All three big virtual reality headsets were out in full force at E3 2016 last month, but a major awards outlet has decided Sony’s PlayStation VR walked out on top.
The Games Critics Awards, an organization that gathers the opinions of 40 global media publications, has announced its Best of E3 2016 winners, and VR features prominently. New to this year’s awards was a ‘Best VR Game’ category, which was somewhat surprisingly awarded to Batman: Arkham VR, an upcoming PS VR exclusive from Rocksteady Studios. The game is designed to be a short piece in which you take on the role of the Dark Knight himself. It will launch alongside PS VR itself later this year.
Batman faced stiff competition in this category; Capcom’s big surprise, Resident Evil 7 biohazard – due to hit PS VR next year – was also nominated as was Insomniac Games’ upcoming exclusive for the Oculus Rift and its Oculus Touch controllers, The Unspoken. In fact, Upload VR’s two ‘Best of E3’ winners, Wilson’s Heart and Star Trek: Bridge Crew, were also listed. The former from Twisted Pixel took our ‘Best Singleplayer VR Game’ award, and Star Trek from Red Storm was given ‘Best Multiplayer VR Game’.
PS VR also topped the ‘Best Hardware’ category, and was the only headset listed. That’s likely due to the fact the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are now available, though the Oculus Touch controllers were still nominated as they’re not due to launch until later this year. Microsoft’s smaller, more affordable console, the Xbox One S, gained a nomination too, though the absence of the VR compatible Project Scorpio kit on the show floor meant that it missed out on another listing.
It’s surprising to see PS VR prove quite so popular considering that it’s technically inferior to the two VR headsets already on the market, though still undeniably impressive. The strong line-up for the kit probably helped, though we’re sceptical about how fans will feel about this software when it finally releases. The device is due to launch on October 13th but there’s a good chance you won’t be able to get one on the day unless you were able to pre-order a unit before they sold out.
