The already impressive creative possibilities with Media Molecule’s Dreams have opened up even more, with the latest update giving adding PSVR compatibility.
The update gives Dreams creators access to new set of tools designed for crafting virtual reality games, as well as a variety of new tutorials and creation kits. Create Mode is fully compatible with PSVR, too, with the option of either the regular gamepad controls or PlayStation Move controllers to really double down on the sense of “sculpting” your own games. You can also work on VR experiences in non-VR mode, so there’s no need to feel constrained to working in VR just because you’re making a virtual reality game.
On the Dream Surfing side of things, there’s already a decent selection of VR stuff to explore. As you’d expect, there are a few projects from Media Molecule showcasing the new features and (hopefully) offering a bit of inspiration, but there’s are also plenty of creations from the Dreams community already, covering everything from horror games and first-person shooters to an opportunity to eat a holographic meal. You can visit a VR version of Twin Peaks‘ red room, play quidditch, or see what life is like for Edward Gatorhands.
All of the non-VR stuff is also compatible with VR through a built-in cinema mode—that is, a 2D screen displayed in a VR environment, with the game projected onto that. Creators can flag their creations as VR compatible or VR only, and the Dream Surfacing interface has options for filtering results accordingly. There are also built-in, system-level comfort options for players and the ability to rate creations specifically on comfort, which will hopefully tend to some of the issues that could arise from user-generated VR content.
When I reviewed Dreams earlier this year, I said that “even now that it’s out in the wild, we still don’t really know what Dreams is—because, by its very nature, it’s going to be a thing that constantly grows and evolves with the community around it.” That’s proven already proven to be true, and it’s only going to keep growing. With this new PSVR update, there’s a whole new avenue for Dreams‘ unique brand of creative exploration.