System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition dev confirms fully fledged VR mode after earlier tease
Aiming for "really remarkable" VR experience.
Nightdive Studios has confirmed its upcoming enhanced edition of seminal sci-fi adventure System Shock 2 will include a fully fledged VR mode, after the developer teased virtual reality support for the game earlier this year.
Nightdive initially announced System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition back in 2019, and while the studio is yet to confirm the exact enhancements it'll feature on release, we do know it'll include improvements to co-op play and employ the same engine used to create its enhanced version of System Shock 1 - which added the likes of 4K support, achievements, and improved controls.
As for VR support, that was teased back in January, when, after a period of silence regarding System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition's progress, Nightdive finally popped up on Twitter to assure fans of the project's continued existence, and, more surprisingly, to reveal video footage of what appeared to be work-in-progress VR support.
And now, speaking to IGN, the developer has finally confirmed a VR version is not only in the works, it's being handled by its own VR-focussed development team.
The studio says it initially began exploring VR for its new Enhanced Edition during the process of reverse-engineering the missing libraries for System Shock 2. When it was clear the idea was viable, the studio began development in earnest, drawing inspiration fromm Valve's Half-Life: Alyx, which it says has "just become essential in creating that feeling that you're there".
Nightdive's ultimate goal is to deliver a "really remarkable, built from the ground up VR experience" for System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition, and the studio says both single-player and multiplayer modes will be fully playable in VR. Addtionally, cross-platform play means one person will be able to tackle the challenges in VR while playing co-operatively, and another can join in using a traditional screen on a different machine.
Currently, Nightdive's VR mode is still at the prototype stage and the studio anticipates it'll be added to System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition sometime after launch.