Originally launched on 13th October, 2016, the PlayStation VR went through something of a rocky start to reach its current position as king of the high-end virtual reality (VR) castle, with over 1 million units sold. With the upcoming release of the updated PlayStation VR headset, this seems like a good opportunity to look at the history of the device so far, and what is currently available for users to play.
Upon first launch, the PlayStation VR’s popularity appeared to take Sony by surprise, as the company had not produced enough stock to meet demand, a problem particularly seen in Japan where customers queued around the block on restock days. With the new PlayStation VR version seeing initial release in Japan later this month, lets hope Sony have learned from experience.
The PlayStation VR features a 5.7 inch OLED panel with a display capable of 1080p resolution, the device also has a video output box that allows video to output to the TV as well as the headset as well as providing processing for 3D audio effects. Though the PlayStation VR has no build-in headphones, it has a standard 3.5mm audio jack for users to plug in their own headphones, or a third-party audio solution such as the Mantis. The headset has nine LEDs for position tracking, which is PlayStation Camera is responsible for.
A run down of the currently available PlayStation VR titles follows below:
Title |
Publisher |
Release Date |
Dreamworks: Voltron VR Chronicles | Digital Domain Interactive | September 26, 2017 |
DWVR | Perziur Slu | September 26, 2017 |
Light Tracer | Oasis Games Limited | September 26, 2017 |
End Space | Orange Bridge Studios Inc | September 19, 2017 |
Bloody Zombies | NDreams Ltd | September 13, 2017 |
The Solus Project | Grip Digital S.R.O. | September 18, 2017 |
The Solus Project
A tense, atmospheric hybrid between a survival crafting title and sci-fi horror that gradually ramps up the tension until you are jumping at your own shadow.
VR Karts | Viewpoint Games Ltd | September 12, 2017 |
Don’t Knock Twice | Wales Interactive | September 5, 2017 |
Sparc | CCP Games | August 29, 2017 |
Sneaky Bears | War Ducks Ltd | August 29, 2017 |
Soul Dimension | Time of Virtual Reality | August 22, 2017 |
Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul | VRWerx, LLC | August 15, 2017 |
Neptune Flux | Zoxide Games | August 8, 2017 |
The Lost Bear | Fabrik Games Ltd | September 5, 2017 |
The Lost Bear
A narrative puzzle-platform title that uses an aesthetic borrowed from paper cut-out puppet shows to tell a story of overcoming fear.
Dino Frontier | Uber Entertainment | August 1, 2017 |
CastleStorm VR Edition | Zen Studios | August 1, 2017 |
Theseus | Forge Reply S.R.L. | July 26, 2017 |
Smashbox Arena | Archiact Interactive Ltd | July 25, 2017 |
Tiny Trax | FuturLab Limited | July 25, 2017 |
Heroes of The Seven Seas | Time of Virtual Reality | July 25, 2017 |
Infinite Minigolf | Zen Studios | July 25, 2017 |
Superhot VR | Superhot Sp. z o.o. | July 21, 2017 |
The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls Viewing Revolution | Bandai Namco Games America Inc. | July 18, 2017 |
Manifest 99 | Project Flight School Inc | July 18, 2017 |
Archangel | Skydance Interactive LLC | July 18, 2017 |
SuperHot VR
A VR recreation of the hit time-bending first-person shooter. With its own unique and distinctive look etched in red, white and black SuperHot VR delivers unique gameplay in which time only moves when you do.
Apollo 11 VR | Immersive VR Education Ltd. | July 12, 2017 |
The Bellows | Castle Steps LLC | July 11, 2017 |
Fantastic Contraption | Radial Games Corp. | July 11, 2017 |
Arizona Sunshine | Vertigo Games B.V | July 5, 2017 |
Spider-Man: Homecoming – VR Experience | Sony Pictures Virtual Reality | June 30, 2017 |
Cavernous Wastes | PouncingKitten Games LLC | June 27, 2017 |
Ancient Amuletor | Time of Virtual Reality | June 27, 2017 |
Arizona Sunshine
In a world overtaken by zombies, you must travel the desolate and dangerous deserts of Arizona, shooting down zombies with your trusty gun, facing horrors in bright sunshine.
Chess Ultra | Ripstone LTD | June 20, 2017 |
Air Force Special Ops: Nightfall | Sony Interactive Entertainment | June 20, 2017 |
Race the Sun | Flippfly | June 13, 2017 (VR Update) |
Special Delivery | Meerkat Gaming LLC | June 6, 2017 |
Tekken 7 | Bandai Namco Games America Inc. | June 2, 2017 |
Star Trek: Bridge Crew | Ubisoft Entertainment | May 30, 2017 |
Star Trek: Bridge Crew
Fulfil the dream of generations of Star Trek fans by taking a seat at a bridge console and becoming a Starfleet officer. Explore the galaxy, battle Klingons and get your friends in on the action for this intergalactic experience.
Dick Wilde | PlayStack Limited | May 16, 2017 |
Farpoint | Sony Interactive Entertainment | May 16, 2017 |
Moonshot Galaxy | Big Fish Games | May 9, 2017 |
Polybius | Llamasoft Ltd | May 9, 2017 |
Gnog | Ko-Op Mode Inc. | May 2, 2017 |
Oasis Games Shooter VR Bundle | Oasis Games Limited | April 25, 2017 |
Polybius
Drawing inspiration from an infamous videogaming urban legend, Polybius presents a surreal arcade shooter that is as addictive as it is bewildering.
Symphony of the Machine | Stirfier Pty Ltd | April 25, 2017 |
Statik | Tarsier Studios | April 24, 2017 |
Quiz Night Tonight! | Mardonpol Inc | April 21, 2017 |
Bandit Six: Combined Arms | Climax Studios Limited | April 19, 2017 |
HeroCade | Lucid Sight, Inc. | April 18, 2017 |
VR Invaders – Complete Edition | My.com B.V. | April 18, 2017 |
StarBlood Arena | Sony Interactive Entertainment | April 11, 2017 |
Mortal Blitz | Skonec Entertainment | April 4, 2017 |
Fated: The Silent Oath | Frima Studio | March 28, 2017 |
Korix | StellarVR Limited | March 28, 2017 |
Leave the Nest | Kaio Interactive LLC | March 14, 2017 |
Darknet | Archiact Interactive Ltd | March 7, 2017 |
Statik
A puzzle title featuring a creepy scientist who seems to have taken lesson in charm from GlaDOS and a box that holds your hands confined form the basis for a clever and intuitive puzzle title.
Unearthing Mars | Winking Skywalker Entertainment Limited | March 7, 2017 |
Dying: Reborn | Oasis Games Limited | February 28, 2017 |
Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin | Double Fine Productions | February 21, 2017 |
Mervils: A VR Adventure | Vitruvius Technologies Inc. | February 21, 2017 |
DiRT Rally Plus PlayStation VR Bundle | Codemasters Inc. | February 17, 2017 |
Joshua Bell VR Experience | Sony Interactive Entertainment | February 14, 2017 |
VR Ping Pong | Merge Games Limited | February 7, 2017 |
Dexed | Ninja Theory Limited | January 31, 2017 |
Moto Racer 4 | Anuman Interactive | January 24, 2017 |
Resident Evil 7 biohazard | Capcom U.S.A., Inc. | January 24, 2017 |
Resident Evil 7 biohazard
Generally acknowledged as one of the best entries in the Resident Evil series for many years, this dark tale of an apparently abandoned plantation house and the sinister family inhabiting it is given whole new levels of terror in VR.
Eve: Valkyrie | CCP Games | December 23, 2016 |
Rollercoaster Dreams | Halfbrick Studios Pty Ltd. | December 20, 2016 |
Lethal VR | Team17 Software Ltd. | December 20, 2016 |
Fat City | Heavy Iron Studios | December 15, 2016 |
Starship Disco | Solus Games | December 15, 2016 |
Perfect | NDreams LTD | December 13, 2016 |
I Expect You To Die | Schell Games LLC | December 13, 2016 |
Werewolves Within | Ubisoft Entertainment | December 6, 2016 |
Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality | Bossa Studios Limited | December 3, 2016 |
How We Soar | Penny Black Studios Ltd | November 29, 2016 |
Crystal Rift | Psytec Games Ltd | November 29, 2016 |
Pinball FX2 VR | Zen Studios | November 29, 2016 |
EVE: Valkyrie
Spin-off of the popular sci-fi MMO EVE, EVE: Valkyrie for many was their first taste of the depth and immersion that VR is truly capable of.
