What I Can Tell You About Playing VR Ping Pong
I love to play ping pong. It’s one of my favorite games to train my brain, improve some skills and to keep fit in general. Plus, it’s great to have some bragging rights over my friends when I continually beat them.
But since the lockdown began, I’ve found other ways of keeping up with my passion – playing through a VR headset.
Yep, you heard me correctly. I really enjoy playing ping pong with just me and a headset.
Here’s what I can tell you about playing VR Ping Pong
Lots Of Good Games
While the demand is low, I would seriously consider buying a ping pong table and all the ping pong accessories right now. When lockdown is over, I can’t wait to invite my friends over for a party and have a few games.
But until that happens, I’ve had to settle for playing online via VR. However, to my surprise, the games are a lot better than I first imagined. There are lots to choose from too so I decided to just narrow down the best two and tell you why I recommend them if you’re thinking about doing the same.
VR Ping Pong Pro
As soon as I picked up this game, I knew I was in for a treat. I haven’t used VR that often in the past for gaming but the fact that I could use both hands to play was a quick win right off the bat.
I started with the single-player mode and found that I could take my experience all over the world. The game has different countries to play in and each one brings something unique. I particularly enjoyed the Japan level as I’ve not yet travelled there for real, and also the ping pong game where I played in a garage that looked awfully similar to one of my neighbor’s back in the day.
Now then, I would say that I’m actually quite good at playing ping pong for real. What I realized is that sommy skills need to be honed to play well on this game. The physics are a little different to what I’m used to, but that’s understandable since it’s very tough to create something that realistic. With practice though, I’m sure I’ll get used to it relatively quickly.
I have to tell my friends about this game. Thanks to the multiplayer mode, we can play together too, although they may not be too happy if I keep beating them online as well.
Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR
I found this VR ping pong game to be just as entertaining as the previous one. I was particularly intrigued though because it runs on the Oculus platform. I’ve heard so many things about how this company revolutionized the VR space so I was excited to try it out for myself.
Needless to say, I can understand the hype.
There was no limit to the moves I could do. I got so into it that I even found myself diving across my living room at one point.
As with the other game, the physics are an important part of the experience. What I can tell you about playing VR ping pong on this platform is that I was able to make some excellent spin shots and powerful backhanders as the game responded well to my actions. This was even on the Arcade mode where the AI assists you a little more.
Then I turned on the Simulation mode. It was as close to the feeling of playing for real that I’ve had. I could be precise in many aspects, including where I positioned myself at the table, the direction of my shots and how much force I put into them.
If you decide to go with this game, just make sure you adjust the paddle rotation. If not, things may seem a little tougher.
I haven’t had the chance to play multiplayer yet as my friends don’t have an Oculus Quest. That said, I have found out that you can use PC headsets when using other systems and the game works cross-platform so I’ll be keen to check it out.
Zoom And Spin
I know this isn’t using VR to play ping pong but I thought I’d include it on this list anyway.
Everyone seems to be using Zoom right now, me included. I’ve used it to keep in touch with my family every week but I have seen examples in the news and social media where they use it for attending courses and a whole lot more.
In terms of ping pong, there’s a company based in New York called Spin that allows you to play over a video call. Being the ping pong fanatic that I am, I decided to give it a shot and asked some friends to join me.
We created a party and loaded up the game. What we found is that the game is more focused on completing different challenges rather than just playing 1v1 as normal. While it wasn’t what I expected, we still ended up having great fun.
I also know that Spin will deliver some ping pong balls to your door if you don’t have any of your own. In terms of the paddles, there are plenty of things you can use such as a hardcover book or the lid of a box for a board game.
One of my friends decided to use a plate. Needless to say, it did not work quite as well as they planned, so my advice would be to stay away from using objects that could easily break.
The game allows you to play with a maximum of 30 people at a time. If you’re planning on having a large video call, it could be a lot of fun for you all to play while in isolation.
That’s the great thing about ping pong and why I love it so much, even online. Anyone can play.
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