Skyrim VR

Skyrim VR
Information
VR/AR	Virtual Reality
Developer	Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher	Bethesda Softworks
Platform	SteamVR, PlayStation VR
Device	Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index, PlayStation VR
Operating System	Windows, PlayStation 4
Type	Game
Genre	Action role-playing, Open world
Input Device	Tracked motion controllers, PlayStation Move, DualShock 4
Play Area	Standing, Room-scale, seated
Game Mode	Single-player
Release Date	PlayStation VR - November 17, 2017; PC (SteamVR) - April 3, 2018
Price	US $59.99
App Store	Steam, PlayStation Store
Website	https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/skyrim

See also: VR Apps and VR Games

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is a virtual reality conversion of Bethesda Game Studios' 2011 open-world action role-playing game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It places the entire province of Skyrim, the game's main quest, and its three official add-ons (Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn) inside a head-mounted display. The release launched first for PlayStation VR on November 17, 2017, and reached PC headsets through SteamVR on April 3, 2018.

Overview

Skyrim VR is a full transplant of the base game rather than a new or abridged title. It contains the same world, characters, quests, and systems as the 2011 release and its remaster, played from a first-person perspective in VR. The PC version supports the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and is also playable on the Valve Index through SteamVR. The PlayStation 4 version runs on the original PlayStation VR and is not compatible with the PlayStation VR2, because Sony's two headsets do not share content or controller tracking.

The underlying game is built on Bethesda's Creation Engine, the same engine used for the original 2011 Skyrim that was directed by Todd Howard and released for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011.

Gameplay

The game keeps the structure of the flatscreen original: an open province the player explores freely, a main questline about the return of dragons and the player character (the Dragonborn), and large numbers of side quests, dungeons, and factions. The VR conversion changes how the player moves and fights. Locomotion can be set to teleportation or to free, controller-relative movement, with snap-turning and smooth-turning options for comfort.

Combat is mapped to the motion controllers. Melee weapons, the bow, and spells are aimed with the player's hands, so archery and dual-wielded magic are aimed directly rather than through a reticle. Inventory, the skill tree, the map, and dialogue still use the original menu-driven interface, presented as floating panels in front of the player. On PC the version supports the Rift's thumbsticks, the Vive's trackpads, and Windows Mixed Reality controllers; reviewers noted the trackpad-based menu navigation on the Vive was more awkward than the thumbstick navigation on Oculus Touch. On PlayStation VR the game is played with two PlayStation Move controllers or a DualShock 4.

The PC release allows community modifications, and a modding scene grew around it to add motion-control overhauls, higher-resolution textures, and interaction systems; the PlayStation VR version does not support mods.

Development

Skyrim first shipped in 2011 and was reissued as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition in 2016 with updated visuals. Skyrim VR derives from that codebase and is published by Bethesda Softworks. Bethesda announced the PlayStation VR version during its E3 2017 showcase for a November 2017 launch, positioning it as a complete VR version of the game with all add-ons included. The studio later confirmed the PC release for SteamVR with support for the Vive, Rift, and Windows VR headsets.

Release

Platform	Headsets	Release date	Price
PlayStation VR (PlayStation 4)	PlayStation VR	November 17, 2017	US $59.99
PC (SteamVR)	Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality	April 3, 2018	US $59.99

Both versions ship with the base game plus the Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn add-ons.

Reception

Reviews were generally favorable. The PlayStation 4 version holds a Metascore of 77 on Metacritic from 45 critics, and the game has a top-critic average of 76 across 46 reviews on OpenCritic.

Road to VR scored the PlayStation VR release 7.7 out of 10, with a reviewer verdict that "if you can put up with Skyrim VR's port-y feeling, you've got a huge world to explore and a ton to do." The same outlet scored the PC version 8 out of 10, concluding that "Skyrim VR for PC shows that you can bring an older, more mature game to VR and have great results." Reviewers praised the scale of the world, the voice acting, and the directly aimed archery and magic, while criticizing the dated visuals at distance, the menu-heavy interface carried over from the flatscreen game, and the lack of physical weight in melee combat.

The game won Best VR Game at the 2018 Golden Joystick Awards, held in London on November 16, 2018.