If you’re looking to jump into either Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) or Resident Evil Village (2021) on a PC VR headset, you’ll need a mod to get your kicks. Now modder ‘Praydog’, who has developed a number of unofficial RE mods, says a new controller update is coming to both games soon which will bring full 6DOF support, which means you’ll soon be able to take on the universe’s myriad of wicked creatures mano a mano.
Praydog has released unofficial VR support for RE2, RE3, RE7 and RE Village (aka RE8), however neither of Capcom’s latest feature full motion controls.
According to Eurogamer’s Ian Higton, who went hands-on with the mod on both Resident Evil Village, the new motion control support lets you shoot, manage a shoulder holster-style inventory, block by holding your hands in front of your face, and heal yourself by pouring medicine on your hands—many of the things you’d consider smart features for even VR-native games.
Some scripted movements, like falling through a floor or placing a baby in a cradle, are decidedly less immersive, although they’re likely impossible to avoid since the game relies heavily on forced camera changes during specific action sequences. Check out some gameplay from Higton’s video below:
Higton says along with 6DOF support, the addition of the full body inverse kinematics (IK) models “ups the immersion dramatically and it makes some of the more hectic battles in Village feel nail-bitingly realistic.”
Village also looks absolutely incredible in VR. The highly detailed environments were a joy to explore and some of the distant views across the village at the mountain ranges beyond it legitimately took my breath away. One of the most impressive things about playing Resident Evil Village in VR though, is finally being able to understand the true scale of some of the enemies. Lady Dimitrescu in particular feels way more imposing in VR compared to in flat and it turns out I had completely underestimated how much she towered over her daughters.
The motion controller updates are slated to arrive at some point this month. You’ll find them over at Github for free, however Praydog also runs a Patreon for users who want to support their work.
Of course, there are some official VR versions out there if you want to get your bio-mutant-slaying fix. On Quest 2 you can play Resident Evil 4, which was reworked from the ground-up by Armature Studio and Oculus to offer higher-res textures and VR-native touches of immersion. There’s also Resident Evil 7 on PSVR, although it admittedly doesn’t feature full body IK that Praydog’s PC VR mod does.