The Fallout 4 VR Experience

Fallout 4 VR will contain the entire core gameplay experience of the original, but reimagined to better suit virtual reality. Bethesda has released a short video showing how the title plays with applied power armor. In addition, the lead producer comments on VR porting.

In the video, Andrew Scharf talks about the adjustments the team had to make to the combat system to make the game VR-capable. The way V.A.T.S. functioned in Fallout 4 can be disorienting in VR as it would pull the camera away from players for a more dramatic angle.

To alleviate this problem, Bethesda has redesigned V.A.T.S. to make players feel in control at all times. “What we do instead is we slow down time and the player can teleport around or look around in real time,” said Scharf. “I keep saying it’s like you’re Quicksilver from X-Men.” The freedom of gaze is not restricted.

Additionally, V.A.T.S. in Fallout 4 VR now requires you to point at an enemy’s specific body part instead of scrolling through menus. In a way, this new system forces you to be on your toes at all times.

Bethesda is also implementing a few changes on the power armor. If you slip into the steel exoskeleton in the VR version, you will have the feeling of wearing a helmet and see the instrument panel in front of you. This feels more realistic and immersive than in the original game.

Still room for improvement

At E3 in June, beside the poor VR porting, among the critics was also the graphics, which looked stale under the VR glasses and pixelated, as well as the complicated handling of the Pip-Boy and the movement, which could become a problem in such a large playing world.

It is still unclear whether Fallout 4 VR also appears for Oculus Rift. The fact that Bethesda keeps silence about this could be due to the legal disputes between the two companies. The company said in the past that it would support as many platforms as possible.

The most likely scenario is that Fallout 4 VR appears on Steam with Oculus Rift support, but not in the Oculus Store.

Gamers don’t have to wait too long as Fallout 4 VR launches for the HTC Vive on December 12. For those who can’t get enough of Bethesda’s games, DOOM VFR has a launch date of December 1, 2017 for PlayStation VR and HTC VIVE, and Skyrim VR will come out on November 17 for PlayStation VR.