Gamescom 2014 Report: Day 4 and 5August 19, 2014
On Day 4 of Gamescom (Saturday), Elwin and I went to enjoy all the greatness of the conference. Fragments of Him was only on display for a few days in the business area which was closed over the weekend. We woke up early so that we could enter the conference before the general public by using our exhibitor passes. I was able to try out Sony’s answer to the Oculus, the Morpheus. It’s external aesthetics are a bit daunting although the experience it’s able to offer very much reminded me of a slightly better version of the Oculus Rift DK1. The demonstration placed me in a diving cage where underwater wreckages started moving and a shark was aiming for my life. Luckily, I was equipped with a Dual Shock controller and by moving it around it made a flare gun in my virtual hands move. It’s flares didn’t really seem to have any impact although playing around with it was certainly enjoyable for a while. As I moved my head around, I was also able to aim a virtual flashlight around. Looking at my feet felt strange as I witnessed feet that weren’t mine. The inability to move my virtual legs felt very strange, something that I didn’t expect to feel that weird. Before I got to play around with Morpheus I also had a chat with a guy running the stand. After explaining that I’m a developer we started chatting about the possibility of using Morpheus in the future. He was particularly intrigued after hearing what kind of experience we would like to use it for and as a result he gave me a card of a person we should definitely contact after Gamescom to explore the possibilities.
Next up on our list was to play some Destiny which Elwin has been urging me to check out. After waiting in line a bit we were treated on an explanation of what the game was. Why someone would even consider waiting in line for anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour to play something they don’t know is beyond me though. I played as a Warlock and got to get the feel of the game. The controls felt quite responsive although the settings felt far too sensitive. Customizing its controls was a pain with a localized interface but I assume that making it feel right in the full version shouldn’t be too difficult. Elwin, of course, had to show off whereas I was happy with a 4th place as a first time player. The rest of the day consisted mostly of sightseeing as I hadn’t seen anything of the 3 remaining entertainment areas. It was good to see that developers such as Riot Games and Blizzard had a few developer focussed things on display such as artwork, fan art, concept art, and even live drawing sessions by Luke Mancini. The show floor day 5 came to an end by watching a very exciting match of Counter Strike: Global Offensive with RYStorm. In the past, I’ve sunk many hours in CS 1.6 and seeing all these maps reimagined and played by pro’s was pretty awesome. At the end of day 6, Elwin and I went back in to see the final map played of the Gamescom ESL One finals. The hall was filled and the tension was incredible. After the show floor closed it was time for the Sony party which wasn’t accessible to the general public. The drinks were on the house and the hall had a great atmosphere. One of the booth’s big screen was used for visuals with a DJ playing all kinds of genres mixed together like a pro. For some reason, dance battles seemed to be showing up all throughout the evening. Some them popped, locked, and flipped as they were hyped up by the crowd around them. The night came to an end around 4:30 with the DJ trying to extend the party by playing at least 3 final tracks. After getting passed the problem of being locked out of my room with Elwin asleep inside I went to bed at around 6:00. Apart from the CSGO match on Day 5 there wasn’t much noteworthy that happened. Hopefully, I’ve given you some insight and enjoyment from reading about my Gamescom experience. I really hope to back again next year although time will tell. Follow me on Twitter for more updates or to hook up for a chat.
See you around!