I thought this is an interesting hands-on. It is however a potentially damning assessment of the PlayStation Move and PS Camera's ability to provide a sufficient experience in the VR games that are built around natural hand movements which they tried.
The problem is Sony's PlayStation Move motion controllers and the PlayStation camera that tracks them simply weren't built for today's VR. These were controllers for the tail end of the Wii era – basically obsolete tech by today's standards. If Sony sticks with this setup, we think the company is making a colossal mistake. It needs something much better before the headset's October launch
On Golem:
When you become the golem, the game is essentially Mike Tyson's Punch Out, as you engage in one-on-one battles, blocking enemy attacks and countering with your own attacks (using the huge sword in your hand).
But when I went to counter my opponents' moves, the controller didn't respond well at all. Tracking was inaccurate and inconsistent. It sorta swung in the general direction I was aiming (most of the time) but it couldn't track speed with any reliability (so you're left swinging the controller in slow motion) and has way too low an overall accuracy no matter how quickly you move the controllers. This is last-gen tech that has no business being part of a flagship first-gen VR headset.
On Job Simulator, relative to Vive and Rift:
Another example: Job Simulator. This game has been a favorite of ours on both the Rift and Vive, as you use their respective motion controllers to manipulate objects in virtual workspaces. The PSVR version, though, was the first time when the tech got in the way of the game. I'd reach out to grab a stapler on the desk in front of me and suddenly the virtual hand would fly up in the air, two feet above my head.
Again, clearly not the developer's fault, as the game plays perfectly on the Rift and Vive. It just can't do much with Sony's shit tracking.
In general:
This theme was consistent throughout my PlayStation VR demos. Cool games with some promise, but the horrible PS Move tracking ruined most of them.
The two best PSVR games I played today were Rez Infinite and Eve: Valkyrie. Guess what they both have in common? They use the PS4's DualShock 4 gamepad instead of PS Move.