Available with the release of PSVR 2, Drums Rock informs us of the new features specific to the PS5 virtual reality headset. Haptic feedback, followed by eye movements, we take stock.
Until Activision Blizzard perhaps revives Guitar Hero after Microsoft’s acquisition or a new Rock Band VR, Drum’s rock rhythm game comes the closest and arrives tomorrow – February 22nd – on PSVR 2.
The look that kills thanks to PSVR 2
drum rock will be one of the many games in PSVR 2 and will be playable on the PS5 headset tomorrow. As announced by Dani Sintas Sanchez, CEO of the Garage51 studio, the developers have decided to go head-to-head, exploiting all the strengths of PlayStation VR 2 and avoiding the pitfalls of lazy porting.
Eye Movement Tracking – Eye tracking among our Anglo-Saxon friends – will be able to detect whether the player’s eyes are open or closed. Depending on the configuration, the score can be multiplied by two, or even more in the case of combos with modifiers.
Below the chain marker are two sliders, one for each eye. These sliders are activated when the player’s eyes are closed or when they are not looking at approaching notes. They have a small cooldown to avoid triggering when the player blinks or looks sideways to see the notes. Once the sliders are activated, your score will be multiplied by 2. They can also be combined with the No-Fail modifiers to reach x8. It’s a risk-reward mechanic that I personally love!
That’s all well and good, but I’m sure some of you are wondering: If my eyes are closed and I’m not looking at the grades, how can I see that I’m doubling my score? We have to admit that this question plagued us as we finalized the basic concepts, but the answer came quickly thanks to the game’s audio. We had to work with our sound design team to create an effect that complemented the songs we were playing love would not spoil so much. Much to our relief, a few reverb effects combined with volume adjustments were enough to create clear feedback while preserving the essence of the music.
.Over PlayStation Blog.
Vibes everywhere in drums rock
PSVR 2 Sense controllers, like the DualSense, have haptic feedback that allows for much more precise and localized vibrations. As part of Drums Rock, Garage51 has taken advantage of this technology to give each part of the drum kit (cymbals, snare drum, etc.) a different feel. The same applies to the haptic feedback located directly on the PlayStation VR 2.
With the vibrations of the helmet, the developers wanted to reproduce the feeling of being in a concert hall with a vibrating floor.
So you know the PS VR2 headset also includes feedback. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to take advantage of it. Remember the extraordinary experience of being in a concert hall and feeling the floor vibrate with every pulse of the subwoofers! Recreating that tactile feeling was crucial to complete this immersive experience.
Via PS Blog.
The playlist consists of cult music like Black Betty by Ram Jam, Bring me to life by Evanescence or I love rock’n’roll by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. On PSVR 2, the game runs in 4K 120 fps and therefore your errors are not due to lag.