PlayStation VR at Fan Expo Canada

As I was making my list of things to see and do at Fan Expo, I knew I had to try out PlayStation VR. PlayStation has their own Virtual Reality gear that connects with the PlayStation 4, which I just so happen to have. I have read a lot about Virtual Reality and even played some VR games at a local business in my hometown, but what makes me most interested about VR is the Star Wars connection.

On Star Wars: Battlefront, with the VR gear for PlayStation 4 gamers have an option to play some levels in virtual reality. You can sit in and feel like you are piloting an X Wing fighter on the attack of the Death Star. The only problem is that in addition to owning a PS4, you also need to pay for the VR headset, headphones and all the other odd and ends, which is quite expensive. Before I spend the money to buy the VR components, I wanted to try the experience out.

PlayStation had this very popular section of the convention floor well organized. To book a playing time, I needed to download their app and then chose a slot. Within a couple of minutes, I had secured a time for the afternoon, and I could enjoy the rest of my day. I much preferred this method to waiting in a long line with no end in sight.

When I returned, my virtual pass was scanned and I was sitting in a chair, waiting for my VR headset to be placed on my head so that I could dive into another world. The game I chose was Bravo Zero. Even though there were thousands of people around me, the moment the game queued up, I was on a bridge in the middle of a war zone. I couldn’t believe how clear and realistic the scene I was in. I felt like I was physically transported out of Toronto and landed in the middle of a battle zone.

I was a soldier trying to make my way across a bridge infested with the enemy. In the cooperative mode, I made my way across the bridge taking cover from enemy fire, and then as my partner was dying, I rushed back to save him, only to have our game time expire. I had fifteen minutes of pure escape and it was glorious.

This leads me to why VR games are a change that is good for gaming. VR is an affordable option for gamers. Ever since I was a small boy, I always wanted to pilot an x wing fighter on the attack of the Death Star. Thanks to PS4 and PlayStation Virtual Reality (PSVR) this is a possibility and not a dream. I own Star Wars: Battlefront, now all I need to do is buy the PSVR gear.

But virtual reality gaming is also coming to Disney Springs in Walt Disney World. I have no doubt that the new Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire will be a phenomenal hit. From a company called The Void, this fully immersive movable VR experience will allow guests to actively move about in a virtual Star Wars world. The PSVR experience is from a seated position, and that was fantastic. I can’t imagine how thrilling it will be to interact with and walk around in the Star Wars world through the upcoming experience.

Bill Gowsell
Bill Gowsell has loved all things Disney since his first family trip to Walt Disney World in 1984. Since he began writing for Laughing Place in 2014, Bill has specialized in covering the Rick Riordan literary universe, a retrospective of the Touchstone Pictures movie library, and a variety of other Disney related topics. When he is not spending time with his family, Bill can be found at the bottom of a lake . . . scuba diving