VR Game Hubris Coming to Quest 2 and PS VR 2

The VR game "Hubris" (Hubris) debuted on the PC VR platform last year with stunning visual effects, but the gameplay is a bit mediocre. Now, the game has been released on Quest 2 and PSVR 2, and these new versions of the game have performed surprisingly well, with some expected adjustments for each platform.

Last year, Pride delivered AAA-quality visuals for PC VR gamers, along with some generally entertaining gameplay and storylines. In our PC VR review, we likened it to a late-night fast food burger that "can't quite live up to the impressive menu imagery, but still satisfies your appetite."

With Pride ports now available on Quest 2 and PSVR 2, we'd love to see if the new versions of these games hold their own, especially when it comes to visuals. While PSVR 2 is powered by the PS5, Quest is a standalone platform with mobile hardware--and getting Pride to work on this platform and keep its visuals looking good is bound to have some issues.

Gameplay-wise, the Quest 2 and PSVR 2 port of Pride has stayed the same as the original PC VR version. This means that you can experience all the benefits, but also some problems. Swimming, jumping, and climbing are still enjoyable, but there are occasional hiccups, such as the fact that your hands don't always grip the terrain the way you expect them to. Engaging enemies can provide some adrenaline-fueled fun, but the intelligence of the enemies is mediocre, and their tactical decisions are often stupid.

On Quest 2 and PS VR2, aiming the scope accurately was just as difficult as the PC VR version, but after the game's release, the game's reloading feature changed significantly. In the original PC VR release, you had to reload with the gun held upright next to your head, waiting for an audio cue to mark whether the weapon was full of ammo.

However, on Quest 2 and PS VR2, reloading works differently. When the gun is empty, a clip pops out from the bottom (pictured above) and you just push it back into the weapon for a full reload. As a result, combat becomes easier as you no longer have to wait those excruciating extra hours to recharge. The developer also confirmed on Reddit that this change will also be implemented in the upcoming PC VR version.

On PSVR 2, Pride retains most of the detail and refinement enjoyed by the PC VR version. In fact, Pride game producer Koen Van den Steen confirmed on Reddit that bump rendering on PSVR 2 means the resolution and textures should be "sharper" than the vast majority of PC VR versions.

On PSVR 2, textures look sharp when viewed up close, and environments appear to exhibit a high level of rendering compared to console-powered VR experiences, especially in terms of visual sharpness and detail. Performance seemed fairly solid, though there were some noticeable shadowing effects when moving sideways, a by-product of the game running at a reprojected 120Hz. Comments from the developers of Pride suggest that Sony is working on improving this area.

As for Quest 2, the stunning visuals were carried over from the PC VR and PSVR 2 versions of the game to the standalone hardware to largely stay the same, albeit with some limitations. Impressively, Quest Edition 2 does an excellent job of maintaining the structural integrity of its expansive open environments, and ran as smoothly as it did on other platforms in our tests. Of course, this comes at a price--graphics detail on the Quest is drastically cut from its PC and console counterparts, given hardware limitations. One of the most notable visual downgrades on the Quest is the lack of shadow and lighting effects. While some features are preserved, such as reflecting water surfaces, the lack of dynamic shadows is very noticeable, making everything look flatter and unreal.

The textures on the Quest are also not detailed enough compared to the level of detail seen on other platforms. Surfaces like rock walls, for example, look fine from a distance, but when you climb up close, the Quest lacks the nice bumps and imperfections seen on other platforms (pictured above).

Quest's environments are also sparser compared to other platforms. For example, when traveling through some underwater environments (pictured below), I noticed a noticeable reduction in vegetation, making exotic biomes feel less alive. The animations of some models, such as the jellyfish's tentacles, are also noticeably harsher.

When discussing the process of porting to Quest online, Pride producer Koen Van den Steen noted that the team had to "simplify a lot of shaders" and use "dynamic DPI scaling to reduce the load on the GPU". Koen also mentions using the app SpaceWarp "to get the framerate right"--a Quest feature that runs the app at half the framerate by compositing every other frame.

So, while some graphical sacrifices were made to make Pride work on mobile platforms, it's in keeping with the hardware constraints. The game remains one of the most visually stunning titles in the Quest library - especially in terms of the expansive scale of its majestic landscapes - and the PSVR 2 version does just as well, bringing the stunning fidelity of the PC VR version to the next level. brought to the host.

All in all, the game is the same game we reviewed last year, just on the new platform, with a visual upgrade or downgrade depending on the performance of the device you're using. If you're still hesitant to buy the game, you can learn more about the game itself in our PC VR review.

Pride is available now for $29.99 on PC VR, PS VR2, and Quest, with cross-buy support between the Rift and Quest versions.