NBA 2KVR Experience | 2K | November 22, 2016 |
Gary the Gull | Limitless Sky Squadron, LLC | November 22, 2016 |
HoloBall | Treefortress Inc. | November 22, 2016 |
VirZoom Arcade | VirZoom, Inc | November 22, 2016 |
Proton Pulse Plus | ZeroTransform LLC | November 22, 2016 |
Space Rift – Episode 1 | bitComposer Interactive GmbH | November 15, 2016 |
Time Machine VR | Minority Inc. | November 15, 2016 |
Trackmania Turbo | Ubisoft Entertainment | November 11, 2016 (VR Update) |
Robinson: The Journey | Crytek | November 8, 2016 |
Eagle Flight | Ubisoft Entertainment | November 8, 2016 |
Robinson: The Journey
Step into a sci-fi world full of adventure, secrets, and dinosaurs. The players takes the role of a young boy, trying to survive on a harsh world with only an AI for company.
Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare Jackal Assault VR Experience | Activision | November 4, 2016 |
O! My Genesis VR | Xpec Entertainment Inc. | November 4, 2016 |
Carnival Games VR | 2K | October 28, 2016 |
Weeping Doll | Oasis Games Limited | October 27, 2016 |
Windlands | Psytec Games Ltd | October 25, 2016 |
Tethered | Secret Sorcery Limited | October 25, 2016 |
Pixel Gear | Oasis Games Limited | October 20, 2016 |
Sports Bar VR | Cherry Pop Games | October 18, 2016 |
Waddle Home | Archiact Interactive Ltd | October 13, 2016 |
Gunjack | CCP Games | October 13, 2016 |
Rez Infinite | Enhance Games | October 13, 2016 |
Rez Infinite
Successor to the cult trance shooter of the SEGA Dreamcast, Rez Infinite gives the experience a new dimension by bringing it into virtual reality with spectacular results. Particularly with Area X.
Headmaster | Frame Interactive Studio LLC | October 13, 2016 |
Loading Human: Chapter 1 | Maximum Games | October 13, 2016 |
The Assembly | NDreams Ltd | October 13, 2016 |
Ace Banana | Oasis Games Limited | October 13, 2016 |
Catlateral Damage | Fire Hose Games | October 13, 2016 (VR Update) |
Job Simulator | Owlchemy Labs, Inc. | October 13, 2016 |
The Brookhaven Experiment | Phosphor Games | October 13, 2016 |
Battlezone | Rebellion | October 13, 2016 |
Job Simulator
One of the earliest VR success stories, Job Simulator is a tongue-in-cheek look at a future run by computers where humans have forgotten how to work. Job Simulator was so successful that merchandise was produced.
Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live | Sega of America Inc | October 13, 2016 |
RIGS Mechanized Combat League | Sony Interactive Entertainment | October 13, 2016 |
Here They Lie | Sony Interactive Entertainment | October 13, 2016 |
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes | Steel Crate Games, Inc. | October 13, 2016 |
Volume: Coda | Bithell Games | October 13, 2016 |
World War Toons Beta | Studio Roqovan, Inc. | October 13, 2016 |
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration | Square Enix Co. Ltd. | October 11, 2016 |
Batman: Arkham VR | Warner Bros. Interactive | October 11, 2016 |
Thumper | Drool LLC | October 10, 2016 |
Harmonix Music VR | Harmonix Music Systems, Inc | October 10, 2016 |
100ft Robot Golf | No Goblin LLC | October 10, 2016 |
SuperHyperCube | Polytron Corporation | October 10, 2016 |
Batman: Arkham VR
Though short and more of a proof-of-concept than a full videogame, giving people the chance to be Batman, even for a short time, drew a lot of attention.
The Playroom VR | Sony Interactive Entertainment | October 10, 2016 |
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood | Sony Interactive Entertainment | October 10, 2016 |
PlayStation VR Worlds | Sony Interactive Entertainment | October 10, 2016 |
Tumble VR | Sony Interactive Entertainment | October 10, 2016 |
Hustle Kings VR | Sony Interactive Entertainment | October 10, 2016 |
Super Stardust Ultra VR | Sony Interactive Entertainment | October 10, 2016 |
Wayward Sky | Uber Entertainment | October 10, 2016 |
Driveclub VR | Sony Interactive Entertainment | September 21, 2016 |
Nebulous | Namazu Studios | August 30, 2016 |
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X | Sega of America Inc. | August 30, 2016 |
Bound | Sony Interactive Entertainment | August 16, 2016 |
VEV: Viva Ex Vivo‎ | Truant Pixel, LLC | May 17, 2016 |
via Mint VR