There’s no visible ray tracing while playing in VR, but you can still see that realistic lighting during replays, which are projected onto PS VR2’s simulated 2D screen. You can also get a close look at the cars in your garage, which use ray tracing to deliver achingly perfect reflections and shadows. It’s the closest you’ll get without walking into a fancy car dealership.
When it comes to Resident Evil VillageI was hoping Capcom would deliver a worthwhile VR experience after seeing what it did with RE7, one of the best titles of the original PS VR. Well, the company did not disappoint. Thanks to the increased power of PlayStation 5 and the higher fidelity of PS VR2, Resident Evil Village transforms into a living nightmare in virtual reality. There should be a warning for people who are already scared by survival horror games: play at your own risk.
The same as Grand Touring 7, virtual reality allows you to appreciate the work done Resident Evil Village in entirely new ways. Walking through the game’s creepy Eastern European town is even more spooky when it fills your field of vision. You can always look away from a 2D screen, in virtual reality you are forced to face the horrors in front of you. (Sometimes closing your eyes isn’t enough, not when you can hear the werewolf-like creatures slithering around the cabin you’re hiding in.)
As it is a first person game, Resident Evil Village it adapts well to virtual reality. The scan is smooth and not nauseating, thankfully. And fighting the game’s various baddies is even more exciting when you’re realistically aiming guns and other weapons. And yes, Lady Dimitrescu, the tall vampire woman who launched a thousand Internet memes, is indeed very tall and imposing in virtual reality.
I didn’t have time to play through it all Resident Evil Village in virtual reality, but my first few hours with the game left an amazing impression on me. Perhaps the future of virtual reality depends more on games like this, which can be enjoyed both as traditional 2D titles and with immersive headsets. we seek Alyx of half life to prove that flagship virtual reality games were possible. But what if we just have to think about bringing VR to more flagship games?
The more time I spent with PS VR2, the more frustrated I became with the state of the VR industry. Everything I said in my review still rings true: VR feels stuck, and another expensive headset isn’t going to fix it. Maybe it’s okay if VR gaming never really becomes mainstream, just like not everyone plays racing games with steering wheels, or people can enjoy fighting games without expensive arcade gadgets. Perhaps VR could be just another accessory, although it requires a significant amount of development resources to support.
Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village both prove that PlayStation VR2 is a gateway to truly immersive virtual reality gaming. But a part of me still dreams of PC compatibility. While it’s understandable why Sony might want to lock down its hardware, it’s like forcing a lion to live in a small zoo. The PS VR2 can’t really roar until it’s connected to the wild world of PC VR, which offers more experimental gameplay and much faster graphics hardware than the PS5. If Sony ever wants to return to its innovative roots, it needs to take more risks.
All Engadget Recommended products are curated by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publication.