As a long-time gaming enthusiast who has witnessed the evolution of this industry since the days of Pong and Pac-Man, I must say that 2024 was a year that left me both awestruck and slightly bewildered.
2024 has seen a surge in the challenge of staying current with Virtual Reality (VR) gaming, which is actually a positive sign of the field’s growth. The iconic Batman Arkham series saw a remarkable addition with Batman: Arkham Shadow, exclusively available on Meta Quest 3. Metro Awakening emerged as a VR adaptation, serving as a prequel to the Metro series. Skydance’s Behemoth is leveraging dark fantasy, expanding upon the concepts of the underappreciated The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners games. The mind-bending Thumper found its spiritual successor in Thrasher, and even an old VR game, Arizona Sunshine, received a high-quality remake following its sequel in 2023.
It appears that Virtual Reality (VR) is currently undergoing a crucial phase in its development. Glancing ahead to 2023, the sector was preparing for this surge with the upcoming releases of Asgard’s Wrath 2, Assassin’s Creed Nexus, and the VR adaptation of Resident Evil 4 remake, all scheduled for the second half of the year. However, these titles represent significant investments given that the market still primarily caters to a niche audience. Motion sickness is one of several ongoing challenges, and while some games have made efforts to provide more accessibility features, the platform is not yet fully accommodating for disabled players.
As a gamer, it’s been a rollercoaster ride with the release of new games, but the behind-the-scenes story isn’t as bright. For instance, Sony temporarily halted production for PSVR 2 in March to manage an excess inventory, and PlayStation London Studio, known for hits like Blood & Truth and PlayStation VR Worlds, shut down in May. On the other hand, Meta has been making some tough calls – they’ve let go of employees from their Reality Labs division, halted several games since last year, even the studio behind Echo VR which they acquired four years ago, scrapped plans for a competitor to Apple Vision Pro, closed down the augmented reality studio Spark, and indefinitely postponed the VR version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
There’s some doubt about how long Meta (previously Facebook) will keep supporting virtual reality (VR) game development, which could have a significant impact on the industry since their publishing branch was behind games like Among Us VR, Rock Band VR, and Batman: Arkham Shadow. Since Sony is scaling back on VR project investments, with only two first-party titles planned, it’s hard to predict if we’ll see another release schedule similar to 2024’s, or if this could be a farewell performance in disguise.
2025 will see the release of several highly anticipated games like Aces of Thunder, Hitman: World of Assassination, and Zombie Army VR, which were all initially scheduled for 2024. The year 2024 was marked by a number of instances where games experienced delays and rocky launches. For instance, Bulletstorm VR was considered unplayable at first but became playable after several updates addressed issues with physics, visuals, and enemy AI. Two horror games, Madison VR and Phasmophobia, also faced multiple delays. Critics advise waiting to play Phasmophobia until the quality of its port improves, much like Hitman 3 VR Reloaded, which has been recommended to avoid until its quality improves as well.
During an interview with Inverse, developers highlighted several challenges they encounter when creating VR games: compatibility issues with game engines like Unity, the employment of reprojection to increase frame rates, which sacrifices image clarity resulting in fuzzy visuals, and rigorous VRC certification processes that each game must pass. Additionally, quality assurance testing is more strenuous than typical tests. In separate interviews with Game Informer, testers emphasized the physically demanding nature of the process and how it can take time to adapt to testing in VR, particularly for extended periods. One former developer noted he frequently felt disconnected from reality during his first two weeks on the job.
Moving forward, certain studios are still actively pouring resources into the virtual reality (VR) sector. In a chat with Game Informer regarding the VR adaptation of Resident Evil 4 remake, producer Masato Kumazawa mentioned that offering free VR editions of Village and RE4R is aimed at fostering growth within the VR market.
Director Keisuke Yamakawa noted that virtual reality (VR) aligns beautifully with the Resident Evil series. He hopes that VR technology becomes more widely accepted by the public. As headsets are still somewhat costly and heavy, he dreams of the equipment becoming lighter and more affordable to make it accessible for a broader audience.
Headsets are indeed getting lighter, but the cost of entry is still high. The Meta Quest 3 256 GB model costs $499, in contrast to the PSVR 2 at $549 and the Pico 4 Ultra at €600 (around $630). Out of the three, the PSVR 2 isn’t wireless, and it originally required a PlayStation 5. Sony launched a PC adapter back in August priced at $59. If you have a decent PC that can run VR games, the catalog is greatly increased, and so is the longevity of the headset as a result. Speaking of which, there are a number of PC-specific headsets out there, such as the Valve Index ($999) and the Vive series (starting at the $600 to $700 price range). But the aforementioned headsets are by far the ones driving the mainstream interest at the moment. (The Apple Vision Pro, starting at $3,499, is undoubtedly not targeted at the average consumer, so I’m not counting it here.)
Additionally, it’s important to take market fluctuations into account. By the end of 2024, sales for Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro, and even the 128 GB Model of Meta Quest 3 will cease due to high demand. The company plans to fill these voids with the release of the Meta Quest 3S in October, priced at $299. However, this version has certain hardware limitations compared to its predecessor, like using a single-display setup per eye, as opposed to the dual-display setup on the Quest 3, leading to lower resolution and bulkier lenses.
In the world of video games, it’s always fascinating when unique features crop up, such as Triangle Strategy offering its storyline in floating dioramas within mixed reality. It’s worth noting that lesser-known studios also produce remarkable titles, like The Exit 8, Sushi Ben, and Umurangi Generation VR, which made a significant impact in 2024. Even genres such as rhythm games remain vibrant, with an increasing number of developers investing in adaptations, such as Metal: Hellsinger VR and Spin Rhythm this year, and existing ones receiving regular updates.
Beat Saber consistently adds both free and paid songs, while Synth Riders offers a mixed-reality mode on Quest 3. However, many games that experimented with genre innovations struggle to remain relevant over time. Games like Rock Band VR, Audica, Dance Central (all produced by Harmonix), haven’t received official support for quite some time. Yes, Just Dance VR came out in October, but new releases often seem like temporary replacements instead of genuine additions to emerging subgenres.
As 2025 approaches, the future remains vague. Instead of focusing primarily on gaming experiences, Meta appears to be emphasizing the “metaverse” element in their headsets, creating an environment geared toward professional interactions and networking. This new ecosystem includes personalized avatars for quick chats like “let’s talk for a minute,” integrated calendar apps that can be synchronized with Google Calendar and Outlook, and the ability to use your headset during travel on planes or trains, rather than just for video games.
Community efforts like Flat2VR continue to innovate by adding VR support to a plethora of games. The modding team started with highlights like the Half-Life 2: VR mod, and has since formed a studio working on licensed adaptations in an official capacity, such as Trombone Champ: Unflattened. The modding scene, particularly on PC, continues to be a standout. You can now play Halo: Combat Evolved in VR with full motion controls, while other people have been working tirelessly to achieve the opposite, such as a flat version of Half-Life: Alyx.
Although VR currently caters to a specific group, its potential for growth remains undiminished. For instance, games like Gorilla Tag boast over 12 million lifetime players and maintain a consistent million daily active users, with Gen Alpha kids being a significant driving force behind this popularity. It’s my hope that future advancements in VR technology will prioritize video game development for both mature and younger audiences, rather than solely focusing on digitizing everyday tasks, particularly work-related ones. As the PSVR 2 and Meta Quest 3 approach their second year of existence, I can only wish that more developers view 2024 as a benchmark to surpass, rather than an unattainable limit.
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2024-12-27 19:39