SDCC Hands-On — Marvel’s Iron Man VR

Marvel’s Iron Man VR

While at SDCC, I was able to see Marvel’s Iron Man VR in a more intimate setting than just a trailer. Here is my take on Marvel’s Iron Man VR

So many were shocked to find out we were getting Marvel’s Iron Man VR and there has been a lot of hype around it after it was announced for the PSVR. That was at least the case for me, so I went on the hunt during SDCC this year to find Camouflaj and give the demo of it all a go. Surprising enough, I was able to do that and hop right into the helmet while suiting up. I was so excited to see if they nailed the feel of being Iron Man, and here is how the experience went for me. Although you can see a bit of the gameplay in the latest trailer also mixed right in here.

Right from the start, after placing the PSVR helmet on, you start right into placing on the Iron Man helmet in-game and the HUD popping up. If you ever wanted to have that exact feel that you see in the films over the last decade, it was perfectly nailed here. Even down to the slight delay in movement as Tony would move his head or eyes. It would sound like it would be disorienting, but it worked so very well for Marvel’s Iron Man VR here and further pushed the immersion. It also felt like it helped with any kind of motion sickness some might get during it all, but that is just assumptions as I never have had those issues.

After getting bearings on it all, came the main repulsor training so we could not only fly but use all of Iron Man’s iconic weapons. This is where things felt a bit off, but more because of the PS Move controllers and less on what Camouflaj designed. To aim and shoot you need to get your hands into the positions we have seen so many times. That being, palms out. Due to how you have to grasp the controller and push the Move Button, it felt a bit off when compared to everything else. It was not difficult to begin to master; it just felt like it was pulling out of the experience when compared to everything else.

While the shooting felt off, there is little doubt that the flying and motion of Marvel’s Iron Man VR was not near perfection. Just like the shooting, you need to place your hands in the various positions to fly forward, side to side, backward, and just hover. All while pulling the triggers to fire off the repulsors to keep you aloft. It may sound a bit intimidating, but after a very short time, it was a bit easy to start to master. Even when you need to mix in all of the fast-flying and dodging that Iron Man has to do in general. That includes flying through cave systems while under attack.

That last part if where Marvel’s Iron Man VR can get a little hectic, though. In the demo of it all, there were a few other options to fire off, including a rocket punch move. I began to stick to just flying and basic attacks given my short time to try to master it all, but I never felt like I was limited by the game. I was just given the tools and opted to stick to what felt right. If you will be able to play the whole game like this was not clear, but I do not see why it would not. Or something we will need to just master to truly be Iron Man. Nonetheless, this little demo perfectly showed off just how great and immersive this will be.