Game Rant spoke to Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition developers about how PSVR 2 can improve the experience.

Star Wars – Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Version is a full upgrade to the original 2020 VR Experience for the Oculus Quest. Thanks to the PSVR2 headset, the edition has been enhanced across the board. They improved everything from dynamic light sources and polygon counts to responsiveness and places of Haptic Feedback.

ILMxLAB of Lucasfilm has been responsible for many immersive Star Wars VR experiences like Trials on Tatooine, the Vader Immortal trilogy, and others. However, Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge represents its most ambitious project to date. Game Rant’s Director Jose Perez III and Jacob Edelen, Experience Design Leader, recently spoke with Game Rant to discuss the game’s improvements, the development of the Enhanced Edition, and the challenges in adapting the experience for new hardware.

PSVR2 Has Given Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge A Huge Visual Enhancement

Oculus Qest’s wireless ability is part of what makes it so appealing. It allows users to freely move around without needing cables or a VR gaming laptop. The downside was its limited rendering capabilities. This meant that games had to scale back on their visual detail to run smoothly. PSVR 2, which leverages the PS5’s amazing horsepower, allows Star Wars Stories from the Galaxy’s Edge “turn on all the light” with tons of extra detail. Edelen said that

Some spots are more interesting than others. If you go into the darker environments, blaster bolts will start to whizz around. Dynamic lights can also be used to change up the areas you are in. We have this Hissiq Springs area with reflective surfaces.

It really looks different. Reflective surfaces really make the environment feel more like it’s in your Star Wars world. It’s clearer and easier to see what is far away.

The most important visual element for creating realistic-looking games is lighting. Recently, raytracing has become a popular trend. Players will feel more connected to the environment with realistic lighting, reflective surfaces, shadows, and sharper rendering of distant objects. PSVR2’s better resolution will let players see the various weapons, gadgets, characters, and more detail up close.

PSVR 2’s Haptic Feedback Systems Make Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Immersive

PSVR2’s haptic input system represents a significant advancement for the medium. Stories from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition has fully utilized the hardware’s vibrations. Particularly noteworthy is the headset’s haptic feedback. This allows for an intuitive experience that can make VR gamers wonder where they went without it. Edelen said,

The headset allows you to use haptics. This is how you feel when the game starts up. Different vibrations and other stuff are available in areas where you don’t see on the Quest.

As players equip helmets and visors, they will be able to feel the blaster beams pass their heads as they fire at them. It is an excellent way to indicate the direction in which incoming damage is coming, which was a problem for VR game designers who have had to rely on visual cues to help the player. To ensure immersion in Star Wars Stories from the Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition, developers paid particular attention to each touchable item in the game.

Star Wars Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge. Enhanced Edition will be available on February 22nd for VR2.