Space Channel 5 Coming To VR Devices

This article has been updated in light of new information becoming available. We already know about Rez being given the VR treatment in preparation for the PS VR launch in October...but how about Space Channel 5? You may notice that question mark in the title to this post (article was originally titled 'Space Channel 5 Coming To PlayStation VR?'), and that's because we're not totally sure if this is a hoax, so please take this with a pinch of salt. According to this NeoGAF thread, a Space Channel 5 VR demo will be shown at Tokyo Game Show 2016 (running from 15th to 17th September) and a link takes you to a fairly convincing teaser site.


Further links redirect to another site (written in Japanese, screen above) that seem to hint that the new VR experience could be a bundle of both Space Channel 5 and Space Channel 5 Part 2. Quite how these games will implement virtual reality technology remains to be seen, as does any concrete evidence to suggest that this is a real thing...but from what we've seen so far it is very convincing. Being able to jump around in time with Ulala and rid the galaxy of Morolians through the medium of actual dance sounds like an 'interesting' prospect...!

Update
Further details have come to light and this looks like it may very well just be a 'VR experience,' and not a full blown Space Channel 5 reboot after all. Still, it's nice to see some of the lesser known Sega IPs being wheeled out for a new audience, even if it's not in the way we expected. Further to this, Ross has done some Japanese to English translation work for us. The 'game' is indeed a 'viewing only' demo at present and will initially be coming to the HTC Vive. Adding weight to this is the fact that the game director and assistant producer from the original Space Channel 5 are attached to the project, and it appears that the game is being developed for an upcoming VR service from telecoms firm AU, and will be known as Linked Door. Linked Door will reportedly allow VR users to meet up in cyber space (I can't believe I just typed that expression, by the way) and hang out online. The service is also coming to VR-capable phones and a device similar to Google VR. So not the PlayStation 4 then. Not yet, anyway...

2 comments:

Animated AF said...

Just to note it sounds like it's just a VR room 'experience' thing rather than a remake of the original game. A worrying pattern with VR stuff.

Tom Charnock said...

Yeah, just saw that. Pretty cool that they even bothered to use the Space Channel 5 IP, but a proper game would have been better. Article updated accordingly!