Sims 4 would be great in VR
I believe Sims 4 would be great for VR.
Immediately you're thinking that a 1st person Sims game is terrible, and I full heartedly agree. I think we still presume that VR is equal to 1st person games. But that presumption limits VR's immersive capability.
Already there are 3rd person games in VR such as Lucky's Tale, Edge of Nowhere, and Moss. I was one of the naysayers, believing that 3rd person games is still best played and experienced on a flat monitor.
Wow, was I wrong.
Playing a 3rd person game in VR is like stepping in a scene of a TV show you would normally watch on a screen. Or, simply put, it feels like being god watching over his subject.
And that's why Sims 4 is perfect for VR: a god game with the point of view of god. Imagine being a loving god that gives their Sims the best of the world. Or an evil god that just tortures their Sims with mazes and hundreds of babies. Right now, VR needs more diverse genres, and a life simulator is currently unserved.
You may think that VR is only comprised of hardcore gamers because of the headset cost. But there are headsets right now that won't break the bank. Windows Mixed Reality headsets provide a good VR experience, with headsets costing $150 to $400. Playstation VR has theirs at $350 with free games. Oculus recently released their new line of headsets, both costing $400 (one of them doesn't need a PC).
Some say VR is a fad, that it comes and goes. But 2019, I feel, is the start of VR's golden age. Valve recently released their top of the line headset called "Index", and HTC will have a new headset called "Cosmos" coming later this year. Companies are investing in VR and nurturing its growth. (https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/20/vr-fund-virtual-reality-ecosystem-has-more-than-550-companies/)
And EA looks like one of those companies backing it, too. If that's the case, I propose that Sims 4 should be one of the games with "VR enabled" capabilities. This means you can play Sims 4 with or without a VR headset, something like Elite Dangerous, No Man's Sky, and Tetris Effect.
That's my take on it. I love Sims and I fell in love with VR along the way. A marriage between these two would probably keep me plugged in the metaverse.
And since I'm a nutter, here's how I envision the controls will be for Sims 4 "VR enabled."
LIVE MODE
UI will be on your left hand and can be viewed by turning your hand as if you are checking the time on your watch.
Left Grab - Grab map and pull to move across lot
Right Grab - Grab and drop movable objects
Left + Right Grab - Stretch to zoom in, or pinch to zoom out
Trigger - Select sim, interact with object or sim, interact with UI
Left + Right Trigger - Raise camera up or down
Thumbstick Press (Left Controller) - Center on lot
Thumbstick Up (Left Controller) - Go up one floor
Thumbstick Down (Left Controller) - Go down one floor
Thumbstick Left (Left Controller) - Wall down
Thumbstick Right (Left Controller) - Wall up
A Button - Toggle Map
B Button - Toggle Modes (Live Mode, Buy/Build Mode)
Thumbstick Press (Right Controller) - Center on active sim
Thumbstick Up (Right Controller) - Pause
Thumbstick Right (Right Controller) - Speed 1
Thumbstick Down (Right Controller) - Speed 2
Thumbstick Left (Right Controller) - Speed 3
X Button - Camera Mode
Y Button - First-Person Mode
BUILD/BUY MODE
UI will be on your left hand and can be viewed by turning your hand as if you are checking the time on your watch. The UI will be large, so that you can pick and choose objects like how a painter uses a palette.
Left Grab - Grab map and pull to move across lot
Right Grab - Grab and drop movable objects
Left + Right Grab - Stretch to zoom in, or pinch to zoom out
Trigger - Draw walls, terrain, wallpaper
Left + Right Trigger - Raise camera up or down
Thumbstick Press (Left Controller) - Center on lot
Thumbstick Up (Left Controller) - Go up one floor
Thumbstick Down (Left Controller) - Go down one floor
Thumbstick Left (Left Controller) - Wall down
Thumbstick Right (Left Controller) - Wall up
A Button - Toggle Map
B Button - Toggle Modes (Live Mode, Buy/Build Mode)
Thumbstick Press (Right Controller) - Toggle Grid view
Thumbstick Up (Right Controller) - Design Tool
Thumbstick Down (Right Controller) - Sledgehammer
Thumbstick Left (Right Controller) - Rotate object left, decrease brush size (build mode)
Thumbstick Right (Right Controller) - Rotate object right, increase brush size (build mode)
X Button - Camera Mode
Y Button - Cycle day and night
Immediately you're thinking that a 1st person Sims game is terrible, and I full heartedly agree. I think we still presume that VR is equal to 1st person games. But that presumption limits VR's immersive capability.
