Opinion: Believe it - virtual reality gaming IS incredible

PlayStation VR is being released this week
PlayStation VR is being released this week

The dream of virtual reality is now an actual reality and believe me, it is genuinely amazing.

It's not just a fad.

Over the last week I've given a number of people their first virtual reality experience with PlayStation VR, which goes on sale in New Zealand tomorrow.

They've ranged from a three-year-old boy to a grandmother in her sixties and they've all ended in the same supremely delighted way.

Nobody can deny the delight of their first time in virtual reality - as documented in the video with Samantha Hayes above.

"Oh my God, wow!" she exclaimed, while virtually encountering an underwater world.

"You're transported to another place, completely and utterly."

Afterwards, when I asked her to sum up the experience in one word, she chose "incredible".

It's remarkable how much the technology tricks your mind. You know it's not real, but it's so breathtakingly immersive that it often fools you.

Developers are already using the technology in spectacular ways, putting to use the surround sound and 360 degree, 3D images to create hugely memorable experiences - from spooky horrors and quirky object manipulation games to flying through Arkham City as Batman.

But as wondrous and awe-inspiring as that first taste is, I am a bit worried about the longevity of this technology.

Some say it may just be a fad.

Some gamer grumps have been quick to remind me of what happened with 3D gaming and motion-gaming, which came and went despite various industry voices mistakenly heralding them as bona fide transformations to the medium.

And indeed, the fun to be had from the PlayStation VR games I've played so far will probably run out fairly quickly. They're reasonably short experiences, often with enormous novelty value but little replay value to match.

The best title I've played on it so far is Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, a horror mini-game that takes about 90 minutes to complete. It's an on-rails shooter that has you rolling along a possessed minecart ride as a spinoff to the great PS4 game from last year.

There's a very nice range of different scares and the varied game design keeps you on your toes, along with pretty much non-stop shooter action. The constant minecart effect is a bit like a chilled out rollercoaster, too, which adds to the considerable pleasure.

It'll cost around $35 to buy and it's absolutely worth that price for just how much fun it is - indeed, it's worth more for all the joy you'll get from introducing each of your friends and brave family members.

But once they've all tried it and you've done it yourself two or three times, well, that's it.

And that's the best one so far. The others - which include Tumble VR, PlayStation VR Worlds, Job Simulator, Battlezone and Hustle Kings VR - are mostly tech demos, generally with even less replayability, I expect.

It's not uncommon to spend 60 hours in an open-world adventure game with a story and side-stories that continually unfold over that time. Hardcore multiplayer gamers can invest hundreds or even thousands of hours in a game world such as World of Warcraft or Destiny.

An hour and a half doesn't really compare.

So is it worth investing more than $600 in PlayStation VR just yet? That depends on just how much you love new toys.

Yes, the technology is as amazing as you hope it will be - more so if you're a cynical type.

The happiness I've created in others with this unit over the past week has been priceless and created memories I shall cherish for a long time.

But I sincerely hope the robust VR release schedule Sony has planned delivers more experiences that tell great stories and are great games, in the more traditional sense, as well as showcasing the mindblowing tech.

It's not just a fad. This technology is simply too cool to not stick around.

But just now, we're only lightly scratching the surface of the greatness it'll bring.

Newshub.