As a former "Fallout 4 junkie", I spent several nights after the release exploring the wasteland until 03:00. Mind you, even when the office was calling again the next morning. So my question is: can I do the same with the HTC Vive in virtual reality?
As one of the first people to have an HTC Vive at home, I was particularly pleased when I heard that Bethesda would be releasing a VR version of this game. What I've always missed until now are really big AAA titles on this platform.
The wasteland in virtual reality
The game has been completely adapted for VR. So it's basically not an original VR title, but something more like a well-made port.
Movement real vs. virtual
The menu with the statistics, quests and inventory is completely solved via the Pip-Boy - the iconic arm computer. I find this type of implementation extremely funny, as it means I'm not taken out of the game. All I have to do to call up the Pip-Boy is raise my arm and effectively look at it - brilliant! However, operating the Pip-Boy itself takes a bit of getting used to, as I have to use the trackpad to do this.
...if it weren't for the annoying cable on the Vive
I came into contact with the gaming world early on. Growing up with Gameboy, SNES and Star Wars tapes, Luke, Link and Ark (I still lose my senses from them... #insiderjoke) were my heroes. Later I was influenced by more "western" titles like Baldur's Gate or Gothic, until I finally discovered Halo and Call of Duty. The Duron 700 MHz CPU was given to me as a birthday present, until I wasted it due to lack of knowledge and overclock craze. Meanwhile I have also played on some small to very big stages in Switzerland, because I discovered a second big passion with music.Â
The intro immediately brought back the old "Fallout" feeling. After that, the character creation begins. This isn't as extensive as the PC version, but you can't see your own character anyway, so I don't really care. The first thing I notice is that I don't seem to be affected by motion sickness in any way. I can use the controls in free movement with the left pad, set the speed to the highest level and don't need any other aids. Alternatively, you can activate a teleport function, which in my opinion disturbs the immersion.
Admittedly, I only lasted 45 minutes on my first attempt. There are many reasons for this. On the one hand, I was no longer used to VR and on the other, the experience was repeatedly marred by micro-stutters. I swapped my GTX-1070 for a GTX-1080Ti, which fortunately solved the problem. Unfortunately, the graphics are practically impossible to customise. After a certain amount of familiarisation, however, the washed-out textures no longer bothered me so much. I can now manage two hours in the wasteland, after which it becomes too tedious for me, as I spend most of my time standing and moving primarily with my head and arms.
As I've already played through the original version of "Fallout 4", a lot of the game immediately feels familiar and recognisable. On the one hand, this is nice (reuniting with Piper in VR), but on the other, it also means that my patience is no longer as great. Listening to longer dialogues can be quite exhausting, as you are effectively standing in front of the respective characters. Kind of like small talk at cocktail parties. Details in the environment suddenly take on a different meaning due to the newfound closeness. The many mannequins look really creepy and the radioactive thunderstorms also make me shiver in places.
My cat also found it exciting.
I'm either one of the lucky ones who really don't have any problems with the virtual world, or the developers have actually managed to make the controls comfortable. I can determine the direction in which I want to go in the game and at the same time make incremental turning movements, as I have already seen in "Resident Evil 7". Unfortunately, when interacting with the environment, you can sometimes tell that the game was not originally developed for the virtual world. Containers such as a fridge, for example, cannot be opened by hand. I have to point at it with my hand and press a button, after which a list of the contents is displayed, just like in the PC version.
The Pip-Boy fits perfectly in VR.
The combat situations are particularly appealing. On the one hand, you can aim your weapons using the rear sight and front sight, but you can also (or if necessary) keep enemies at bay by hitting them with your weapons. This was the case for me when I was ambushed by ghouls. A situation like this takes on a completely different drama virtually. The VATS targeting system has been adjusted a little so that you can perform more attacks in slow motion right from the start. This makes more sense in VR and is also more fun.
So far, the cable on the HTC Vive hasn't bothered me in the short VR experiences. With "Fallout 4 VR", however, the situation suddenly changed. As soon as I felt comfortable and safe in the virtual world, the stupid cable got in the way and disturbed my immersion. Fortunately, the TPCast wireless adapter promises to remedy the situation. The installation wasn't as easy as I had imagined, but since the thing has been up and running, I can't complain. Everything fits together and I can finally move around freely. After a brief collision with a shelf, however, I realise again that I'm in a virtual world and the real environment remains.
My attempt to stay up late in the virtual wasteland failed. Nevertheless, I was hugely impressed by "Fallout 4 VR". After upgrading my setup with a new graphics card and the TPCast, it's a lot of fun. I don't think I'll last much longer than two hours at a time, but I don't really need to. The game has shown me that it really is possible to turn a world as big as that of "Fallout 4" into a virtual one. Personally, I'm still convinced that VR is the future and with "Fallout 4 VR" we've come a big step closer to that.
