Now coming to PS4
Until I saw the ominous shipping containers filled with PlayStation VR systems, I had totally forgot that Activision had unveiled a “Call of Duty VR experience” that would debut at the XP event this weekend in Los Angeles.
Sony has gone all in on the franchise, stealing Microsoft’s “one month timed exclusive” DLC map deal they had locked up for some many years, on top of sponsoring the eSports championship run and the XP event itself. The VR game is even a hilariously timed exclusive to XP — announced today, the PS4 will get it when Infinite Warfare launches in November. But if you miss it because you play on another platform, that’s totally fine.
As the PSVR helmet (which I find to be a cut below the Vive or the Oculus, but the price is right) was slipped on, a quick controller rundown was given — there’s the option to boost with the left stick, pitch with the right, fire missiles with the left trigger (which paints up to three targets, Star Fox style), and shoot your machine-gun with the right trigger. Just like EVE Valykrie, missile lock-on is handled by actually moving your head to “look” at enemy ships. The entire affair is themed after the Infinite Warfare series, taking place in space.
In fact I’ll go full bore with the Valkyrie comparisons, because that’s basically what it is — a flight simulation minigame in space, you’re just battling AI instead of other players. There’s a limited amount of airspace you’re flying around in, the visuals are pretty basic (and not up to par with most VR experiences), and after around 10 minutes or so the demo ends. That’s it.
It’s not exactly “rough,” as it technically works, but it’s not something I’d even spend $10 on, and is vaguely connected to the Call of Duty universe as a whole. It probably doesn’t help that Infinite Warfare isn’t even out yet so I can’t pick up on the little bits of lore dropped every now and then, but the basic narrative is “we’re just chilling here testing out our ship, and bad guys warp in.”
The lead-in is cooler than the game, with a fully costumed actor accompanying the training video in-character, and a sleek, very neat Virtua On looking arcade cabinet. If you’re already getting Infinite on PS4 though, it’s something extra to look forward to.
[Disclaimer: Travel was provided to the event by Activision. If you’re there by the way, my score was 37, and I was told the highest was 42, if you want to aim for something!]
