From the very beginning of the STAR WARS: Squadrons advertising campaign the developers Friv2Online said that the game will have full support for virtual reality devices. We checked it out - everything works properly, but is it worth buying a helmet for the sake of it? We share our impressions in a brief review of the "full immersion" in the space action game based on the Star Wars universe.

I won't go into plot twists and peculiarities of the gameplay, because our talented author has already done it all in his review of STAR WARS: Squadrons. There you will find an honest look of the franchise fan at the new EA Motive creation, and we will go straight to the VR-component of the project.

I broke into the game directly through the Origin launcher, which, unlike Steam, is not enriched with virtual environment and does not provide instant connection to the corresponding mode in the friv game. The coveted feature is located in the Squadrons menu section, and a few basic settings are attached to it, including the ability to increase the field of view.

Unfortunately, the friv game calibrates the player's position rather crookedly. This means that when you dive into the cockpit of a fighter jet, you'll not only have to pass a pre-flight check, but you'll also have to position yourself in the seat in such a way as to match the level of the pilot's head - otherwise you'll run the risk of having your chin pressed into your own chest.

There's another unsightly aspect to the figure of your avatar: the internal dimensions of the fighter and the character's build are expectedly unchanged, but all the pilots in the game are too small. Even for my generally modest build, being in a teenage body was extremely uncomfortable. In addition, some ships are frankly cramped.

The positive moment of immersion lies in the amazing immersive experience during flight maneuvers. Just imagine that you've really climbed into the cockpit of the real X-wing: vibration of the dashboards, a repair droid somewhere behind you, and starbursts reflected on the dusty glass.

That's what will happen when you enter the first VR dogfight and can finally take your eyes off the radar, relying more on visual contact with the enemy. To spice up the effect, I highly recommend disabling all on-screen markers and arming yourself with a handy controller.

The system will not allow you to walk freely on the bridge or hangar, but will kindly give you the opportunity to observe everything that is happening, including the story cut-scenes, freely looking around. The helmet will go into eye tracking mode, but there will be no hand tracking.

One of the most important shortcomings of Squadrons is the weak sound. I lack volume in the friv game even if I use a powerful headset, and modest speakers Oculus Quest and even more modest speakers can not cope with the transmission. In the strong points of the game in VR you can safely write down the picture - the graphics are practically not cut, everything looks very beautiful and clear enough.

If you tried Elite Dangerous in VR-mode, Squadrons will hardly stun you, but will definitely please you. The game's pleasing visuals and high dynamics really get the blood pumping and create a very convincing immersive experience. On the other hand, if you get carried away by complicated maneuvers or overplay with roll, there is a high chance to get a strong dizziness.

Control the aircraft in a virtual reality helmet will be convenient only if you do not dislike playing Squadrons using gamepads or joysticks. You should also realize that due to high loads, your eyes will quickly get tired. You will have to take regular breaks between sessions. The developers took care of this by making the missions quite short.

Perhaps, STAR WARS: Squadrons is not among the projects, for the sake of which you will definitely want to buy a helmet. But it might be worth getting the friv game if you have it. For today there are no session VR games about space combat with a large number of active players, good graphics, exciting gameplay and interesting plot.