By Nelson Schneider - 08/07/22 at 03:43 PM CT
We’ve known for a while now that Sony hasn’t given up on virtual reality within the PlayStation ecosystem. Recently, we got a look at some of the new features coming in their revised PSVR2 headset, most of which aren’t particularly compelling outside of niche edge-cases. Indeed, the most compelling new features in PSVR2 seem to be the single cable that connects to the console and the fact that the new headset comes with revised, dedicated VR motion controllers, instead of requiring users to track down hard-to-find, discontinued, and generally poorly-implemented PlayStation Move controllers to play the role of ‘hands.’
Ultimately, though, Sony isn’t doing enough to really push VR experiences forward. Honestly, neither is Valve. Each company has one big VR project – “Half-Life: Alyx” for Valve and “Horizon: Call of the Mountain” for Sony (revealed during this year’s Summer Games Fest) – which doesn’t really feel all that impressive from the perspective of an end-user who is effectively doubling their hardware investment for the sole purpose of enjoying virtual reality.
One would think that a monopolist platform holder like Sony would strive to put as much effort as possible into making their particular flavor of VR the most desirable, to the point where other try to emulate them. Unfortunately, putting this burden on Sony is an endeavor destined for failure, as Sony has never been a trailblazer in gaming by any definition. Sony initially got started in gaming as an ‘EFF-YOU’ against Nintendo, when their SNES-CD attachment partnership collapsed, and the formerly-Japanese appliance-maker has primarily built its identity within the gaming sphere as a foil to the still-Japanese toy-maker: Sony rips-off anything novel that Nintendo does, even if neither company really knows what they’re doing. Nintendo introduced motion controls with the Wii: Sony added motion controls to the SIXAXIS PS3 controllers, which were used in approximately one game (“Lair,” which was horrible). Sony then took more time to properly copy motion controls and created the PS Move controllers, which were worse than the Wiimote in every conceivable way.
Indeed, the fact that Nintendo doesn’t have a VR solution on store shelves, or, really, even in the works, actually puts Sony in the lead, forcing them to copy other outfits, since, as has been well-established, Sony’s gaming division is profoundly lacking in creativity. Sadly, this lack of creativity lead the original PlayStation VR to be largely ignored and forgotten, as, in spite of my excitement for a handful of VR titles, the platform just doesn’t have enough killer apps. Software is, and always has been, everything when it comes to gaming. Any platform that launches with amazing hardware but the proverbial ‘no gaemz’ is doomed to flop, and that’s exactly what Sony is continuing to do into a second generation of virtual reality hardware.
Valve can somewhat get away with this, as, being a PC-centric developer and storefront manager, they deal with a fluid hardware ecosystem that changes frequently – sometimes too frequently – yet tends to maintain backwards compatibility. Someone trying to get into VR via Steam VR will find a huge library of mediocrity that has accumulated from the very beginning of VR game development. On the other hand, someone trying to get into VR via PlayStation VR will find only slim pickings of new releases and whatever older titles got the remake/remaster/rehash treatment.
