Bethesda To Release Fallout 4 For VR Headsets In The Next 12 Months
Bethesda's always done a splendid job immersing gamers into post apocalyptic societies with its Fallout series, but in the words of Pete Hines, VP of Marketing for Bethesda, "You ain't seen nothing yet." HInes is referring to Bethesda's plans to bring the world of Fallout 4 into the virtual realm with a version built for VR headsets. Hey, why not?
Virtual reality is the hottest thing right now and even if it does turn out to be a passing fad, it will take its sweet time moseying by. And on the flip side, VR could be here to stay, especially with ports like Fallout 4 in the works. Forget about gimmicky demos and proof of concept applications, Fallout 4 is a title that's been voted Game of the Year (at the DICE Awards) and represents one of the strongest and most popular gaming franchises out there. And it's head to VR.
"We think that VR is the perfect fit for truly immersive games like our massive open-world RPGs. At BE3 Plus, attendees were given a taste of what’s to come, exploring the world of Fallout 4, using the game’s Pip-Boy and interacting with Dogmeat – all in full virtual reality," Hines said. "If you thought Survival Mode was an intense Fallout experience… you ain’t seen nothing yet."
VR isn't a new infatuation for Bethesda, either. According to Hines, Bethesda committed itself to VR since showing off id Software's Doom 3 BFG Edition demo in VR at E3 2012. Since then, it was just a matter of waiting for the hardware to materialize, and now it's here in the form of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive (see our review), and so forth.
It's also worth noting that Fallout 4 isn't the end of the road for Bethesda's interest in VR, rather it's a "glimpse" of where it's headed with the technology. That being the case, it opens up some interesting possibilities without Bethesda's other franchises, such as Wolfenstein, The Elder Scrolls, and Dishonored.
The neat thing about bringing Fallout 4 to VR is that it's an expansive open world for gamers to explore. However, it might not be an easy port—that same upside could introduce more opportunities for motion sickness, and there are several in-game interfaces that probably need adjusting for VR.
Bethesda may have some or even all of those challenges already figured out as it's aiming for a 2017 release.
Virtual reality is the hottest thing right now and even if it does turn out to be a passing fad, it will take its sweet time moseying by. And on the flip side, VR could be here to stay, especially with ports like Fallout 4 in the works. Forget about gimmicky demos and proof of concept applications, Fallout 4 is a title that's been voted Game of the Year (at the DICE Awards) and represents one of the strongest and most popular gaming franchises out there. And it's head to VR.
"We think that VR is the perfect fit for truly immersive games like our massive open-world RPGs. At BE3 Plus, attendees were given a taste of what’s to come, exploring the world of Fallout 4, using the game’s Pip-Boy and interacting with Dogmeat – all in full virtual reality," Hines said. "If you thought Survival Mode was an intense Fallout experience… you ain’t seen nothing yet."
VR isn't a new infatuation for Bethesda, either. According to Hines, Bethesda committed itself to VR since showing off id Software's Doom 3 BFG Edition demo in VR at E3 2012. Since then, it was just a matter of waiting for the hardware to materialize, and now it's here in the form of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive (see our review), and so forth.
It's also worth noting that Fallout 4 isn't the end of the road for Bethesda's interest in VR, rather it's a "glimpse" of where it's headed with the technology. That being the case, it opens up some interesting possibilities without Bethesda's other franchises, such as Wolfenstein, The Elder Scrolls, and Dishonored.
The neat thing about bringing Fallout 4 to VR is that it's an expansive open world for gamers to explore. However, it might not be an easy port—that same upside could introduce more opportunities for motion sickness, and there are several in-game interfaces that probably need adjusting for VR.
Bethesda may have some or even all of those challenges already figured out as it's aiming for a 2017 release.
