Hogwarts Legacy VR Support Could Give Players A Real Magical Education

The upcoming Hogwarts Legacy promises to place players directly in the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and VR could help it do just that. Although the game doesn’t have a release date yet, and many gameplay features are still unknown, what has been shown so far looks like it would fit very well in a VR setting. Since so much has still yet to be revealed, developers may even be working on a Virtual Reality version of Hogwarts Legacy to go with the console games right now.

Hogwarts Legacy is a game set in the Harry Potter series’ Hogwarts school in the 1800s and promises a fully-immersive wizarding experience that will make players feel as if they truly are a student learning the magical arts. Although Hogwarts Legacy might not have the deadliest spells, there’s still plenty of magic for players to master. Details like plot points and characters are so far unknown, but a few features have been revealed, such as character customization, and a multitude of choices for players to make throughout the game. From the information available so far, it would appear that the game will allow players to create their own character, not just on the surface level, but also on their values and ideals.

Since Hogwarts Legacy is so immersive and seems to be dedicated to letting players craft their own Hogwarts student and their subsequent adventure, VR would be a big step to making it feel that much more real. VR is quickly becoming such a big part of the world of gaming, so it may also behoove the developers to join in and bring Hogwarts to life. Showing players Harry Potter‘s 1800s events could make Hogwarts Legacy a storytelling experience in addition to a gaming one. There’s also the fact that many aspects of the Wizarding World lend themselves well to VR, and so there may not be too much translation needed to make it happen.

VR Is Gaming’s Next Big Thing & Hogwarts Legacy Should Use It

The concept of Virtual Reality is one that’s been around for a long time. The idea of a virtual world, that feels just like the real one, has fascinated people for almost as long as computers have been around. Virtual reality video games have been around for longer than some might think, and have picked up in interest and development around the 2010s due to the innovation of modern VR headsets. Finally, virtual worlds are here, even if they’re not the full sensory experience that some hope to one day explore. New advancements are being made all the time, however, so that might not be too far away. Magic-slinging games like Hogwarts Legacy could become indistinguishable from the real world one day.

Since VR is becoming such a big part of the gaming world, it may be a smart move for Hogwarts Legacy to adapt to it. More and more big names are coming to VR, including popular Star Wars titles, so keeping up with what’s big in gaming is going to be important for new titles, especially ones that are just breaking in like Hogwarts Legacy. Although it likely wouldn’t be a make-or-break for the game, it could still be a big help. Since Harry Potter has had bad luck with video games before, it really needs to capture people’s attention, and VR just might be the way to do it.

Hogwarts Legacy’s Wizarding World Could Come To VR Pretty Easily

In Hogwarts Legacy, players will learn magic, brew potions, and ride brooms, among other things. Everything about Hogwarts Legacy won’t be known until it releases, but it’s safe to say that learning to wield the forces of magic is a big part of the game if what’s been shown so far is anything to go on, and using those skills will likely be another big part of gameplay when not in class. It’s not unreasonable to say that players will need to take full advantage of every magical skill they can get their hands on if they want the full Hogwarts experience, so there will likely be a lot of wand-waving and potion-stirring. Although these things may sound fun and exciting in theory, they’ll likely be little more than manipulating control sticks and pressing buttons on a console game.

Since VR makes use of handheld controllers in addition to a headset, and those controllers are often used to simulate actual hands, the skills could translate very well to them. Hogwarts Legacy could learn from other VR games and take advantage of its own features. Waving a wand could be done manually, as could stirring a bubbling cauldron full of beetle eyes and spine of lionfish. Players could actually ride and steer a broom with their own two hands, or at least a virtual equivalent. A lot of what players can expect to be doing in Hogwarts Legacy could be adapted for VR quite simply (at least, relatively speaking), and they may even be improved. Making the actual wand movements to cast a spell or flying a broom with the actual motions to perform various stunts and moves could take the gameplay from good to amazing.

VR Could Help Hogwart’s Legacy’s Immersion

From what’s been revealed so far, it would seem that Hogwarts Legacy is all about making players feel like they really are a student attending the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and exploring the game’s features and lore. Hogwarts Legacy might break Harry Potter canon, but in doing so it could also make a Wizarding World that truly belongs to the players. It seems designed to let them create their own Hogwarts student and design their magical experience around them. The developers have teased character creation, choices that will impact the entire game, and even the possibility of becoming a Dark Wizard. Since player choice and personalization are so important, immersion will likely be crucial in order to get the best gameplay possible.

The concept of VR is, in a sense, total immersion. The games and headsets are meant to make players feel like they’re actually in the game that they’re playing, which means that Hogwarts Legacy‘s goal of creating a gameplay experience tailored to each individual may be best achieved with VR. The fantastic beasts of Hogwarts Legacy could feel like a part of the real world, and walking the halls of Hogwarts would likely feel much more real wearing a VR headset than it would watching it on a screen. To make players truly feel like they’re a student learning magic and casting spells, it might be just the thing that would put Hogwarts Legacy over the top.

Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.

In the USA:

• Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
• The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

In Canada:

• Trans Lifeline: (877) 330-6366
• Youth Line: 1-800-268-9688

In the UK:

• Switchboard: 01273 204050
• Mermaids: 0808 801 0400

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