shu from Sony said. Indies will take the risk.

Sony’s Yoshida says ‘indies will take the risks’ on PlayStation VR 2 | VGC

A senior PlayStation executive has said that he believes indie games are a key part of PlayStation VR2.

www.videogameschronicle.com

Shu's a dirty liar!

 

[FalsettoVibe]

I post a lot in these PSVR2 thread (negatively) but that's because I get frustrated knowing that Sony has the capability of producing a headset that will receive robust developer support but have done everything they can to ensure PSVR2 remains niche. Not a single tethered headset has broke out into mainstream success. The only mainstream VR product is the Meta Quest & you need a headset that can get to 20-30m units, so that developers can make money producing software on the platform. Meta Quest 2 is going to be the only game in town at this rate. Other than some initial launch support, Sony themselves aren't planning to support PSVR2, they're expecting indies to carry this wired, expensive headset.

PSVR2 will be fine. Chill my guy.

 

[Maximus D. Meridius]

I bought PSVR1 and the Quest 1st gen

I'm all exhausted at VR promises. Especially when it would be doubling my PS5 cost.

 

[Crayon]

I bought PSVR1 and the Quest 1st gen

I'm all exhausted at VR promisies. Especially when it would be doubling my PS5 cost.

Don't buy em till they got enough games you want. That's why I'm okay w the day one on this. It's got enough games I want and I want them now. What the future holds, idk. I was also happy with the first one but did have to wait awhile before it filled out. This one is starting off strong.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

That's baseless speculation. Regarding retention, do you have a citation for retention? Because Oculus store did $1.5B in software sales just a few months ago. Seems like a very healthy ecosystem to me. Again, the only mainstream VR platform has been wireless and self contained.

The only mainstream VR device has only cost $299 for the longest time. Though the price was raised recently because they were eating the price, something Sony won’t do

PSVR2 costs over $1100 to play. No
Shit it’s not going to sell as much

My point was it has nothing to do with the wire

 

[cash_longfellow]

Wait a minute……..t3 has editors?

 

[Imtjnotu]

I bought PSVR1 and the Quest 1st gen

I'm all exhausted at VR promises. Especially when it would be doubling my PS5 cost.

My TV quadrupled my PS5 cost. Guess I should have used no TV

 

[Unknown?]

Where's Alyx

Wishing it was Astrobot.

 

[Maximus D. Meridius]

My TV quadrupled my PS5 cost. Guess I should have used no TV

I explained my reasonings, you have yours.

My main point was I had tried wired and wireless VR over the years.

I'm good.

 

[ABnormal]

Huh, does call of the mountain seem like a fully fledge game, or is it closer to an ultra guided vr experience

The only "guided" part is the introduction and the tutorial to learn commands. After that, the game is branched and you are free to move where you want. Still, not an open world.

 

[ABnormal]

Where's Alyx

Where Valve wants it to be.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

I have now parted with £570 (it's £50 extra for Horizon on top of the £530 baseline price for the hardware), which speaks volumes in itself.

50 + 530 = 570. How can I trust his opinion when I can't trust his math?

 

[Corndog]

My TV quadrupled my PS5 cost. Guess I should have used no TV

Does your tv only work with your ps5?

 

[ABnormal]

I post a lot in these PSVR2 thread (negatively) but that's because I get frustrated knowing that Sony has the capability of producing a headset that will receive robust developer support but have done everything they can to ensure PSVR2 remains niche. Not a single tethered headset has broke out into mainstream success. The only mainstream VR product is the Meta Quest & you need a headset that can get to 20-30m units, so that developers can make money producing software on the platform. Meta Quest 2 is going to be the only game in town at this rate. Other than some initial launch support, Sony themselves aren't planning to support PSVR2, they're expecting indies to carry this wired, expensive headset.

Aside Quest 2, PSVR1 was the VR unit that sold the most, and Quest 2 is more on casual, motion controlled games like beat saber.

High end VR units like Vive or PSVR 2 are more on bigger games side, and more on couch VR.

For example, I'm extremely interested on big games in VR, but no interested at all in body controlled games like beat saber (aside pointing guns or weapons from sitting).

Casual crowd will always be the majority, but for VR to grow it needs more complex projects and pushing on technology. Quest 2 is just capitalizing on the efforts made by the first developers who created bigger games prior to it.

There are still many reasons that prevent high end VR to become mainstream (above all, motion sickness which prevents total freedom of movement and interaction).

If the offer just follows the market, we would have only simple games for standalone headsets. Be thankful that some are developing technology and games even without significant profitability. Some create growth and evolution, some just enter the market when others have fought to create it.

 

[remember_spinal]

This guy does a lot of vr stuff, and he leaked a lot of stuff from quest and psvr2, he said it was a great experience and recommends it but there was a lot of Bluetooth interference from all the devices at the conference hall that was causing delays and connection issues with his remotes

Hour 1/2 from now

 

[ABnormal]

That's what Shu from Sony said. Indies will take the risk.

Sony’s Yoshida says ‘indies will take the risks’ on PlayStation VR 2 | VGC

A senior PlayStation executive has said that he believes indie games are a key part of PlayStation VR2.

www.videogameschronicle.com

Actually Shu said that indies will be the ones that will take the risk to create new ideas, while bigger games will be more traditional and "safe".

 

[Little Chicken]

I'm yet to test out combat in this game

So... he wasn't allowed to use most of the game's mechanics but recommends it...

 

[remember_spinal]

https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/playstation-vr-2

I have to admit, I was very pessimistic about the PlayStation VR 2 before trying it for myself. Its high price and need to be plugged into a PS5 meant that it faced an uphill battle to challenge existing headsets such as the Meta Quest 2 and Pico 4.

But then I was given the opportunity to try out the PSVR 2 at CES 2023, and I came away seriously impressed – this could be one of the very best VR headsets I've ever used.

The OLED display looked fantastic, the haptic feedback was incredibly immersive and the eye-tracking technology felt delightfully futuristic. Factor in the more ergonomic controllers, and there's no doubt that this is a massive upgrade on the original PSVR.

I was able to spend 30 minutes with the PSVR 2 while playing the launch title Horizon Call of the Mountain. Here are my thoughts.

I'm impressed with how comfortable this headset was to wear for 30 minutes – not once did I need to adjust the headset during my 30-minute demo. That's not only helped by the padding that Sony has used, but also by ensuring the weight is well distributed.
….
I only played 30 minutes of Horizon Call of the Mountain during my time with the PlayStation VR 2, but it was probably my favourite VR experience yet, alongside Half-Life Alyx.

VR provided a better sense of scale for the colossal dinosaurs, whether it was the Tallneck that towered above me and caused the ground to shudder, or the Snapmaw that lurked underneath my boat – the machines were a lot more intimidating here compared to their PS4 and PS5 counterparts.

 

[remember_spinal]

seems like most people really enjoyed it

 

[Imtjnotu]

Does your tv only work with your ps5?

No TV needs ps5. Ps5 no need tv

 

[drezz]

So... he wasn't allowed to use most of the game's mechanics but recommends it...

Seems like he didnt reach the combat area before time was up.
They get 30min each and he got stuck up on fixing his glasses?

 

[remember_spinal]

Some cool stuff, one guy said theres a point where a sunwing flies over your head and you can actually feel the sensation of something large flying over you with the sound and haptic feedback.