By Joseph Luster

The War Thunder series recently revealed plans to deliver an aerial combat spinoff titled Aces of Thunder in the most immersive way possible. The latest entry is currently in the works for PlayStation VR2, the new virtual reality unit that’s specifically designed to take advantage of the PlayStation 5 console’s advanced hardware, and if early looks are any solid indication, it seems like an intense way to put yourself at the heart of the dogfight.

Thanks to the PSVR2, which offers a high-resolution screen, motion sensing, eye tracking and new controllers with haptic feedback and touch sensing, players can look forward to feeling as if they’re smack dab in the cockpit of one of the many iconic planes of World War II. Eager aviators will have full control over all flight systems within their respective aircrafts, making for the most thorough experience next to actually learning how to fly.

Among the featured planes are the P-51 Mustang and Spitfire, with future add-ons to introduce combat aircraft from other eras. It’s worth noting that Aces of Thunder will operate on a paid model, so there will likely be a bunch of content available for purchase beyond everything that launches with the base game. Hopefully some of those add-ons will be available for free, too, but we know there will at least be a lot of customization options available to players.

Once you get the hang of dashing through the skies, you’ll be able to put your skills to the test against other players in a variety of competitive online battle modes, including team versus team, single duels and other modes with custom settings. All of this is currently being handled by a new in-house team at developer Gaijin Entertainment, complete with members who have experience working on the main War Thunder game. At the time of this writing there’s no concrete release date in place, but hopefully it will be in our hands, whisking us away for some memorable high-flying moments by the time or shortly after this issue is on stands.

Publisher: Gaijin Entertainment
Genre: Flight Combat
System: PlayStation VR2

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