Already there are 3rd person games in VR such as Lucky's Tale, Edge of Nowhere, and Moss. I was one of the naysayers, believing that 3rd person games is still best played and experienced on a flat monitor.
Wow, was I wrong.
Playing a 3rd person game in VR is like stepping in a scene of a TV show you would normally watch on a screen. Or, simply put, it feels like being god watching over his subject.
And that's why Sims 4 is perfect for VR: a god game with the point of view of god. Imagine being a loving god that gives their Sims the best of the world. Or an evil god that just tortures their Sims with mazes and hundreds of babies. Right now, VR needs more diverse genres, and a life simulator is currently unserved.
You may think that VR is only comprised of hardcore gamers because of the headset cost. But there are headsets right now that won't break the bank. Windows Mixed Reality headsets provide a good VR experience, with headsets costing $150 to $400. Playstation VR has theirs at $350 with free games. Oculus recently released their new line of headsets, both costing $400 (one of them doesn't need a PC).
Some say VR is a fad, that it comes and goes. But 2019, I feel, is the start of VR's golden age. Valve recently released their top of the line headset called "Index", and HTC will have a new headset called "Cosmos" coming later this year. Companies are investing in VR and nurturing its growth. (https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/20/vr-fund-virtual-reality-ecosystem-has-more-than-550-companies/)
And EA looks like one of those companies backing it, too. If that's the case, I propose that Sims 4 should be one of the games with "VR enabled" capabilities. This means you can play Sims 4 with or without a VR headset, something like Elite Dangerous, No Man's Sky, and Tetris Effect.
That's my take on it. I love Sims and I fell in love with VR along the way. A marriage between these two would probably keep me plugged in the metaverse.
And since I'm a nutter, here's how I envision the controls will be for Sims 4 "VR enabled."
LIVE MODE
UI will be on your left hand and can be viewed by turning your hand as if you are checking the time on your watch.
Left Grab - Grab map and pull to move across lot
Right Grab - Grab and drop movable objects
Left + Right Grab - Stretch to zoom in, or pinch to zoom out
Trigger - Select sim, interact with object or sim, interact with UI
Left + Right Trigger - Raise camera up or down
Thumbstick Press (Left Controller) - Center on lot
Thumbstick Up (Left Controller) - Go up one floor
Thumbstick Down (Left Controller) - Go down one floor
Thumbstick Left (Left Controller) - Wall down
Thumbstick Right (Left Controller) - Wall up
A Button - Toggle Map
B Button - Toggle Modes (Live Mode, Buy/Build Mode)
Thumbstick Press (Right Controller) - Center on active sim
Thumbstick Up (Right Controller) - Pause
Thumbstick Right (Right Controller) - Speed 1
Thumbstick Down (Right Controller) - Speed 2
Thumbstick Left (Right Controller) - Speed 3
X Button - Camera Mode
Y Button - First-Person Mode
BUILD/BUY MODE
UI will be on your left hand and can be viewed by turning your hand as if you are checking the time on your watch. The UI will be large, so that you can pick and choose objects like how a painter uses a palette.
Left Grab - Grab map and pull to move across lot
Right Grab - Grab and drop movable objects
Left + Right Grab - Stretch to zoom in, or pinch to zoom out
Trigger - Draw walls, terrain, wallpaper
Left + Right Trigger - Raise camera up or down
Thumbstick Press (Left Controller) - Center on lot
Thumbstick Up (Left Controller) - Go up one floor
Thumbstick Down (Left Controller) - Go down one floor
Thumbstick Left (Left Controller) - Wall down
Thumbstick Right (Left Controller) - Wall up
A Button - Toggle Map
B Button - Toggle Modes (Live Mode, Buy/Build Mode)
Thumbstick Press (Right Controller) - Toggle Grid view
Thumbstick Up (Right Controller) - Design Tool
Thumbstick Down (Right Controller) - Sledgehammer
Thumbstick Left (Right Controller) - Rotate object left, decrease brush size (build mode)
Thumbstick Right (Right Controller) - Rotate object right, increase brush size (build mode)
X Button - Camera Mode
Y Button - Cycle day and night
