Activision's Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare--Jackal Assault VR debuted as a free download for PSVR owners. The game (henceforth referred to as Jackal Assault VR) is a companion experience to the next title in the Call of Duty series, the futuristic Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which also launched today.
Jackal Assault VR tasks players with piloting the Jackal fighter jet in a 5-minute experience designed to complement Infinite Warfare. It's the first Call of Duty game to branch out into VR, and it's currently available from the PlayStation Store as a free download to anyone with a PlayStation 4. The title does require PSVR, naturally, which means anyone interested in playing it also has to have a PlayStation Camera hooked up to their console.
This is how Activision describes Jackal Assault VR:
For a completely immersive adventure, the Jackal Assault VR Experience puts you in the cockpit of your very own Jackal and provides an action-packed bonus experience to Infinite Warfare. This mission takes combat to a whole new level and a whole new realm, and provides a stunning virtual reality experience for the first time in Call of Duty history.
Activision originally made Jackal Assault VR as a standalone experience for the Call of Duty XP event held in September. Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward and VR company Paper Crane Games made the game with assets ripped straight from Infinity Warfare. The experience was well-received by the people who attended the event, though, so Activision turned it into the bonus content that was made available to the public on November 4.
Jackal Assault VR is a short taste of space warfare in VR. You start inside the cockpit of a Jackal, awaiting your turn to launch into space. After you shoot out of the launch tube, your flight starts as routine training, but it quickly escalates into a heated space battle. The experience is reminiscent of the Valkyrie demo that CCP Games showed at events before launching EVE: Valkyrie. It's a fun experience, but if you've spent time playing EVE: Valkyrie already, then Jackal Assault VR will leave you wanting more.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the PC. Activision previously announced that Infinite Warfare, Modern Warfare Remastered, and Black Ops 3 would all support the souped-up PlayStation 4 Pro with richer textures, 4K graphics, and other improvements when it launches on November 10.
