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I'm starting to think it's not VR I like. It's just Astro Bot

I Wanna Be The Guy

I Wanna Be The Guy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
16,792
So months ago I took the plunge on a PSVR and was absolutely blown away by Astro Bot. I declared VR as the future without hesitation. I hadn't been that blown away by a game in a very long time. Jaw dropping from top to bottom.

But honestly it just feels like every PSVR game I've tried since just hasn't clicked at all. Moss was pretty solid I enjoyed that. I was super excited to finally play RE7 in VR since it's one of my favourite games of the past few years, and it was a colossal disappointment and felt infinitely worse to play in VR. Jarring cut animations and immersion killed dead by floating hands. PSVR Worlds mostly didn't click. The shark demo on it was kinda cool and the London Heist one was decent. Really there was little substance to these though and I just couldn't get that feeling of Astro Bot back.

Today I tried Doom VFR and oh man was I disappointed. I mean I basically expected Doom but in VR. I expected the rush and movement of Doom but to be in it. What I got was some weird movement system and gameplay that felt awkward without really being particularly immersed in anything.

Went back to Astro Bot and it's still amazing! It's not just the initial wow of VR. It's the game. It's doing things other games aren't doing and it's just so amazing. Other VR games just aren't giving me that and I'm starting to get down on it. When am I going to get that Astro Bot feeling again? Does it exist somewhere and I'm not looking in the right places? If so please point me to it.

Side thought: I think third person VR might be more my thing? Two best games I've played? Astro Bot and Moss. I loved the feeling of being a presence in those worlds watching my character and interacting with my character. It's that Tearaway feeling, you know? I want more VR games like that.
 

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I Wanna Be The Guy said:
I was super excited to finally play RE7 in VR since it's one of my favourite games of the past few years, and it was a colossal disappointment and felt infinitely worse to play in VR
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really? I find VR is the way to play it. The aiming is tighter and the sense of immersion is way greater for a game that thrives on immersive quality. Never really seen this take

either way, the space has place to grow and spit out more games on par with astro bot
 
Kalentan

Kalentan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,804
I haven't played DOOM VFR but pretty sure if you use the DS4 or AIM Controller (maybe even moves) you can enable a standard movement system.
 
GlowingBovine

GlowingBovine

Prophet of Truth
Member
Nov 27, 2017
790
I do wish 3rd person VR games were more popular. We don't need more shooters but I swear that's mostly what I see people getting exciting over.
I also I wish I could play Astro Bot on PC, but c'est la vie.
 
pikachief

pikachief

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,540
Try more good games :)

DOOM VFR isn't very good and PSVR Worlds is fine as a vr started, demo disc type deal.

SUPERHOT is really great though so if you have moves please try that! Its my second favorite psvr title just behind astrobot

Edit: wipeout and beat saber are also pretty good
 
No_Style

No_Style

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,795
Ottawa, Canada
I feel you OP.

I tried RE7 demo in VR and I wasn't enamored with the control scheme either. I played Moss and it was a noticeable step down as both a game and a VR experience from AstroBot. Statik was alright but anything outside of the CORE puzzle solving is janky. Rez HD is neat and so was Tetris Effect but they don't hold a candle to Astro Bot's use of VR.

robotrock said:
try Wipeout
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Wipeout is awesome in VR but it made me feel sick after 10 minutes. Thumper though? That's awesome in VR.
 
Dabi3

Dabi3

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
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Oct 27, 2017
1,552
I hear you OP. Astro Bot is the first true Killer App for the PSVR.
 
Okada

Okada

Member
Nov 8, 2017
552
Doom has other control and movement options from what I remember but I also struggled with it and never gave it a good chance.

I Wanna Be The Guy said:
I was super excited to finally play RE7 in VR since it's one of my favourite games of the past few years, and it was a colossal disappointment and felt infinitely worse to play in VR..
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This I cannot relate to at all. I've probably said it on here many times but Resident Evil 7 in VR is probably the defining gaming moment in my ~25 years of playing video games; it was incredible.
 
ghibli99

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,892
I'm in a similar boat. Astro Bot was something I craved and constantly wanted to play after work until I got the plat, but everything else feels like a novelty to me, or something not worth the trouble getting my PSVR set up to play, probably because most of the stuff I'm interested in can be played without VR. Having that option generally means I'm more likely to play it via standard means. Also means better resolution/IQ and no helmet hair. LOL
 
low-G

low-G

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,144
I Wanna Be The Guy said:
So months ago I took the plunge on a PSVR and was absolutely blown away by Astro Bot. I declared VR as the future without hesitation. I hadn't been that blown away by a game in a very long time. Jaw dropping from top to bottom.

