Switchback VR Preview – Trying not to blink in this PSVR 2 horror coaster

thesixthaxis.com:

The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR looks to do for Supermassive’s anthology horror game series what Rush of Blood did for Until Dawn. Here’s a VR-exclusive roller coaster ride of a rail shooter, that takes plenty of inspiration from Supermassive’s more traditional narrative horror games for fodder to shoot at. But can it be more than a fun little aside?

In some way Switchback VR is pioneering an avenue that more VR games could explore going forward, thanks in large part to the eye-tracking built into every PSVR 2 headset. We’ve seen this used in other launch window games for things like menu selection, foveated rendering, giving gentle hints for what’s interactive in a game world and what isn’t, and Before Your Eyes’ blink tracking.

Switchback VR can pull a similar trick, putting it to far more devious uses. In a literal blink of an eye the scene in front of you can transform, mannequin enemies shifting around, getting closer, moving like it’s a playground game of What’s the time, Mr Wolf? to get closer to you… and then suddenly being right there and slashing away at you in your roller coaster car. It’s every bit the Doctor Who homage it sounds like but played in a slightly more campy, pantomime kind of way.

Then there’s the bonafide eye-tracking, as broken mannequins move slowly toward you whenever you’re not directly looking at them to fix them in place. It’s a smidgeon creepier to see things moving in your periphery?

It’s all a fascinating avenue for VR to keep exploring, adding even more potential nuance to how games can be scripted around what you’re looking at. Given how easy it can be to just be looking in the wrong direction, they could start by ensuring that you don’t miss out on the big flashy explosion that someone