This stunning new VR demo brings out the best in Playstation VR 2
The visually stunning diving sim Subside is coming to Playstation VR 2 in a few days' time, and we took a look at the free demo available now.
Do you have a Playstation VR 2 and want to see what it can do graphically? Then Subside is for you. And using it with a Playstation 5 Pro, the VR game will look even better thanks to the PS5 Pro optimizations.
I tried Subside yesterday on a standard PS5 and was impressed with the demo in more ways than one.
Subside is a VR game that simulates shallow water swimming and diving, and its appeal comes from exploring a realistically rendered underwater world. Does it also have gameplay elements? You can learn more about this and more in the sections below.
A wonderfully immersive swimming experience
In the demo, you can explore a small training area. The swimming and diving immediately feels so natural that you don't really need a tutorial. You just move your arms and hands as you would in real water. This is where motion controls really come into their own.
I particularly liked the turning, which is also done with arm movements. It's a movement mechanic I've never experienced in VR in this particular way, and I found it both immersive and unproblematic from a motion sickness standpoint (I usually can't tolerate smooth turning at all).
You can also grab onto, pull along, and push away from solid objects like rocks or pieces of wood, a method of locomotion familiar from zero-gravity VR games like Lone Echo.
If any of this makes you feel a little queasy, you can use Snap Turn or teleport yourself through the environment.
Subside provides a wonderfully immersive and relaxing swimming and diving experience that works well even in confined spaces such as pipes and under rocks. It should be noted, however, that Subside only simulates free diving, at least in the demo, and you will have to surface again after a while to catch your breath. The need for oxygen is simulated by an audible heartbeat and a whistling sound in your ears, which is nicely done.
Subside is technically brilliant
Subside is a feast for the senses. From realistic diving and underwater sounds to lifelike flora and fauna, dynamic water simulation, and beautiful light reflections. What I'm still missing is the realistic swirling of sand when you touch the ocean floor. Currently, the bottom of the sea is static.
The VR sim uses the Playstation VR 2's foveated rendering to achieve a high resolution and 90 Hz frame rate without relying on Sony's controversial reprojection rendering. The result is a smooth, crisp and artifact-free VR experience. The PS5 Pro version additionally offers dynamic shadows, an edge-blur effect, and a slightly higher resolution when using foveated rendering.
Pro version has dynamic shadows, the edge blur effect and higher dynamic foveated resolution increase (2.5x Pro vs 2.25x Base), both versions run at 90hz with no reprojection
- Khena B (@Khena_B) December 13, 2024
In addition to the visual delights of the diving simulation, there are also some gameplay elements in the demo. You can find gold coins to buy better equipment with, as well as storage media that unlock new areas (only available in the full version).
However, exploring and discovering the secrets of the underwater world is rewarding enough. I saw realistically rendered fish species and shoals of various sizes, a baby shark, seaweed, rocks, shells, and a car wreck. I have recorded about 10 minutes of my Subside demo experience to give you an impression of the game (see above).
You can download the Subside demo from the Playstation Store. The full version will be released on December 20, 2024.
Subside is already available on Steam for PC VR headsets. You can also try out a demo there.
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