E3 2018 Roundup – Sony’s Positioning of VR, New PSVR Titles Hands-on, Ready at Dawn Interview & More

Jun 17, 2018

Following the wave of pre-show announcements and conferences, here’s a final roundup of all our E3 2018 coverage. Vive Wireless Adapter news, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot platforms clarified, Ready at Dawn interview, and we go hands-on with Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Trover Saves the Universe, Blood & Truth, Megalith, Beat Saber, and Firewall: Zero Hour.

Hands-on With Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Featuring the cute bots first seen in The Playroom (2013), Sony Japan Studio’s upcoming platformer Astro Bot Rescue Mission uses similar controls and gameplay mechanics as any other 3D platformer, but it has been created from the ground up with VR in mind. Our hands-on time at E3 2018 left us impressed and wanting more; the title launches exclusively on PSVR in the Fall. The game is one of many PSVR titles shown at Sony’s E3 booth.

HTC’s official Wireless Adapter for the Vive was first announced earlier this year, and made an appearance at the DisplayLink booth at E3 2018. An HTC spokesperson confirmed that the device was on track for a late summer launch. They also said that up to three Wireless Adapters could used in the same space without interference, with an ideal range of up to six meters from the transmitter.

Announced at Sony’s main E3 2018 showcase, Trover Saves the Universe is an action platformer presented with the unique comedic style of Justin Roiland, creator of Rick and Morty. Our hands-on time revealed a game with more ‘serious’ platforming than you might imagine, and plenty of fourth-wall breaking gags along the way.

This standalone VR experience initially revealed at the early Bethesda E3 2018 showcase has now been confirmed to launch on PSVR and HTC Vive sometime in 2019. The game takes place two decades after the events of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017); you can check out the new trailer here.

Following Microsoft’s more traditional (and VR-free) E3 presentation, Sony’s event got off to an unusual start, switching venues and generally avoiding the ‘on stage’ style of delivery. But perhaps more surprising was the distinct lack of PSVR information within the main showcase. Aside from Trover Saves the Universe and a brief montage, the focus was entirely on non-VR, blockbuster titles. In this article we consider the significance of this decision.

VR action shooter Blood & Truth left a great first impression when we tried the game in October, so we were keen to take an updated look at E3 this year. Fleshed out from the ‘London Heist’ experience in PlayStation VR Worlds (2016), Sony’s London Studio has been given more time to fully realise their vision. The new demo also impressed, and introduced a new ‘bullet time’ mechanic.

Launching as a timed exclusive on PSVR later this year, Megalith is a first-person arena brawler employing many familiar mechanics of popular MOBAs like Dota 2 (2013) and League of Legends (2009), with different heroes to choose from, each with unique abilities. Our hands-on left us keen to see the final game, as it has potential to deliver fun co-op brawling. The demo featured free locomotion plus ‘snap turn’, with other options being investigated.

We’ve enjoyed many hours of Beat Saber on PC VR systems via the game’s Early Access program on the Steam and Oculus stores, but this was our first try with the PlayStation VR version, which is set to launch later this year. This fast-paced VR rhythm game naturally benefits from motion control tracking accuracy, and we were pleased to find that the Move controllers were largely up to the task, but players will want to make sure their tracking setup is set up perfectly to avoid frustration.

image courtesy First Contact Entertainment

This four-vs-four, objective-based shooter from First Contact Entertainment is shaping up well, delivering team-based multiplayer action similar to series such as Counter-Strike and Rainbow Six, but in an immersive style (particularly when played with the Aim controller) that PSVR users have been waiting for. The game is due to arrive some time in 2018.

We caught up with Ready at Dawn CEO Ru Weerasuriya on the E3 show floor to talk about the upcoming Echo Combat open beta, and the studio’s commitment to the medium. By the time the game launches, Weerasuriya says they intend to add “more functionality, potentially more modes, but more ways to play.” He said that the studio was “currently exploring a lot of ideas” to move the VR medium forward in the long term.