Shooting in VR Is the Real Next Generation Experience

howtogeek.com:

The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X represent the next generation (well, the current generation if we’re being pedantic), but first-person shooters offer pretty much the same experience as they always have. In VR, things couldn’t be more different.

When you play an FPS on a console or PC, there’s a disconnect between your in-game character and you. Your role is essential to point the reticule at a target and tell your character when to fire. From that point on your character generally makes sure your rounds land on target. Other aspects of handling your firearm, such as reloading or holstering are all automated in the world of flat screen shooters. There’s nothing about shooting in an FPS that’s anything like actually shooting. It’s essentially a skin for a very different activity.

That’s not to say some developers haven’t tried. Realistic simulation titles such as the ARMA series try to do the best they can with a flat-screen, a mouse, and a keyboard. Still, it doesn’t quite hold together as an experience.

Flat-screen shooters all involve lining up pixels on a 2D plane, whereas shooting is something that happens in 3D space. No matter how powerful your GPU or sophisticated your CPU simulation, there’s a hard limit to how shooting can be represented on a flat monitor or TV.

Shooting in VR games, whether it’s towards the simulator or arcade end of the spectrum, feels like an entirely different type of game than traditional shooters on a console or PC. The weapon is now a 3D object, rather than what’s essentially a picture overlaid in your viewport. It requires something much closer to actual marksmanship to aim at a target and actually hit it.

Aiming down your sights and hitting your target feels far more rewarding in VR than