I went a bit off the rails recently when it comes to buying new games and gaming accessories. Maybe I was shopping away my anxiety about the status of the world politically and environmentally; who knows. But the recent games and gadgets have helped reignite my love of gaming in a way that I desperately needed. Doing this work day in and out for 6+ years can take a toll on a person, and I sometimes get too depressed to even pick up a controller. Sam will be the first to say that you can’t write good blogs when you aren’t playing, which is very true and one of the reasons we have sabbaticals here.
But my new purchases have brought me back into the swing of things, so to speak. And I do mean swing, since one of my purchases is the Playstation VR. So, while I don’t want to spoil our upcoming holiday gift episode, I want to write a post about a few of the things I’ve been playing and playing with recently as well as the things I’m looking forward doing to over the winter break. Also, side note, all I can think about right now is winter break, so you may be getting a few of these annoying, upbeat posts from me in the upcoming weeks.
Playstation VR:
I recently wrote a post on the Playstation VR, and I talked about how playing it felt like being on the cusp of a new and wonderful breakthrough. Just like playing Nintendo for the first time or using the Wii for the first time, the Playstation VR gives you that surreal, sublime feeling. I’ve had a few weeks using it now, and I have some updates on my experiences.
First, by far the worst thing about the PSVR is the game choices. The games are very limited, lack story, are for mostly visual shock value, and have limited replayability. In context, though, that’s to be expected. How long did we bowl or play tennis on the Wii before needed some more robust content (which never came, for me at least).
So if you’re thinking of getting the PSVR, should you? I give that an unequivocal, 100% yes. It’s still incredible, if not fully realized. The games you should buy immediately are Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, an on-the-rails first person shooter with a haunted carnival theme. It does not have robust character development, but it does have the semblance of a story and illustrates the capabilities of the VR system. Further, it is the most complete game I have played. I clocked about 7 hours before beating it, which is pretty reasonable. Recently I purchased a game called Tethered, which has a lot of potential. You run a floating island and tell your little minions what to do to develop the world (chop trees, farm, etc). It is extremely difficult, however, and it doesn’t have perfect timing yet. However, it is a great VR game for someone who gets motion sick.
There are two flying games that are not good for people who get motion sick, RIGS and EVE Valkyrie. They both have a lot of potential, but I can only play them in small bursts. As soon as I’m done teaching for the semester, I’m going to dig into these games, however. No matter how much I throw up. And I have thrown up playing.
Steam Controller:
This is my most recent purchase. I received it yesterday, after I bought it in a bundle with Civilization VI. To my disappointment, though, Civ isn’t even integrated with the controller. I probably should have looked that up, but honestly, if it’s sold in a bundle, you’d think they would work together!
Since Civ didn’t work, I had to “suffer” by buying Shipwrecked, the latest expansion for my favorite game Don’t Starve. The remote did not plug and play. I had to restart my computer and steam many times to get it to update correctly. It still did not work properly with DS, so I had to spend quite a bit of time on the forums. It turns out an update rendered the controller unusable, but luckily it had been fixed. I had to verify local files and replace a damaged file, but then it worked.
So did I like it? Is it worth the money? I do like it. I have dogs that always want, no NEED, to be on my lap at all times. Also, I am sure it’s not good for the laptop to be heating up on my lap with my blanket. I usually use a lap desk, but even so, I am sure it’s better for the laptop to be on a stable surface. The controller itself doesn’t feel very good in your hand. The mechanisms lack a smoothness or a certain weight and balance I expect. The mouse haptics are very bothersome and must be turned off in each game independently. I would say it’s worth it because of how well it works, but honestly, I had so much trouble getting it going I can’t even say that. Every time I plug it in and put steam on big picture mode, the controller acts differently. Sometimes the mouse pad doesn’t work. Sometimes the buttons don’t work. Sometimes the haptics are extremely noticeable. Sometimes they’re off completely. When it does work, however, it absolutely kicks ass.
I will be setting up my large monitor in the living room for the second the semester is over, though, as my screen no longer seems adequate.
I hope this was informative for those thinking of skipping Christmas gifts and buying yourself something fun instead. I have played many other VR games, so if you are curious about any, let me know in the comments.
