Bethesda has announced that a version of Fallout 4 tailored to be played using a virtual reality headset will be playable on the show floor at E3 2017. We’ve known that this project was in development since last year, but we haven’t heard much about its progress in recent months.
Bethesda’s Pete Hines was interviewed about the project at PAX East earlier this month, according to a report from Gamespot. While he struggles to play VR games personally as a result of motion sickness, he noted that the game’s director, Todd Howard, had shared his very positive experiences.
Hines said Howard told him that “Fallout 4 VR is the most incredible thing you’ve ever seen in your life.” Howard apparently praised the realism of the experience, and described it as “the craziest thing you’ve ever seen,” adding that players can’t imagine what it’s like until they experience it first-hand.
While Hines and Howard obviously have a vested interest in the success of a game published by Bethesda, it’s reassuring to see the VR version of Fallout 4 being given such high praise. Many fans of the franchise were disappointed by the game when it was released last year, but well-executed VR support might prompt players to give it another chance.
All we know so far about this project is that it’s expected to be finished this year, and that it will support the HTC Vive headset. We don’t know if it’ll be an update to the standard version of Fallout 4, or a separate release, and which other headsets will be supported, if any.
If the game is shown at E3 2017, we might get answers to some of those questions. Regardless, a public showing will demonstrate whether Hines and Howard are blowing smoke, or whether the best way to play Fallout 4 is in VR.
