PS4 Exclusive Ace Combat 7 Will Support PS4 Pro; Producer Talks Developing for PS4 and PlayStation VR

Giuseppe Nelva December 4, 2016 9:45 AM EST

Ace Combat 7 is playable at PlayStation Experience with a new PlayStation VR demo, and Producer Kazutoki Kono gave DualShockers a few interesting details about PS4 Pro support, and balancing development between the traditional console experience and virtual reality.

Kono-san mentioned that the team intends to support PS4 Pro, but the game is still in development and isn’t fully optimized yet, so the way the power of the new hardware will be used is still not fully decided.

“We still don’t know what it’ll look like, but we do intend to do something.”

Asked how working on VR and PS4 Pro in addition to PS4 changes the development pipeline, Kono-san also explained that this is the first time the team works in Unreal Engine 4, and that enables developers to shift the pipelines and focus development and the experience on each platform, whether it’s a traditional flat-screen experience, or the PS4 Pro, or virtual reaility.

Allocating recources has become a lot easier due to the capabilities of the engine, which has mechanics in place that really streamline that process.

We also asked Kono-san if it’s challenging to push the visual quality on the PS4 and PS4 Pro, while at the same time supporting VR, which has to achieve a higher frame rate and render for both eyes.

He explained that the core direction between normal gameplay and the VR experience is the same, with an area of 100 x 100 Km on the maps, allowing players to immerse themselves in the game.

That said, the restrictions are different: with VR the game has to be locked at 60 FPS, so the other elements have to be worked around that fixed variable. On the other hand, on a flat screen at 1080p, the focus is more on the details. That’s why the main campaign and the PlayStation VR experience are being developed almost separately.

In case you missed it, the game’s story and characters were showcased yesterday in a really lovely trailer. We also have plenty of new screenshots, if you want to enjoy some really beautiful fighter jets.

Ace Combat 7 is scheduled to release in 2017, exclusively for PS4, including PlayStation VR support, even if the headset is entirely optional.