2016 is the year that VR is actually getting good. You can click a few buttons on the internet and a Vive or a Rift will appear on your doorstep a few days later — although you’ll have to pay through the nose — for your gaming PC, which is more powerful than ever. Or you can buy a PlayStation VR instead.
Or, down at PAX Aus in Melbourne in November, you can try all three — in a dedicated ‘VR Freeplay’ area, with three-directional treadmills that let you walk around in virtual reality.
If you’re most of Australia, you almost certainly haven’t had a proper chance to try out virtual reality. The headsets are just too damn expensive at the moment, or in the case of the PSVR they’re literally brand new. If you’re on the fence about buying one — like I have been for the last six months — then a hands-on demo is a great way to decide whether it’s worth shelling out the cash for one.
We’ve seen those treadmills in action before, too, and they’re awesome. Sure, you look like a massive dork — even more than you usually do in VR — but moving around freely is a godsend for the sense of presence that actually makes VR real. There’s no word as to what games will be on show in the area just yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we find out.
Three-day PAX tickets are apparently sold out, but you can still buy day passes for $65 a pop. [PAX Aus]