Why Isn't Astrobot in VR?
And why is there all this dust on my PS VR2?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been headset-off most of the week and totally glued to your PS5 to indulge in the sheer joy that is Astro Bot’s latest outing. If you haven’t played it yet, let me assure you — the rest of the internet is right. It’s a masterpiece, and a legitimate contender for the greatest 3D platformer of all time. It’s just that good.
But as much as I’m enjoying it, I can’t help but feel a twinge of pain when I’m reminded that we didn’t get a new Astro Bot game to go along with the launch of the PS VR2. The series has become a mainstay in recent years to serve as a demo of what’s possible with the latest PlayStation hardware, and the original PS VR was no exception. Astro Bot Rescue Mission is still arguably the best game on the platform (and certainly Sony’s best first-party VR title), so the absence of a follow-up was sorely felt when the PS VR2 debuted in last year.
If we’re being honest, PlayStation VR2 has been a bit of a bummer. I don’t think I’m saying anything that most VR aficionados wouldn’t agree with. The hardware is SPECTACULAR, and in many cases it’s the very best way to play certain titles — but while the original PSVR had some clear love from the Sony’s software teams the PS VR2 just hasn’t. Outside of Horizon: Call of the Mountain and the breaktaking VR mode for Gran Turismo 7, I’d be hard-pressed to say I’ve even heard a peep about any other PlayStation IP looking at immersive play.
Back in June, Nick Sutrich of Android Central spoke with sources close to Sony’s VR efforts and reported that only two first-party VR games are currently in development. It’s a real sign of the times that I actually read that sentence as a resounding positive.
At least we’re getting something?
I haven’t given up on PS VR2 yet. With more than 200 games available, there’s no shortage of great content. The problem is that most of that content is already available somewhere else. I think with a strong IP (which Sony has no shortage of) and a holiday price cut, PS VR2 could be back in the running.
Give the people what they want, Sony. (And right, that’s Astro Bot!)
BONUS CONTENT: I feel like I didn’t really answer the question in the headline, so let’s try to do that as best we can. Team Asobi's Nicolas Doucet spoke with PushSquare back in June about why Astro Bot wasn’t a PS VR2 title, and in short, here’s why it wasn’t:
Astro Bot, the full-fledged platformer, has been the studio’s focus following the incredible reception Astro’s Playroom received as a free title to demonstrate the power of the new DualSense controller
The goal was to make a bigger version of what already worked so well on PS5
The design philosophy between flat and VR is different for Team Asobi, so it wouldn’t have made sense to make Astro Bot playable both ways
Extrapolating from all of that, it seems like the team was heads down on Astro Bot, so it’s not hard to appreciate why they didn’t have time for a Rescue Mission follow-up (still …bummer!)
Meta Connect Predictions
My rambling about PlayStation ran long, so let’s try and keep this short and sweet:
I expect we’ll see more XR than last year, but less than we’re hoping; don’t be surprised if AI takes center stage again.
Less on games and more on other use cases. The Quest dominates VR gaming, but with Apple pushing into the “everything else” space with its Vision Pro marketing, I feel like Meta is in an excellent position to show off what developers are already doing here.
The Quest 3S official reveal is a no brainer, but I’ll go two steps further. I’d bet good money the launch date is will be day and date with Batman: Arkham Shadow in October — and that the game will be a free pack-in for a limited time, just like Asgard’s Wrath 2 was at the Quest 3 launch. (heck, maybe they’ll even extend the offer to the Quest 3 to drive holiday sales).
Grand Theft Auto, but not San Andreas. The very dramatic removal of GTA: SA from the Quest Store felt like the sort of thing you do to lower expectations before you blow everyone out of the water. Maybe they were halfway through development and realized they could make something better from the ground-up? An all-new GTA built with a VR-first mentality? They need a new announcement that’s somehow even bigger than the bat. GTA would fit that bill nicely.
Other Predictions: Kevin Joyce of TinyBrains shared a few guesses that I honestly didn’t have on my Connect bingo card: an update to the Meta Raybans, and confirmation of a new Quest Pro / Vision Pro-aligned headset. Let’s see if either of us got anything right, Kev!
More on Pico’s Motion Trackers
Last week I shared my thoughts on Pico’s Motion Trackers and why I think they’re a fantastic step in the right direction for the future of full-body gaming. I did have some lingering questions, though — and Pico’s Ultra 4 Product Manager Xikun Hu and Motion Tracker Product Manager Zhen Tang have been kind enough to share some answers:
How easy is it for developers to add Pico Motion Trackers to their games?
”The game development of PICO Motion Tracker is very friendly to developers. We have SDKs for Unity and Unreal Engine, and there are also supporting developer documentation, sample codes, and demos for developers to reference.”
It sounds like these could track motion for more than just legs — any updates to share regarding other uses cases?
”Some developers and enterprise users have already shown great interest in object tracking. We look forward to the relevant content being launched as soon as possible.“
The PICO 4 Ultra reveal video made it feel more like it’s designed to compete with the Apple Vision Pro than the Quest 3; is PICO pushing harder into non-gaming immersive and spatial experiences? And if so, how do you see motion trackers supporting that effort?
”We place a high value on both gaming and non-gaming immersive and spatial experiences, simply because in the current technology cycle, the latter is more likely to be a highlight in revealing videos. Motion trackers are an example of our emphasis on gaming experience.”
My two biggest questions — about why they’re bundling the trackers only with pre-orders of the Pico 4 Ultra (this feels like a real missed opportunity to me), and if they have an update on plans for entering the US market — unfortunately went unanswered. Regardless, I’m excited to see how this plays out for consumers and creators, and hope that eventually we’ll see all this Pico goodness come stateside. Fingers crossed! 🤞
Still Reading?
I applaud your literary stamina!
Speaking of Meta Connect, it looks like I’ll be at the show this year! Hit me up on LinkedIn if you want to say hi while you’re there. :)
Now if you’ll excuse me …Astro Bot.
- Jim