Switchback VR: Closing Your Eyes Only Makes Things Scarier Thanks to Eye Tracking [IGN]

Switchback VR will see players blast their way through a series of rollercoaster levels steeped in the lore of Supermassive Games’ The Dark Pictures Anthology, while coming face to face — sometimes literally it seems — with the apparitions and monsters featured in titles including Man of Medan and The Devil in Me.

In a PlayStation Blog post, the developer detailed how it harnessed the upgraded capabilities of the PSVR 2 to intensify the experience and horror of their latest game.

Some monsters will be more likely to attack when the player blinks, for example, a feature which has been made possible by the improved eye-tracking tech built into the new headset, and other more insidious enemies will only move when you aren’t looking directly at them.

All the while, players will have to deal with demonic screams and whispers seemingly coming from all around, courtesy of the 3D audio headset that comes bundled in with the $549.99 PS VR2 hardware offering.

Failing to duck in time could also result in getting a smack to your virtual head from a low-slung wooden beam, triggering the haptic feedback system built into the headset.

Meanwhile haptics integrated in the headset and triggers of the Sense controllers will be used to “make each weapon feel unique”, and to simulate the feeling of careening down a bumpy track while being buffeted by rain, wind, and sand.

According to Supermassive, each Switchback VR level will feature multiple tracks and obstacles to ensure that “no two runs will be the same”.

In our review we gave the PlayStation VR2 a 9/10, describing it as “a quantum leap over its predecessor” that sets “a new standard for console VR gaming”. Be sure to check out IGN’s unboxing video to see how the new hardware stacks up against its predecessor.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer