Bethesda -- showed off VR titles for the first time. Doom VR, Skyrim VR, Fallout VR. All of them look like they could be solid experiences, but ports of old games don't really convince me that they are dedicated to VR as a platform. To them it's just a way to make some extra bucks using old games. Still, I am interested to see what people think of Skyrim VR. It's one of only a few games that promises a 10-30+ hour experience in a total VR environment. Given that Bethesda has had performance issues in Fallout and Skyrim, I am moderately concerned that they will be able to deliver the 60-120 FPS performance that VR demands.
Ubisoft -- last year they showed up with Werewolves Within, Star Trek, and Eagle Flight......all of which were pretty striking efforts that looked like they were internally developed. This year we just got some weird vanity project from Elijah Wood, where it seems that Ubisoft is more publisher than developer. They've been one of the premiere AAA publishers for VR content, so to see them scaling back is disheartening.
Sony -- still committed to VR, but the showing here was probably worse than last year. They still have some internally developed games, but they weren't showing off major 1st party or 3rd party IPs like they were last year (Call of Duty, Until Dawn, Batman, Star Wars). This makes it seem like VR interest amongst most major publishers is kinda dwindling. I appreciate that they are bringing games like SuperHot VR to PSVR, but I'd have a lot more faith if they weren't just scalping ports of projects that other companies funded. Gran Turismo Sport presumably still has a VR mode, yet they didn't talk about that at all in their conference. Why not? Maybe the reactions to Drive Club VR have kinda soured them on pushing VR car racing experiences.
Microsoft -- they flirted with the idea of an Oculus partnership last year, and explicitly mentioned VR in their Scorpio promotional video. This year it turns out they are taking a wait-and-see approach on VR. At a bare minimum, it will be at least 16-18 months before they release a headset......but likely much longer. Phil Spencer seems to think that wireless headsets are necessary, at the very least.
Overall, I think it's hard not to come out of the show a bit worried about where VR is or is not headed. Prior to the release of Oculus/Vive/PSVR, there was just this monumental faith that once people got their hands on VR it would change hearts and minds. But here we are 18-24 months later and not many hearts and minds have shifted. Goalposts have already been moved -- "Oh well VR needs to be cheaper and it needs to have wireless headsets!" But there already are cheaper wireless options (Gear VR) and those don't seem to be turning a lot of heads either.
I'm not really convinced that the current audience of VR enthusiasts can sustain software developers until the hardware is mature enough to appeal to a wide audience (if such a thing is even going to happen). It seems like this technology might just need another 10-20 years of development, during which time developers may just give up on VR titles.
PSVR have had a great showing at this E3.
Bethesda - Skyrim VR announcement is huge for many in VR community. They are also making Doom VFR, which is a new game by the way. If Skyrim VR and Fallout 4 VR are successful, and I believe that they will be, I expect all Bethesda open world RPGs to have VR mode from this point forward. Overall, it was a very strong showing for VR from Bethesda.
Ubisoft - They announced two games. Last year, they had 3, so I suppose that they scaled back a little. Granted, they just released Star Trek Bridge Crew, so perhaps, they are holding their VR announcements until Gamescom to get Star Trek room to breathe.
EA - EA was really never bullish on VR. As far as I know, Star Wars mission was the only VR content that they produced last year, and I suspect it was founded by Sony. They also announced a new division at their conference, which will focus on VR among other things. EA has been a very conservative company, so I am not surprised that they aren't all in on VR just yet.
Microsoft - You should watch Giant Bomb interview with Phil Spenser. Microsoft is still on VR train. It is just that they choose to focus on PC side of it for now. It makes no sense for them to put out a VR headset along with Xbox X launch because the instal base will be minuscule, so VR games development/porting for Xbox X will not be valuable for a while. VR is still coming to Xbox X though, after Xbox X gains sufficient install base.
Sony - Sony have had a very solid showing. They announced Inpatient and Bravo Team from Supermassive. Supermassive developed one of the best games for PSVR launch, so I am very excited for their two new titles. Moss has been getting a lot of praise from the press as well. Final Fantasy: Monsters of the Deep was surprisingly well received also. StarChild looks promising and comes from the team that made Lucky's Tale, which was well received by Oculus community. They also announced PSVR ports of Superhot and RawData, which are popular and well received Vive/Oculus titles. The have had a great showing.
Furthermore, PSVR has been doing pretty well. Farpoint has entered NPD top 20 this month. Many can't even buy Farpoint due to bundle being out of stock. Sony clearly underestimated the demand for it, which reminds me of PSVR situation early this year. We have Arizona Sunshine coming next week, which is another well received VR title. PSVR library is already very solid with titles like RE7, Rigs, Farpoint, Robinson: The Journey, Dirt Rally, EVE Valkyrie, Moral Blitz, Tethered, I Expect You to Die, Here They Lie, Psychonauts, Polybius, Thumper, REZ, Wayward Sky, Windlands, Statik, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, Wervolves Within, Eagle Flight, Bound, Batman Arkham VR, and Until Dawn.
