I’ve never played a VR game before. Sure, my legs got numb and I had to sit down as soon as I was carried into a virtual roller coaster ride with the Oculus Rift some months ago. My brain simply told me there’s no way I should be standing while “riding” this.
Last Friday, thanks to Plantronics Australia and Double Jump, I was exposed to Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Lantern VR gameplay demo on the PS4. I sort of almost wet my pants. Well, a bit too dramatic perhaps, but my imaginations ran wild while playing and my weak heart urged me to stop playing. It feels so real, even when I can still see pixels.
Which is weird, because there were no zombies chasing me (as I’d expect it to be when playing a Resident Evil game) or a ghost popping up out of nowhere like the Silent Hill P.T demo. An old lady with a lantern trying to find me, how scary can it be, right? Well, she was an old, creepy lady and the tingling sensation I felt throughout the game would not lie.
Thanks to the PlayStation VR and Plantronics RIG 4VR, the experience couldn’t be more real. As I explored the old, dark, creepy house, I didn’t really want to open more doors. Or looking around with my head as I didn’t want to see things I wouldn’t want to see.
There were occasions where I had to crouch and hide in the corner while the creepy old lady swore she heard something and knew where I was. I wanted to peek, so I tilted my head a bit – then realising that VR tech is not that advanced yet. I hesitated and waited until she walked outside. My heart pounded a bit (and my spines kept on tingling): Should I make the run now? Should I wait a bit?
As I had other plans for the evening, I unfortunately had to stop playing (or perhaps I was just finding an excuse not to play any further). I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was definitely a thrilling experience.
As soon as the player’s hand reaching for the door, the sensation couldn’t be more real. Combined with the excellent audio quality from Plantronics RIG 4VR, the experience is complete. RIG 4VR is designed to sit comfortably while you are wearing a VR headset such as the PlayStation VR, so you won’t get distracted.
RIG4VR is available for pre-order at EB Games now and will be released on the 13th of October 2016 for AU $129.
Here is the gameplay trailer from YouTube so you can get a taste on what I’m talking about:
No more creepy door opening scenes for now, least until the products are released in a couple of months’ time.
