PS4 Skyrim VR – (PS4)

Since its debut in 2011, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been an amazing success. It’s seen three huge expansions, repackaged as a complete Legendary Edition, released on the newest generation of consoles in a remastered Special Edition, and most recently, its port to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation VR. When I first saw the PSVR version announced, I was immensely excited.

However, I didn’t have a Psvr, let alone thinking about buying Skyrim!
Yes, Skyrim was one of the main reasons I got myself a Psvr. And an excellent bundle in the black friday sale.

For a game that wasn’t originally designed for VR, Skyrim is nothing short of impressive. This really is the Skyrim that you know and love, but now you can enjoy it like never before with the immersive presence of a VR headset.

Much like the new Switch version, which came out on the same day, this is essentially the same game as was released six years ago but with all the DLC included from the start. And no matter what the compromises and problems involved were in making it work that is an incredible achievement.

Funny how some games have incredible staying power. Tetris has been coded for virtually every gaming device since the 1980’s. Whilst something like Doom has been able to run on everything from smart watches to microwaves.

Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, is one of the latest additions to the canon of games ported as widely as possible for years after their initial relevance. The 2011 open-world role-playing game set the modern standard for the genre, earning rave reviews across the board. Players could be any sort of hero they wanted, and explore the massive fantasy region in any way they wanted, allowing for nearly infinite replayability.

Although I completed the main story on the Xbox 360 many years ago, I only played the game for around 160hrs give or take, compared to hundreds of hours other players have done. I also purchased the Legendary Edition and then the Special Edition on the Ps4, that of which I played mods, for a number of hours as well.
Going into Skyrim VR I was concerned that it was going to be another port, but I’m happy to say that I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Skyrim VR is not a simplified version of Skyrim. It’s not a version of the game that’s been sliced and cut for virtual reality. It is Skyrim in all of its glory.

And soon after putting on the headset, there I was again, in the back of the wagon, bound for my own execution…

It was a pretty cool moment, I have to admit I got a little giddy. Straight away I was amazed on how much depth there was.
I mean, this opening portion is largely on rails sure, and the real test would come later, but the opening of the game blew me away!

Bethesda has added a lot of customization options to the comfort settings. Players can change how much of a vignette comes in when moving or turning, change the rotation angles for turning, and make the snap either instant or gradual. If you’ve followed VR, then you know that increasing the comfort settings will lower the sense of immersion. Finding the lowest comfort settings that you can stand is the best way get everything the experience has to offer in VR while not getting sick. Opting for sliders instead of toggles, Bethesda allows players a lot of control over their own experience and comfort in Skyrim VR.

Thankfully even though this my first foray into VR, not once have I suffered from any kind of motion sickness.

There are two ways to play Skyrim VR: with the DualShock 4 controller or the PlayStation Move controllers.
The move controllers, I haven’t had the chance to play with yet, but the Dualshock however was perfect.

Skyrim VR makes the 6-year-old game feel fresh again. It may have taken a graphical hit compared to some of the more recent re-releases of the original, but the appreciation of scale more than makes up for it.

Graphically, the game is a lot closer to its original 360/PS3 version than the newer remastered editions, which’s a shame, but that’s simply due to the limitations of rendering in PSVR. It’s sure to bother some, but for those who can allow themselves to get immersed in virtual reality despite graphical quality, I found it easy enough to lose myself in the world and largely forget about the flat textures that cover many of the surfaces. Keep in mind that I was playing on a standard PS4, too. It’s possible that the Pro does a better job at handling the rendering of a massive open world in virtual reality.

In 2011 Skyrim was a technical marvel — one of the largest and most open worlds that many players had ever explored. On the one hand, the extra degree of immersive intimacy afforded by VR is put to excellent use here. Gazing across sweeping, mountain vistas, or up at an angry giant, looming directly overhead, has an extra, visceral punch here above and beyond what the base game can achieve. Skyrim has always been defined by its scale, and in that regard VR is a natural and obvious way to enhance that basic appeal.

The menus remind me slightly of minority report popping up in front of you which I found cool.
Even sitting in the three-dimensional starscape of the skills menu is a stunning experience that could have just as easily been left a dull two-dimensional screen.

Transition from 2D to virtual reality is amazing. I normally play my games on a 49″ Samsung, but it doesn’t matter how big your tv is, and whether or not it’s full hd, or 4K with all the bells and whistles, at the end of the day, you’re still a spectator. Similar to when you watch a movie or at the theatre, you’re an observer. But VR takes you into that game. You are in that world, and that’s where Skyrim VR succeeds! The depth and immersion can only be experienced for oneself to fully understand and appreciate.

With virtual reality, when you’re in motion, you’re experiencing the world all around you, it’s a sensation unlike any other.

When you’re walking through a forest, taking in the sights in front of you, you can stop and turn your head. You won’t see your couch behind you when you do this. Instead, you’ll see the path you just walked.

Look up, down, anywhere at all, and the game is all around you. You are inside of that world. For a huge Skyrim fan like myself, it’s a wish come true. I remember climbing The Seven Thousand Steps to High Hrothgar when I first played Skyrim, but doing it in VR felt like an arduous journey, and one that I remember more clearly and in so much more detail than any of my time playing the game outside of VR.

You can almost feel the snow hitting your face when you climb the highest mountains.
Spiders hold a lot more terror when they are coming at you. Campfires feel warm and comforting.
Most impressive, perhaps, is the presence of a dragon flying over your head, or slamming into the ground in front of you.

Play with headphones, and you’ll have the full experience. Sound has incredible depth in Skyrim VR. Spells roar with a voracious power that makes them feel like true destructive forces. Wonderful orchestral pieces add amazing soundscapes to your exploration, and the sound of enemies approaching in a dark dungeon makes your blood run cold.

Playing Skyrim VR showed me the future of virtual reality, and It’s ignited my love for PlayStation VR.
Make no mistake — Bringing Skyrim to the PSVR is an impressive feat, especially given the age of the game and the technical constraints of the platform.

It’s still hard to comprehend that Skyrim, a game from 2011 not originally designed for virtual reality, is now PlayStation VR’s killer app. Marrying these two ideas seemed like an impossible feat, and I don’t know how, but Bethesda pulled it off. 

Skyrim VR is anything but a simple port to virtual reality. It is lovingly crafted with care and attention to make one of the biggest and most memorable VR experiences since the platform first launched. Skyrim VR isn’t just a must-experience for PSVR owners; it’s a reason to buy the headset.

Pros:
The whole game is fully playable in VR, which includes all the dlc, Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn.
Despite the games problems, the sense of immersion is incredibly impressive. Skyrim itself is as good, if not better, than ever.

Cons:
Low res graphics and blurry visuals.
Bugs and glitches.

5/5

My grandson said the game glitches. Characters move into walls and vr hands are disembodied.

Skyrim is an entertaining game where you get to be the awesome hero I’ve played it twice ( the non-version)
then I started to see people play Skyrim VR and I instantly wanted to try it, I love it, and it’s much cheaper than the version you can buy on the Play Station game store.

Skyrim has always been a great game, but yesterday I got to experience it in Virtual Reality for the first time, and I am beyond impressed!

What can I say? It’s skyrim in vr. An already perfect and legendary game, but in vr, the interface is neat, I mean it’s not an oculus but hey it’s still skyrim vr.

Works great on ps4. A virtual reality game, very entertaining. Amazing….

I played this game when it first came out, and when I saw it was remastered for PlayStation VR I knew I had to get it. I am not disappointed it is a wonderful game and the VR experience is amazing.