Ever wonder what it is like to launch yourself from an aircraft in flight? Well, if you’re not a paratrooper or a special operations soldier, you can now get the entire virtual reality experience in a new game by Sony. The company has released Air Force Special Ops Nighfall for PlayStation VR.
In the new game, players get to conduct a High Altitude, Low Opening (HALO) jump out of a C-130 and perform a follow-on mission after the landing. And of course, wearing the VR goggles increases the players’ experience.
“Created in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force, players will do H.A.L.O. (High Altitude Low Opening) free fall jumps, being in control of the parachute during a night landing; and a subsequent simulated mission According to the Air Force, the game is a realistic look at what it is like to be in Special Ops.”
“I had a chance to play Nightfall on the new PlayStation VR,” said Master Sgt. Ben Hannigan, a combat controller with the Air Force. “It is so realistic I could almost smell the airplane and feel the wind. In free-fall, play controls simulate movements to maneuver in the sky. After your parachute opens, you control your speed and direction to stay with your team. They added some fun with gates to fly through and enemy targets to identify. It may be as realistic as you can get without actually jumping from a C-130.”
The Air Force cooperated with Sony on this project and MSG Hannigan was assigned to helping Sony work out any of the kinks with the realism of the game and to give pointers along the way. Players can choose from four career fields: combat control, pararescue, special operations weather and tactical air control party.
The timing of this release is curious, it is obviously a recruiting tool for the Air Force’s Special Operations Command (AFSOC). But with the Navy cracking down on SEALs doing the same thing for different games and the Pentagon wanting its SOF personnel to limit their exposure while on active duty, this won’t go over well with the other services.
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Photo courtesy US Air Force
