Red Dead Redemption 2 is even more immersive in PSVR’s Cinematic Mode

Earlier this year I wrote about breathtaking it was to don a PSVR headset and stare down massive colossi in Shadow of the Colossus when its remaster released on PS4 in February. Using Cinematic Mode, you can play it and any other non-VR PS4 game inside the headset on a massive screen that nearly encompasses your entire field of view. There is no head-tracking, it’s not 3D, and you can’t reach out and interact using your hands or controller at all — but it’s undoubtedly immersive.

Then when you switch over and play a brand new game like Red Dead Redemption 2 using the feature and switch to first-person view, it’s so close to the real thing it feels unfair. I found myself so engrossed in Rockstar’s meticulously detailed world that I couldn’t help but turn my head side-to-side at various moments expecting my vision to follow inside the game world. If you’re confused on how Cinematic Mode works, it’s like this. Similar to using Big Screen and opting for the void environment.