Titanic VR on Quest 3 delivers a deeply immersive experience
Titanic VR lets you explore the wreckage of the legendary ship. Is it worth the dive on Meta Quest 3?
Titanic VR was originally released in 2018 for PC VR headsets and the first Playstation VR. Now, for the first time, the VR game is available on a standalone VR headset.
Is Titanic VR on Meta Quest 3 and 3S still as fascinating as the almost seven-year-old original? And how does the game run and look on the standalone system?
I played Titanic VR for about 90 minutes on my Quest 3 and share my impressions with you.
As immersive as ever
The port currently offers two game modes: a free exploration of the separated bow and stern, and a story mode, in which the step-by-step exploration of the wreck is embedded in a narrative and mission. I highly recommend starting with the story mode.
Here, you take on the role of a deep-sea explorer and researcher who repeatedly dives to the wreck in a submarine. Your first client is the wealthy descendant of a victim who wants to salvage her great-grandfather's personal belongings from the Titanic.
The underwater controls and navigation are well-thought-out. After a few minutes, you forget about all the VR technology you are wearing and feel completely immersed in the experience. The narrowness of the submarine and the view from the porthole add to the immersion. Being at a depth of 12,500 feet and suddenly seeing the bow of the ship emerge from the darkness: That is and remains a goosebump moment.
To explore the inside of the wreck and recover artifacts, you can use a remotely operated underwater robot equipped with a camera and grippers. To control it, you put on a VR headset: You can then see the world from the robot's perspective, move freely in the water, and interact with objects.
Decent graphics, great atmosphere
The Quest version may not match the PC VR version graphically, but it holds its own. The submarine's headlights realistically illuminate the dark sea and wreck, casting dynamic shadows on the ship. With the eyes of the underwater robots, you can see particles floating in the water, as well as the fish and crabs for which the Titanic has become a natural habitat.
Although I would have liked a little more detailed geometry, 3D models and textures here and there: Titanic VR delivers graphically and atmospherically.
Speaking of atmosphere, here's a little tip: When you're in the submarine, you can turn off the large spotlights and activate the 360-degree view. This makes the experience even more immersive. And don't forget to turn on the Quest 3's automatic display dimming. It will make scenes in particularly dark areas a bit more realistic.
Conclusion: A successful port of a signature PC VR experience
After a dive, it's off to the lab to clean and examine the recovered artifacts and upgrade the underwater robot. These sections show more of their age in terms of interaction and design, but they provide meaningful breaks and variety between dive missions.
A lot has happened in seven years of VR game development. That's why I'm surprised how well Titanic VR still works without being updated in terms of content and technology.
Although the VR game launched in early access, the Quest version is technically solid. The frame rate of 72 fps was largely stable during the 90 minutes I played, without resorting to rendering tricks like Asynchronous Spacewarp. I even see potential to increase the frame rate or resolution with the Quest Game Optimizer.
An update coming later this year will take you back to 1912 and relive the sinking of the Titanic from the perspective of Lifeboat 6. This short but intense VR experience is part of the PC VR version, but did not make it into the Quest version in time. The same goes for the Wreck Tour, which is also in development and will be added in an update later this year.
You can buy Titanic VR in the Horizon Store. The price is $15. It only supports Meta Quest 3 and 3S.
Have you tried Titanic VR yet? Join the conversation on Facebook, Bluesky or X or share your opinion in the comments below.
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