How Arizona Sunshine 2 brings its arsenal and Buddy the dog to life with PS VR2, out Dec 7

blog.playstation.com:

Everyone has imagined what they would do if a zombie apocalypse were to occur once or twice. What choices would we make? How would we combat the undead? Is there room to bring our dog? Well, PlayStation VR2 adventure-shooter Arizona Sunshine 2 answers these questions and more with over-the-top wit.

This upcoming sequel by Vertigo Games ups the ante set in the original by giving players more freedom, immersion, and a canine companion who is set to steal the show and players’ hearts. All these elements take advantage of PS VR2’s advanced haptics, 3D audio capabilities, and eye-tracking technology to bring the zombie experience to life.

We spoke with Trevor Blom, technical director at Vertigo Games, and learned the extent of PS VR2’s immersive enhancements, the importance of Buddy the dog’s role in the game, and more.

Can you pet Buddy the dog, and how does it feel?

Blom: [Interacting with] Buddy is a game in itself. The amount of effort that went into creating the dog was insane. It was huge. And he was a core part of this installment of the game from the start.

[We took a lot of care in enhancing haptics and on guns and interactions] so we also wanted to do it on Buddy. If you if you pet Buddy, give him a ball, or you throw an item with him to play fetch, you will notice those haptics are improved from what you’re used to.

We wanted it to feel like you obtained a [reward] for petting him or playing with him, and we can do that with the new high and low-frequency curves we can achieve with the PS VR2’s haptics. Whereas, if you’re just giving him a ball, you feel this low rumble. But then Buddy gets happy, then the rumble increases until the climax of the rumble. It’s the same with petting, which changes depending on