PSVR 2: F1 23 loses the duel against GT7 before it even started
Gran Turismo 7 is a top selling point for the PSVR 2, so why are EA and Codemasters missing the chance to follow it up with F1 23?
F1 23 is not coming to Playstation VR 2, only to PC VR headsets. I already had this suspicion after reading the announcement, which pretty much didn't mention the VR port at all. But now it has been confirmed. With F1 22, the VR exclusivity for PC was a logical decision, so that gamers wouldn't have to live with half-hearted ports for technically weaker platforms. GRID Legends for Quest 2 was a real deterrent.
But the VR landscape is changing. Even if PSVR 2 sales don't turn out as Sony had hoped, the system is currently the most elegant way to experience graphically complex VR games. In my circle of friends, at least, Gran Turismo 7 was the title that made the most flat gamers consider buying a VR headset.
Why not for PSVR 2?
It may not be representative, but the VR bubble is also very interested in our articles about racing games. So why doesn't F1 23 make the leap to PSVR 2? Both brands target technically interested and demanding gamers.
The hardware seems like the ideal platform for a smooth implementation, even though F1 22 suffered from performance issues on PC in some places like the pit lane. But with enough fine-tuning, Sony's standardised hardware and dynamic foveated rendering could easily compensate for the GPU's performance disadvantages.
In particular, the slightly arcade-like approach of the series fits the PSVR 2 like a glove. While sim fans on the PC tend to go for titles like Automobilista or Assetto Corsa Competizione, F1 23 could appeal to fans of classic racing games.
This could be the audience that has had enough of the dominant open-world formula on flat screens and, after many hours of Gran Turismo 7, is looking for another classic racing experience on their new VR headset.
If done right, they could get all the things that make the genre so exciting: mastering braking points, going above and beyond, and hanging out with friends online. Only this time they'll be in the cockpit themselves.
F1 23 could cater to fans of GT7
The new safety rating system should also please GT7 fans spoiled by its sports mode. This should encourage clean driving even in offline races. The presentation of the game, with its cinematic story mode, is better suited to console than PC anyway.
Even the timing in the summer doldrums would have been perfect. After all, fans of big VR games are in for a long dry spell. The VR release list is unlikely to fill up again until the holiday season and the launch of the Quest 3. Sony went into overdrive with (upgraded) ports at the launch of PSVR 2, but since then the reinforcements have dried up - especially in the racing genre.
My appeal to Codemasters and EA is to reconsider their current rejection of Playstation VR 2. There is still time to make a worthy implementation. The platform and the newly won VR racing fans would surely deserve it!
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