Hands-on: Playstation VR 2's new Soca Valley experience is a visual feast
Soča Valley is a stunning showcase of PSVR 2's graphical capabilities. Here are my hands-on impressions.
Soča Valley is the first paid DLC for Kayak VR: Mirage and was released this week. The kayaking simulation is available for Playstation VR 2 and PC VR and is known for its visual and physical realism.
When the developers claimed that the Soča Valley was the largest and most graphically impressive environment in the game to date, I wanted to see for myself and got into the virtual kayak with Playstation VR 2.
I started in the village and chose the tour mode, which allows you to float down the river without having to paddle. This allowed me to fully concentrate on enjoying the digital recreation of the famous Slovenian valley.
A sight to behold
I have seen many photogrammetric landscapes in VR, and Soča Valley can compete with the best examples and even surpasses them in terms of size and scale. I was in tour mode for half an hour before I reached the end. Those who paddle should only need a quarter of an hour.
Having never visited the valley myself, I can't say how much creative license the studio took. But what I did see was the most impressive contiguous VR landscape I have ever seen.
The green water, the imposing cliffs and mountain views, and the wildlife (fish, birds, bears, eagles, dragonflies) all come into their own with Playstation VR 2. Light and dark areas alternate, which looks great thanks to the bright OLED displays and HDR support.
Short whitewater spectacle
Soča Valley is the first environment with a whitewater section, and the studio had to program a new water system for it. The effort was worth it: the whitewater section is a captivating experience, both physically and visually. I was tempted to hold on to my virtual kayak and hold my breath before going down a waterfall. The water simulation with its waves, currents and cascades is a feast for the eyes.
The whitewater section is unfortunately only a few minutes long compared to the calm passages, but the studio is considering releasing more environments with whitewater in the future. Soča Valley also features a night mode, although this is marred by a pronounced mura effect on the Playstation VR 2.
As impressive as the new environment is, there are graphical glitches here and there. For example, I saw a fish swimming through a rock and a flock of birds shining through a rock. A more noticeable visual shortcoming are textures and models, whose level of detail visibly changes as you get closer.
I can't say whether Kayak VR: Mirage will appeal beyond the graphics and keep you hooked. The basic game includes four environments and single-player races, and a multiplayer mode may be added in the future.
Kayak VR: Mirage and Soča Valley can be purchased on the Playstation Store and on Steam.
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