But honestly it just feels like every PSVR game I've tried since just hasn't clicked at all. Moss was pretty solid I enjoyed that. I was super excited to finally play RE7 in VR since it's one of my favourite games of the past few years, and it was a colossal disappointment and felt infinitely worse to play in VR. Jarring cut animations and immersion killed dead by floating hands. PSVR Worlds mostly didn't click. The shark demo on it was kinda cool and the London Heist one was decent. Really there was little substance to these though and I just couldn't get that feeling of Astro Bot back.

Today I tried Doom VFR and oh man was I disappointed. I mean I basically expected Doom but in VR. I expected the rush and movement of Doom but to be in it. What I got was some weird movement system and gameplay that felt awkward without really being particularly immersed in anything.

Went back to Astro Bot and it's still amazing! It's not just the initial wow of VR. It's the game. It's doing things other games aren't doing and it's just so amazing. Other VR games just aren't giving me that and I'm starting to get down on it. When am I going to get that Astro Bot feeling again? Does it exist somewhere and I'm not looking in the right places? If so please point me to it.

Side thought: I think third person VR might be more my thing? Two best games I've played? Astro Bot and Moss. I loved the feeling of being a presence in those worlds watching my character and interacting with my character. It's that Tearaway feeling, you know? I want more VR games like that.
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VR isn't good without any software, true.

FWIW I don't think Doom VFR was very good at all. Playing classic Doom 1 & Doom 2 on PCVR is far superior, and that is a mod made by 2 people... Moss didn't catch me at all besides being beautiful.

I think you just need great software..
 
Raijinto

Raijinto

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Oct 28, 2017
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Yeah I also didn't like how REVII played in VR, for similar reasons to yourself despite finding the game to be overall one of the best this generation. There are a few cool 'experiences' in VR up 'till now but I'd agree that AB is the only great VR game I've played, but still nowhere near great enough to be worth the expense overall, so I too am left disappointed. That and it's just uncomfortable and a mither in general, it's the exact opposite of what I'd want as a relaxing gaming experience after a day at work or on the weekend so I'm just more against VR after buying one than I ever was.
 
BocoDragon

BocoDragon

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,207
Though I loved RE7 VR, I can see your point OP.

I think what happened in the early days of VR was there was this logic that all traditional games should be completely avoided in VR, and only first person games that take advantage of the perspective should be created.

But then Astro Bot comes along (alongside similar titles like Lucky's Tale and Moss), and it's kind of like... actually third person action games work great in VR. It's the same gameplay, but you have this view from inside the game space. It works great and enhances the experience of traditional games to be able to look around naturally.

More of that please! Why not DMC in VR? Why not Final Fantasy? Street Fighter? etc.
 
OP
OP
I Wanna Be The Guy

I Wanna Be The Guy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
16,792
Aigis said:
really? I find VR is the way to play it. The aiming is tighter and the sense of immersion is way greater for a game that thrives on immersive quality. Never really seen this take
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I actually found aiming way harder for a couple reasons. Biggest being that the aiming cursor is harder to see in VR Big issue for me. The second is that my head just won't stay as still so it just feels more finicky than the steady aim of non VR. Steady aim is needed more than fast aim for RE7. As for other things, I took issue with not being able to see the red around the screen when taking damage in VR. So I don't have an immediate visual of my health like non VR. Small thing but it matters I feel. Had a similar problem with hud elements in Doom VFR actually.

As for immersion, that went out the window the second I saw my arms floating in mid air. And then there's sooooooo many cut animations that make the whole experience jarring. Non VR just feels so much smoother. I had to fiddle with settings just to find something I was comfortable with, and even then it felt worse than non VR for me.
 
ClarkusDarkus

ClarkusDarkus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,732
Completely disagree, But each to there own. RE7 makes the pancake TV version impossible to play after playing it in VR. Games made for VR will always reign better than a port, Look at Lone Echo, But when you get ports like RE7/Skyrim/Wipeout/Borderlands 2..... VR truly does offer a complete different way to play a game, Whether that's better/worse depends on each individual.

I just started Farpoint again after wanting to escape to a gaming sci-fi world, Blows me away still to this day how immersive it is actually being and feeling inside there.
 
Cactuar

Cactuar

Banned
Nov 30, 2018
5,878
I Wanna Be The Guy said:
I was super excited to finally play RE7 in VR since it's one of my favourite games of the past few years, and it was a colossal disappointment and felt infinitely worse to play in VR. Jarring cut animations and immersion killed dead by floating hands.
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I think this may come down to the fact that you played it in 2D first and therefore knew what to expect or already were familiar with the game/scares. Resident Evil VII is BEST PLAYED in VR by far. I do agree with you though that Astro Bot is in a league of it's own. You pretty much started with the best VR has to offer, so it's only downhill from there until Astro Bot 2 lol
 
Zeel

Zeel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,165
Ace Combat 7, the VR missions.
Might not be alot of content, but this is fucking amazing.
 
