In VR, your hands are usually the stars of the experience, but when it comes to Doom 3, we knew the guns would be the heroes every moment. Working with our awesome partners at id Software, we’ve painstakingly revisited every piece of your arsenal from every angle possible. The design, art, user interface and even sound effects have all been improved!
But first, let’s talk about the aim controller. Supporting the lens (including left-handed mode) was a top priority for us and id Software: with it you can really hold weapons like the BFG 9000, feel their weight in your hands, and wield them with brutal efficiency. Personally, using the aim controller quickly became my favorite way to dive into the demon on the loose.
Freedom of movement means you can move your weapons regardless of your head, which adds devilishly good immersion to iconic Doom 3 battles. Peek around a corner to launch a cheeky sneak attack on an unsuspecting Z-Sec, dodge past the Wraith fireballs, and maybe, maybe, find the perfect angle to fly a Mancubus.
Once you have the weapons of Doom 3: VR Edition in your hands, you will discover a few other new features. We’ve taken the player interface out of camera view and built it into the guns themselves, making it easier to count your ammo in the heat of battle. Laser sights and a flashlight let you walk through the darkness and all the enemies it hides.
You can also just hang out on Mars and lovingly gaze at your favorite weapon, like we do during our lunch breaks. From the new two-handed pistol grip to the low-slung chain pistol on your hip, every part has been subtly altered to better fit your virtual grip and mimic the physical feel of wielding powerful machines.
And of course, since you’ll be seeing these classic weapons up close and personal, we had to make sure they look (and sound) good like hell. Every weapon in the game has received a detailed overhaul, higher resolution textures (feast on every scratch and notch worn in battle!) And massive new sound effects. Every shotgun blast, grenade blast, and chainsaw turn now tangibly resonates through Doom 3’s tight underground spaces, placing you directly in the world and increasing immersion to eleven.
Refreshing Doom 3 and its arsenal has been a developer’s dream. To go from the early days of modifying the original Doom to adapting Doom 3 for VR support? You can’t make this stuff up! Many thanks to our friends at id Software for helping us make every weapon shine, and to you for reading all about it. We hope you find out about the title when it comes out in a few days and let us know what you think!
Doom 3: VR Edition will be available on PS VR on March 29, with campaign expansions and backward compatibility on PS5. Let us know in the comments which iconic Doom weapon you most want to wield. (Super Shotgun, right?)
