Sony Showcases Several Virtual Reality Games At E3

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Sony unveiled a host of new virtual reality games for its VR headset at E3. A teaser for Skyrim was shown in the VR content, along with a trailer for the new first-person horror title The Inpatient, which is set in a mental asylum. It looks somewhat similar to The Dawn, but fans are hoping that it will not just be a typical VR spin-off.

Sony teases several virtual reality games

Fans know what to expect from Skyrim, but, “There’s no doubt an adventure through the game will benefit from the novelty of being able to wield and swing your weapons yourself. Or at the very least wield and swing two PlayStation Move controllers,” notes techradar.

For now, Skyrim will only be available on the PSVR, and there is no word on if the title will be launched on the HTC Vive like Fallout 4 VR.

The trailer for Star Child shows that the game is set in an alien world full of creatures, spaceships and giant robots. The visuals are fantastic, but apart from that, not much can be gained from the trailer alone. Another VR game, a fishing simulator that’s a spin-off of Final Fantasy called Monster of the Deep, was also teased for the PlayStation VR series during the show. The first-person shooter game Superhot VR will be launched this summer. The game already debuted last year on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

Moss, another brand new title, was also announced for  Sony’s VR headset. Although the company did not talk much about the game, the title seems to be inspired by the popular Legend of Zelda franchise, notes Indian Express. Moss will be launched on the PS VR and PS4 sometime in 2018.

Sony VR is going strong

Sony has deviated completely from arch rival Microsoft in the gaming arena, as the latter did not drop even a hint of what it is doing on the VR front. According to Brian Blau, a video game analyst with Gartner, Sony is considering using VR to differentiate its  product from those of its peers.

“VR experiences on PlayStation are pretty good,” the analyst told the BBC.

Sony has tasted immense success in VR, selling more than a million units of its virtual reality headset to outperform rivals like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Sony’s headset is compatible with the PS 4 and PS 4 Pro,  so the player does not need to buy an expensive gaming PC. Sony’s VR headset ($399) is also cheaper than Facebook’s Oculus Rift ($599) and the HTC Desire Vive ($799).

The sales number that the Sony VR headset has achieved looks impressive, but when compared to the PS4’s installed user base of 55 million, the number looks meager. This is also a reminder of the fact that VR headsets, for now, have a very limited user base compared to conventional consoles.

Thomas Husson, principal analyst for Forrester Research, stated, “VR will take a couple more years to move from its chicken-and-egg dilemma.”

Though the PS VR has been a successful experiment from Sony, many must-have titles are still not available.

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