Borderlands 2 VR - coming exclusively to PlayStation VR this December!
Rejoice PSVR fans! You've got another huge VR game to look forward to later this year. On December 14th, Borderlands 2 VR will arrive on Sony's resurgent PSVR platform. PlayStation VR fan's heads are already spinning from two absolutely monster games in both Firewall: Zero Hour and Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. Now, another massive release is on the way from Gearbox Software. Just when we thought things might be slowing down a bit, here comes a VR port of Borderlands 2.
What about the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive you say? Well, for now, this appears to be a timed exclusive. We don't know whether this will be a relatively short exclusivity window like Polyarc's Moss, or whether it will have a longer gestation period like Skyrim VR. Either way, PC-VR players are going to have to wait, and the wait is likely to be painful to a PC audience used to getting Borderlands games day and date with their console brethren. It's hard to blame publisher 2K Games or developer Gearbox Software, because Sony is notorious for tempting companies to consider a timed window. It might be viewed as somewhat anti-consumer, but the strategy seems to be paying off handsomely for Sony. I personally know several PC-VR only gamers that have recently acquired a PlayStation VR system. With the entire VR gaming community ranting and raving about Astro Bot, it's no wonder. A strong release like Borderlands 2 VR, just strengthens this strategy.
If there's any solace for PC players, maybe it's the fact that their console counterparts won't be enjoying any multiplayer action with this December release. Borderlands 2 VR has been confirmed to be a single-player only affair, at least initially. Whether or not some DLC could add multiplayer capabilities later on down the line is debatable. If we had to hazard a guess, we'd say that multiplayer might put a bit too much strain on the rendering engine that has enough to deal with in trying to maintain a solid 60 FPS for each eye. (PSVR of course internally doubles that to 120fps to help reduce eye-strain and fatigue)
Of course, most PlayStation VR fans will be too busy admiring the colorful and exciting world of Pandora, now surrounding them in every direction, to notice the lack of multiplayer. This port seems like a no-brainer, especially when you consider the cell-shaded graphical aesthetic that Borderlands is so well known for. We've already seen games with similar art styles look absolutely spectacular in a VR headset. Consider Windlands and Windlands 2 as prime examples. More simplistic designs with bright colors better hide the inadequacies of modern day VR headsets. Wayward Sky by Uber Entertainment is another PSVR game that uses this aesthetic to great effect.
All of us here at VR Game Rankings are certainly chomping at the bit to get our hands on this title. We've all enjoyed the Borderlands experience on flat, 2 dimensional screens, and we can't wait to see how exciting and interesting the world of Pandora can be inside our VR headsets. December 14th can't get here fast enough!
