star-wars-battlefront-rogue-one-x-wing-vr-missionThe lengthily-named Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission is due to launch free for all owners of the PS4 version of Star Wars Battlefront on December 6th. Developed exclusively for Sony’s PlayStation VR headset, it will be playable by attendees at this weekend’s PlayStation Experience event in California.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, likely to be the biggest movie of 2016, hits cinemas on December 16th. As the hype train reaches full steam, EA’s Star Wars Battlefront is perfectly poised to join the fun, with a Rogue One-themed DLC package due on December 6th. Available on all platforms for Season Pass owners, the Rogue One: Scarif DLC adds four new maps, new characters, and a new multi-stage game mode.

Owners of the PS4 version are in for a special treat and will receive a free, additional download on the same day, sporting the catchy name Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission, which requires the PlayStation VR headset.

Developed by Criterion Games, in collaboration with Battlefront developers DICE, the VR mission was first teased at E3 earlier this year, and is exclusive to Sony’s headset. The chance to pilot an X-Wing in VR is a dream come true for many Star Wars fans, and existing cockpit-based space games such as Elite: Dangerous and EVE: Valkyrie have proven the genre’s suitability for VR. Criterion Games, famous for their Burnout series, probably aren’t the first studio you’d expect to be developing a sci-fi flying experience, but having built it with VR in mind from the start, it looks like they’re on the right track.

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The X-Wing VR Mission will be playable ahead of its release during PlayStation Experience 2016 this weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center.

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The trial version of Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness probably had something to do with it. And certainly the original Super Mario Kart and Gran Turismo. A car nut from an early age, Dominic was always drawn to racing games above all other genres. Now a seasoned driving simulation enthusiast, and former editor of Sim Racer magazine, Dominic has followed virtual reality developments with keen interest, as cockpit-based simulation is a perfect match for the technology. Conditions could hardly be more ideal, a scientist once said. Writing about simulators lead him to Road to VR, whose broad coverage of the industry revealed the bigger picture and limitless potential of the medium. Passionate about technology and a lifelong PC gamer, Dominic suffers from the ‘tweak for days’ PC gaming condition, where he plays the same section over and over at every possible combination of visual settings to find the right balance between fidelity and performance. Based within The Fens of Lincolnshire (it’s very flat), Dominic can sometimes be found marvelling at the real world’s ‘draw distance’, wishing virtual technologies would catch up.