Aprikurt

Aprikurt

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Oct 29, 2017
18,792
It's not there yet man. The tech's not there yet. It's like that Sega Nomad thing, it was clunky and uncomfortable and overpriced, then 22 years later we got the Switch.

VR is going to be so immersive and smooth in 2041.
 
Dremorak

Dremorak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,730
New Zealand
try the other great games in the genre like:
- Superhot
- Robo recall
- Hotdogs Horseshoes and Handgrenades
- La Noire is a really cool thing to muck around with. Very immersive.

Also tbh if it wasn't for room scale I would agree with you. IMO room scale vr is where its at, esp in terms of immersion
 

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I Wanna Be The Guy said:
I actually found aiming way harder for a couple reasons. Biggest being that the aiming cursor is harder to see in VR Big issue for me. The second is that my head just won't stay as still so it just feels more finicky than the steady aim of non VR. Steady aim is needed more than fast aim for RE7. As for other things, I took issue with not being able to see the red around the screen when taking damage in VR. So I don't have an immediate visual of my health like non VR. Small thing but it matters I feel. Had a similar problem with hud elements in Doom VFR actually.

As for immersion, that went out the window the second I saw my arms floating in mid air. And then there's sooooooo many cut animations that make the whole experience jarring. Non VR just feels so much smoother. I had to fiddle with settings just to find something I was comfortable with, and even then it felt worse than non VR for me.
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Cant say Ive had these issues tbh. Are there no options for modifying the cross hair? I remember the health being on the watch and given the nature of the game I wasnt finding myself constantly being hit outside of boss battles to the point where it wasnt something I needed constant access to. The aiming I find way more fluid than the non-vr counterpart, way more stiff in comparison for me.

For the odd bits, ya thats kind of an issue I think with the technology in general, but when its working the non-vr version just doesnt compare. Stuff I felt like I would blow past in the non-vr version would get me to double take in vr, at its best there isnt a comparison in my mind.
 
DarthBuzzard

DarthBuzzard

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Jul 17, 2018
5,122
I Wanna Be The Guy said:
I actually found aiming way harder for a couple reasons. Biggest being that the aiming cursor is harder to see in VR Big issue for me. The second is that my head just won't stay as still so it just feels more finicky than the steady aim of non VR. Steady aim is needed more than fast aim for RE7. As for other things, I took issue with not being able to see the red around the screen when taking damage in VR. So I don't have an immediate visual of my health like non VR. Small thing but it matters I feel. Had a similar problem with hud elements in Doom VFR actually.

As for immersion, that went out the window the second I saw my arms floating in mid air. And then there's sooooooo many cut animations that make the whole experience jarring. Non VR just feels so much smoother. I had to fiddle with settings just to find something I was comfortable with, and even then it felt worse than non VR for me.
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Astro Bot was made what it was because of VR.

This means that it is VR that you like, not just Astro Bot. However, this also means that there is a certain level of quality you expect. You'll see developers learn more as time goes on, and the bar will keep rising. Boneworks on PC is a good example of moving the bar forward with a full physics-based game, a full body, and fluid interactions. The whole floating hands thing is really just a temporary thing at the moment.
 
OP
OP
I Wanna Be The Guy

I Wanna Be The Guy

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Oct 28, 2017
16,792
Aigis said:
Cant say Ive had these issues tbh. Are there no options for modifying the cross hair? I remember the health being on the watch and given the nature of the game I wasnt finding myself constantly being hit outside of boss battles to the point where it wasnt something I needed constant access to. The aiming I find way more fluid than the non-vr counterpart, way more stiff in comparison for me.

For the odd bits, ya thats kind of an issue I think with the technology in general, but when its working the non-vr version just doesnt compare. Stuff I felt like I would blow past in the non-vr version would get me to double take in vr, at its best there isnt a comparison in my mind.
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In fairness I gave up fairly quickly it might be an idea to give it another shot. I was getting wrecked by Mia on madhouse difficulty because of the aiming problem I was having. Got past that after way too many attempts did the first Jack segment then called it quits. Might be an idea to try on normal difficulty until I can get properly used to the feel of it in VR.
 
Reinhard

Reinhard

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Oct 27, 2017
6,612
The problem is the lack of good software (expensive to make games for a niche audience) and the incredibly horrible Move controllers that some accountants forced upon us when they are the absolute worse VR controller imaginable. All Sony had to do was take the Move Navigation controller and add a light ball at the end of it and it would work far far better.... In any case, try something like the Oculus Rift Touch controllers with games like Robo Recall, Lone Echo, and Superhot. At the very least, give Superhot on PSVR a try, but the Move controllers do detract from the experience some. The Move contollers work well for Beat Saber at least.
 
