Sometimes, I feel that VR games often end up being quite niche because not everyone enjoys the sensation of virtual reality (some people feel motion sickness, for instance), and there are also gamers who can’t really afford to own the specific hardware.
And this, unfortunately, means that many players miss out on some truly excellent titles, such as Half-Life: Alyx, Beat Saber, and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.
Because of this, some VR games eventually started launching a standard version for “flat” screens, just to attract more players and let them also participate in the fun. However, many players who are already experts on virtual reality experiences argue that it isn’t quite the same when you lose that 360-degree immersion.
And history seemed like it was about to repeat itself with Aces of Thunder, a hardcore flight simulator that launched a few days ago for PS VR2, SteamVR, PlayStation 5, and PC – but it seems that is not the case here.
Smooth Flight Even Without the Headset
Following the launch of Aces of Thunder on February 3rd, player reports naturally began to surface on social media, and one in particular caught everyone’s eye.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), a user who works as an environmental artist explained that they played both the VR and flat-screen versions and felt the experience remained incredibly solid on the PlayStation 5 when using the DualSense to control the camera.
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What really turned heads, though, was the technical performance. The player reported that the game is running in native 4K at a staggering 90 FPS on the PS5, which is enough to make any tech enthusiast’s heart skip a beat.
“Did you know that the simulator game Aces of Thunder just released on PS5? The game launched as a PSVR2 title, but there’s no issue playing on a flat screen with the DualSense. The game runs in native 4K at 90 FPS on PS5,” he wrote, and you could feel the excitement in every word.
The experience remained incredibly solid on the PlayStation 5 when using the DualSense to control the camera.
It is important to reinforce that, in some replies within the thread, the player clarified that while the VR version is obviously more immersive, the flat-screen version still offers an experience well worth visiting if you don’t own a VR headset.
This is great news for simulation fans like me who might not have the budget for a high-end VR setup yet. My personal trick is usually finding one of the few remaining game rental shops and grabbing a VR kit for a week to binge-test everything – so there’s a pro tip for you!
If you want to see Aces of Thunder in action for yourself, check out the single-player campaign trailer below to get a taste of the dogfights:
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