VR is not lifeless. Here is why I am going all-in on VR gaming this yr

Sifting by the multitude of gaming {hardware} tales and there’s solely been a handful about PC VR written for the beginning of this yr.

That’s a disgrace as a result of new applied sciences will seemingly propel VR ahead in 2025 — no less than a little bit nearer to that seamless high-resolution expertise that each one VR players need. I’m primarily referring to Nvidia’s RTX 50-series and AMDs Radeon RX 9000-series graphics playing cards and what they imply for VR gaming efficiency.

I’ll get to that in a minute, however first a fast snapshot of PC VR efficiency in 2024.

VR and the most effective graphics playing cards of 2024

In 2024 we noticed some players undertake Nvidia’s RTX 40-series and AMD’s 7000-series graphics playing cards in PC VR gaming. Those who did largely noticed an uptick in body charges from what that they had earlier than.

YouTubers posted spectacular fps in video games like Cyberpunk 2077 and iRacing, for instance. The RTX 40 sequence added third-generation ray tracing for a lift to shadows and lighting whereas AMD’s 7000-series playing cards additionally noticed an enchancment in ray tracing.

Regardless of 2024’s top-tier playing cards displaying large efficiency variations over the earlier yr’s graphics playing cards they couldn’t fairly hit the form of body charges we noticed in flat display screen gaming. Mid-range playing cards just like the RTX 4070 reported playable experiences in triple-A PC VR video games too, some averaging across the 70- to 78fps mark, however efficiency not often averaged upwards of 100fps.

In a nutshell, VR remained a tricky gig for even the most effective video playing cards in 2024, which isn’t actually that shocking. VR does have heftier necessities than flat display screen gaming, due to its stereo rendering and large area of view, particularly at greater resolutions, like 3K.

What to anticipate in 2025

It’s early days for efficiency outcomes however there’s little doubt VR gaming shall be nudged additional alongside by Nvidia and AMD’s new choices this yr. I don’t see them bringing VR into the mainstream, however they’ll undoubtedly make for smoother, extra seamless experiences. I for one am wanting ahead to dusting off my VR headset contemplating the additional energy on provide.

A number of the first VR benchmark outcomes for the RTX 5090 versus the RTX 4090, as an example, are very engaging. One utilizing the Meta Quest 3 demonstrates a 236 % efficiency soar in Metro Awakening, a 151 % improve in Crimson Matter 2, and a 47 % improve in Skyrim VR for the RTX 5090 over the RTX 4090, for instance.

The small print right here is that at its present $2,000 price ticket and 1,000W PSU advice, the Nvidia RTX 5090 is positioned in a worth and energy class that will make many players wince. Consequently, it’s attainable plenty of consumers will select one of many step-down RTX 50 playing cards once they improve — me included.

You possibly can count on extra modest efficiency from the Nvidia RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070 GPUs in PC VR, but it surely’s nonetheless prone to be fairly good, and higher worth.

I particularly just like the sound of the RTX 5070 Ti; its efficiency is barely barely shy of the RTX 4090 and at $749 (as a substitute of the RTX 4090’s $1,599) at launch, it’s quite a bit cheaper too, so eliminating the jitters in some triple-A VR titles will no less than be extra inexpensive than final yr.

AMD’s high card is equally positioned for a decent efficiency acquire in PC VR video games. To make use of the AMD RX 9070 XT for instance, you’re roughly 42 % higher efficiency than the earlier technology RX 7900, which ought to go an extended option to making VR gameplay smoother and extra satisfying should you go for one.

PC VR players will as soon as once more see extra lifelike rendering of lighting and shadows in VR titles, too, due to additional developments in these card’s ray tracing capabilities. The 4th-generation ray tracing cores in Nvidia’s RTX 50-series playing cards, for instance, are anticipated to spice up RT efficiency by between 15 to 30 %.

Faster load occasions and better resolutions

VR gamers utilizing the latest-generation RTX 50-series playing cards can count on faster load occasions at greater resolutions than was beforehand attainable. That’s due to the RTX 50 playing cards sporting GDDR7 VRAM which has 33 % faster bandwidth than GDDR6X VRAM in earlier technology Nvidia GPUs.

It’s going to load out and in of reminiscence at speeds as much as 32Gbps (gigabits per second), in comparison with 24Gbps for GDDR6X, which shall be particularly helpful for 4K per-eye VR gaming which may be very graphically demanding.

AMD’s Radeon RX 9000-series graphics playing cards feature16GB of GDDR6X VRAM. That’s nonetheless good — we will count on it to be fast, even when it’s not fairly as quick as Nvidia’s newest playing cards.

Two different new options of the Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs look thrilling for gamers who wish to future-proof their upgraded {hardware} for PC VR. One is DisplayPort 1.2a, which is able to assist 4K per-eye headsets at 120Hz or greater.

The opposite is 4:2:2 pro-grade shade encoding assist for multi-view (MV-HEVC). When VR helps this sort of encoding, gamers will be capable to expertise video games in additional vibrant shade than the 4:2:0 compression that’s at the moment utilized in VR.

Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD Constancy FX Tremendous Decision 4 in VR

You can say these two applied sciences have already had an influence in some VR video games judging from gamer reactions in 2024. Then again, there are nonetheless solely a handful of VR video games that assist these applied sciences and that’s not prone to change a lot in 2025. Some notable titles embody video games like Skyrim VR, Microsoft Flight Simulator, No Man’s Sky, and VR Kayak Mirage.

Nvidia

It’s price noting, although, that even the VR video games that assist them gained’t make the most of all of the options in these applied sciences. DLSS 4’s Multi-Body Technology, for instance, is one function that continues to be unsupported by VR PC video games. In reality, it causes elevated latency in comparison with VR body extrapolation applied sciences.

What else does 2025 have in retailer for PC VR gaming?

Players are going to need one of many video playing cards I simply talked about to get the most effective efficiency out of a spate of latest light-weight 3K and 4K per-eye VR headsets arriving this yr. They embody the 4K Pimax Dream Air and Shiftall’s MeganeX superlight 8K.

From a video games perspective, 2025 ought to convey an attention-grabbing and diversified lineup of releases, from throwaway informal titles to large identify blockbusters.

Only a few that I’m personally wanting ahead to incorporate the time journey / escape room journey Wanderer the Fragments of Destiny, the puzzle recreation Infinite Inside: The Misplaced Depths, and a demolition derby recreation with destructible environments referred to as FlatOut VR. Right here’s hoping they play in addition to they sound.

Additional studying: Why I’m nonetheless utilizing my Vive Professional for VR, six years later