OK. I was at EGX today and managed to get 4 goes on PlayStation VR.
The hardware first. I've got to say it has definitely improved since I first tried it a year ago. It's still just as light and comfortable as before, but the screen door effect has now all but gone. The combination of 3x sub pixels and top tier lenses are certainly doing their job. The only time I got a hint that you are inches away from a 1080p screen is when looking at large block of light, plain colour. Even then, it's a very fine grid and you probably wouldn't notice if you were engrossed in a game. One thing to note, you do need to ensure you have the headset properly positioned on your head, though. If you have it slightly too high or too low the image becomes very blurry. Get it central, and it's crystal clear. Response times for the headset are flawless. Move your head around and the screen updates perfectly. The reprojection also means everything is smooth as silk and images retain their cohesion as you look around the scene - no blurring and no double images. Last year I wore contact lenses to play PSVR. This time I wore glasses and the headset fit just fine.
Onto the games then.
First up, Battlezone. A neon drenched FPS with you seated inside a tank. You really get a feeling of being in that cockpit. It certainly achieved a sense of presence as I felt compelled to stretch out my legs and fill the virtual space I was in. Look over your shoulder and you can see the seat you can feel supporting you. Lifting the DS4 in front of your face to see it floating in virtual space cements the experience. It really is a lovely looking game, both in terms of design and technical achievement. That being said, the image overall did look rather soft. Presumably the game is running below 1080p, but for me it didn't detract from the overall experience. Gameplay wise it was a solid experience, with no cause for criticism. Essentially it follows the same control mechanisms of any other FPS. It was, of course, only a short demo so I couldn't comment on longevity or replay value, but I certainly enjoyed what I experienced.
Next up, Tethered. A strategy game where you play God to the "Peeps" that inhabit floating islands. From your vantage point on top of a cloud you can peer down on your underlings and tether them to tasks and resources throughout their Island to help them survive. The Islands are beautifully realised with an incredible sense of solidity and I found myself fighting the urge to reach out and touch them. To find them jobs to do, you survey the land in front of you by not only moving between the clouds to get the best vantage point, but by moving your head to look under and around objects in the game world. You can even lean in to take a closer look. Overall its beautiful, with buckets of charm. Occasionally though, the low resolution does make itself known. Small characters wandering into the distance on large maps can sometimes become a blob of pixels. It's easily fixed by switching viewpoints, but it's a small distraction in an otherwise glorious looking game. And although its not really my kind of game, I can see fans of God Sims getting a real kick out of this.
Then onto Farpoint, which in many ways totally blew me away. As in holy f**k, I've never felt so exhilarated playing a game before. You play the game with the VR Aim Controller. An evolution of the PS3's sharpshooter, It looks like some plumbing supplies with a glowing ball on the end. But when in the game the 1:1 tracking means it transfers perfectly to the weapon your holding. The feeling of looking down and seeing your virtual avatar holding the weapon you can feel in your hands, complete with gloved hands and space suit, is uncanny. The shooting mechanics are completely natural. You just aim and fire as you would if you were really doing it. You can even lift the gun to your face to look down the sights. You traverse canyons, caves and mountain ledges using one of the analogue sticks on the Aim controller. The discord between me and my virtual self felt a little strange at first, but I soon settled in and never felt the dreaded motion sickness. Then the action started as huge spiders (and bigger ones and then even bigger ones) started to attack. And it was incredible. It was tense, suspenseful and action packed in equal measure, Blasting these creatures as if you were really there was incredibly satisfying and got the adrenaline pumping. It gave me a real buzz. Graphically this was actually pretty strong. Aside from some shimmering edges there wasn't really any detriment from running in VR. In fact, it was so good the prospect of PS4 Pro running this game at double the resolution instantly sold me on an upgrade there and then. That's gonna be magnificent. As a short demo Farpoint nailed it for me. How much story, strategy or variation will be built into the game remains to be seen, but what I played was simply stunning.
Last up was Windlands, a conversion of the Indie game already available on PC. Visually it was more simplistic than the other games, but that meant a nice, crisp, high resolution image with little in the way of jaggies, that stands up well to its PC counterparts. The object of the demo was to find your way through the levels using a pair of grappling hooks to swing between the trees, spider-man style. Like Farpoint, this game relies on open first person movement, but unlike that demo, this required lots of fast, frantic movement and lots of spinning around (at least it did for me because I was shit at grappling). The result was a less than comfortable experience. I never felt sick, but I felt hot and slightly disorientated for the first time. As much fun as swinging through the trees was, I wouldn't recommend it with a hangover.
So overall I enjoyed my further time with PlayStation VR and my pre-order is secure. As we've always known they would, graphics do take a hit. But as a trade off for the level of immersion delivered, it's a worthy sacrifice and one that can mitigated with PS4 Pro if it really bothers you. 3 weeks to go. Can't wait.
EDIT - just want to say a huge thanks to the guys from Rebellion, Secret Sorcery and Psytec for their hospitality and willingness to chat to gamers. They really are passionate about what the do.