ClarkusDarkus

ClarkusDarkus

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Oct 27, 2017
2,732
To be fair, I played/completed RE7 on release in VR, I shareplayed it and my friend watched the whole playthrough. What i will say is, Since then many games have utilized the moves/AIM. Having you're own hands in VR is vital for true immersion, And since RE7 only uses DS4 and head aim then it's hard to go back to that once you have had full control say in a Skyrim world. So yeah on release it wasnt an issue, But since we have improved controls now even i would feel its a step back if i went back to RE7 and aiming with the head. It was my only criticism of The Persistence as it had the weird head aiming.

Which BTW op, Defo try that game out as its way scarier than RE7, Think Dead Space in VR.
 
Brodo Baggins

Brodo Baggins

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Oct 27, 2017
4,025
As a big proponent of VR, Doom VFR was a major disappointment. And RE7 VR is okay, but it's clearly a game built for a flat screen ported to VR.

Your two favorites are two of the best built from the ground up VR experiences on PSVR, because tracking is not all that important for third person platformers.

I have had much more immersive experiences with room scale games on my Vive.
 

Deleted member 984

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Astro Bot is just a special game.

There is still a lot of great content but you played a built for VR game then going to the ported to VR games and one that suffers a bit due to being quite similar to Astro Bot. I'd recommend checking out Super Hot, Beat Saber, Red Matter, Xing, In Death, Dirt Rally (quite a steep learning curve), To The Top, Exorcist Legion (if you like horror), Statik, Transpose.

Also Skyrim but the beginning is ass in VR and the area around whiterun is probably the ugliest area in the game. Just go to bleak falls barrow ASAP to get a better feeling for the rest of the game.

Edit: As you mentioned wanting a rush then check out Windlands (the only one of the above that i'd recommend with the DS4 rather than moves) and RushVR.
 
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DJ_Lae

DJ_Lae

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,882
Edmonton
GC- said:
Also Skyrim but the beginning is ass in VR and the area around whiterun is probably the ugliest area in the game. Just go to bleak falls barrow ASAP to get a better feeling for the rest of the game.
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Glad to hear the beginning is the ugliest, because I was a bit thrown off by that when I first started the other day. Bleak Falls was better, and the game plays really well with stealth and a bow as melee is somehow even worse than the regular game.

I hear the PSVR controls are terrible, though, which is impressive because they're awkward at best even with touch controllers on PC.
 
Kalentan

Kalentan

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Oct 25, 2017
44,804
DJ_Lae said:
Glad to hear the beginning is the ugliest, because I was a bit thrown off by that. Bleak Falls was better, and the game plays really well with stealth and a bow as melee is somehow even worse than the regular game.

I hear the PSVR controls are terrible, though, which is impressive because they're awkward at best even with touch controllers on PC.
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I mean I've played quite a bit of Skyrim on PSVR and while the controls can be a bit awkward after a bit you quickly adjust and are able to play normally.
 
the-pi-guy

the-pi-guy

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Oct 29, 2017
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I find different games give different feelings.
There have been a few unimpressive VR games where I felt like I wasn't even playing a VR game.

Astrobot is excellent, and one of my favorites. Astrobot is special in part because of its brilliant use of VR.

In some ways I feel like PSVR is closer to Rift than people give it credit, but Rift is much better with presence than I think the specs would make you think.
 

Deleted member 984

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DJ_Lae said:
Glad to hear the beginning is the ugliest, because I was a bit thrown off by that when I first started the other day. Bleak Falls was better, and the game plays really well with stealth and a bow as melee is somehow even worse than the regular game.

I hear the PSVR controls are terrible, though, which is impressive because they're awkward at best even with touch controllers on PC.
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I wouldn't say they are terrible if you have used the press the touchpad to go forward option on the Vive wands it basically the same as that without the grip button or fidelity they have. The difficulty is that it's a new control scheme that people don't know with a layout they don't know and no proper tutorial. I learned the scheme with the Solus Project so when I booted into Skyrim VR it felt very natural and just as comfortable as using a DS4 now. If the moves had analogue sticks I think I'd still prefer the hold the button method and want the sticks for different types of interaction whilst moving.
 

Deleted member 249

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No, you like VR, it's just, you like VR done well. I can't speak for RE7, but I advise trying games like Wipeout (you already played Moss, which is great).
 
Kittens McMittens

Kittens McMittens

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Nov 14, 2017
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Nobody ever mentions Polybius in PSVR threads and it makes me sad. Just get it dude; it's like a RAVE in your FACE. It's also super chill too, despite coming at you at like a billion miles an hr.
 
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