Power Rangers have had a fair few games over the years but even with VR gaming having a greater amount of dominance, there has yet to be any show of interest in making a Power Rangers VR title. For those who have watched the most recent Super Sentai seasons, there have been fighting scenes that tease Ranger VR by having some parts shown through the eyes of the Ranger. Video games have always been a platform to allow the possibility of experiencing the worlds we love, and VR takes it one step further.
Even though the technology may not be the complete package for fans to fully dive into the Ranger Universe, there are still many examples in previous titles that could lead to an incredible Power Rangers VR experience.
Games That Prove That the Power Rangers are Ready for VR
There are a fair few VR titles that demonstrate Power Ranger’s VR ready status, but before diving into VR, there is one non-VR title that comes quite close to making you feel like a power ranger. Power Rangers Super Samurai is an Xbox 360 Kinect game that came out before VR really took off.
The tracking wasn’t always spot on and the gameplay wasn’t solid either, but many parts of the gameplay did feel like the experience was close. Although striking with the sword was very basic, it did have moments where you felt like a true ranger, especially when facing a boss monster.
The game did well with the control limitations to deliver a fair Power rangers experience, but it made sure it had the core features to make it deliver a true Ranger video game. There are also the fighter games, Power Rangers Legacy Wars and Battle for the Grid, but we have yet to get a new role-playing game that gives us the full experience.
Out of the many VR titles that show Power Rangers has what it needs to enter this era of gaming, there are a few well-known games that show this best. The following are the games currently released with the significant features that demonstrate mechanics for the Ranger VR game:
Super Hot VR
- Shows the possible fighting mechanics that could be made (e.g. punching with force)
- Use of many weapons including melee and firearms
- Shows of enemies reacting to damage
- Access to weapons that teleport in to hand when grabbed at a specific position in body (like how ranger weapons appear e.g. behind back)
Blade and Sorcery
- Various weapons with the ability to adjust position and handling
- Use of melee, ranged, and magic/powers as well as in combination for more damage
- Use of kicking using analog sticks (an important feature for limits to current VR hardware)
Current VR Headsets for Use
Out of all VR that is currently available, the best options would most likely be the Oculus Rift and the Valve Index. The main reason these two are most popular is that they have one feature that the others do not yet have, finger tracking and finger-based articulation.
The Valve Index, which is connected to Steam, has the best tracking capabilities for all fingers as they are tracked individually, which allows greater potential for a better-defined experience. This can include pushing specific buttons a lot more naturally, or even posing and positioning fingers in ways that are just like the rangers in the shows. With this in mind, the Valve index has the best features for the game but it also has a higher price.
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Oculus Rift has a lower cost, which makes it a better choice for those on a smaller budget. The Oculus does have basic tracking with the index finger and thumb, so a decent experience can be created even with the limitations.
These are obviously both VR for the PC rather than a console, but they do possess the technology that would make the epic Ranger experience.
Continue to page 2 to see what a Power Rangers game could look like and some of the challenges it may face.
