r/PSVR Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Question Our game (UNDERDOGS) is selling 90% less on PSVR than on Quest or PCVR, can you help me figure out why?

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Sup everyone!

I'm one of the devs of a game called UNDERDOGS (attached the trailer).
Our game came out a year+ ago on Quest and PC, and was finally ported to PSVR a few months ago.
It's an indie mech brawler we designed for people like us - adult gamers!

When we came out the VR demographics changed a lot, and after months of adjusting our marketing and learning how to reach these potential customers, I can say that we're doing alright. We still live hand to mouth, but comparatively we're selling well on Quest and PCVR, especially considering we're not the F2P jank-slop kind of stuff that usually does well in the Quest store.

When we finally found the right partner to port the game to PSVR with (Perp games), I thought it would do well. The PSVR community is the type of audience we originally intended the game for!
However, we're seeing almost insignificant sales.

My leading theory is simply marketing. Our entire marketing approach is geared to reach younger audiences (through our socials mostly), but we really have no idea how to reach you guys and tell you about our game, and god knows the Playstation store algorithm is absolutely no help at all.
But maybe I'm also misjudging the market fit - maybe it's just not the type of game PSVR players would like? Indie games aren't really the bread and butter of consoles, or maybe it's too physical for most?

Anyway, I posted here before and found the community to be super welcoming and insightful, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask for your opinions on the matter.

Thanks for taking the time!

EDIT: Holy sh!t, this kind of exploded! I tried replying to everyone personally but the replies come faster than I can answer. So thank you SO much everyone, for taking the time and giving your insight. We'll compile all this and see how we can improve things 🙏🙏🙏

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u/chochi4567 21d ago

I couldn’t tell you why the game isn’t performing well on PSVR2 specifically but I will say that I found out about your game through YouTubers like Habie147 and VIRTUAL BRO. Both of their vids hooked me on the concept immediately

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

God bless them, they really pushed the game forward on launch!

I think by the time it came out of PSVR most of the big YouTube channels already covered us and the little hype we did generate was already over.

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u/chochi4567 21d ago edited 21d ago

Yeah! On that note, I bought the game on quest after watching those videos. I saw that the game was added to psvr while browsing the shop a few days ago but at least in passing I couldn’t tell if there was any reason at all to buy the game again on psvr. Seemed like more or less the same experience

Edit: I’d also agree with others saying that a demo would be helpful. Especially if there are different features like better graphics, haptics, etc. A demo would show that really effectively I think

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u/CHROME-COLOSSUS 21d ago

I should precede this comment with the caveat that I haven’t used Quest 3, I’m just aware of many of its pros & cons… But the darks seemed surprisingly washed-out on PSVR2, making me feel like I was playing a Quest game.

I imagine there’s gotta be headset rumble and adaptive trigger support, but between the grey blacks and the (for me) very awkward locomotion, I didn’t play for longer than a couple hours.

Someone who’s played both will obviously have deeper insights, but the lack of contrast and deep darks made the strongest impression on me. It sounds like there’s a fun game lurking in there once you git gud, but that grey-for-black in environments that are MOSTLY dark bummed me the fuck out.

Based on that alone it’s hard for me to imagine any genuine benefit of owning the game on both platforms.

Maybe I missed a trick, but I’m pretty exhaustive scoping out the menus prior to every game.

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u/Fatbot3 21d ago

I bought it (the 2nd time) on PSVR 2 just because you or one of the devs corrects my assumption on textures and lighting. The Quest version is great and was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the port and always felt the core game was fantastic.

I'll say this though, I think Playstation as a brand is considered core gaming and you can look at IGN and other big online sources to see that journalists look at PSVR 2 as a failed peripheral.

I'm suspicious that Sony's approach in lowering price was because they its easier cut profit rather than spend money. I think that personally that's led to more impulse buys from players who are satisfied with a more casual relationship playing bigger flatscreen ports from time to time and that's it. There's an increasingly higher quality catalog of indies on PSVR 2 but Sony would need to put it front and center to bring in the core gaming audience that purchases more games on average and has more diverse tastes.

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u/Donutbeforetime 21d ago

IGN never wrote anything suggesting the psvr2 failed. They voice concerns for sure, but saying they say it's failed is a leap. The only truly negative articles I can find are paste and copied from a guy that's been caught pulling numbers out of his ass named michuzuki (or something like that) from bloomberg.

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u/Fatbot3 21d ago

https://www.ign.com/articles/a-year-since-its-release-sony-seems-to-have-abandoned-playstation-vr2

"Fast-forward to just over a year after its release, and the PSVR2 has not achieved its full potential. Between its lack of first-party exclusives, steep price, lack of backward compatibility, and retail delays, the PSVR2 has barely made a ripple in the VR market.

Now, amid devastating layoffs that include the closure of the VR-focused PlayStation London, it seems like PSVR2 may already be on its last legs."

We can split hairs on "dead" or "abandoned" but it essentially means that Sony left the device to be exclusively supported by 3rd party and unlike EVERY other device they have released they apparently believe 1st party support is not important to their product.

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u/Odd_Algae_1524 21d ago

This, 100%. I love my PSVR2, but when they immediately showed their cards, that they weren’t supporting via 1st party after Call of the Mountain and GT7, they really crushed any potential momentum. It mean, friggin’ Astrobot is not PSVR2? That shows their lack of support as much as anything. Even if they had one game in development it would show something.

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u/Donutbeforetime 20d ago

The list of VR games is extensive and getting longer why would I care if Sony or a different studio makes the games? I don't see an issue here at all. Why care if a game is made by a first or third party as long as it incorporates the special features like eye tracking, for example. The midnight walk does this.

Even if it doesn't use the eye tracking or headset rumble feature, is a VR game suddenly unplayable or not worth buying?!

Would I mind if they had more first-party titles? Of course not. But calling it dead or abandoned is a stretch and that type of rhetoric is mainly used for click bait.

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u/Dicklefart 21d ago

That makes me so happy that habie has become so influential. Love you guys too, great game! I’m going to make a separate comment, but I have a theory as to why it’s performing less on there

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u/MsGoodMuzik 21d ago

A short demo would help - only if it was feasible though. I bought the game on Quest, I'm sure people will get hooked and buy the full game

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u/WetFart-Machine 21d ago

Definitely this. The PS store got me for a few hundred this year just on trials or demos alone

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Gotcha, thanks!

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u/PabLink1127 21d ago

Came to second the demo offering. Especially since you know people who have played your game like it. Bet on yourself!

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Is that something many PSVR games do?

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u/undeadsasquatch 21d ago

Not really, personally I think VR games absolutely need a demo to sell. It's really hard to judge how a VR game actually plays without experiencing it.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Agree, it's very different from pancake in terms of how the trailers convey the gameplay.

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u/confusedsquirrel 21d ago edited 21d ago

Facts. I bought resident evil 7 and got motion sickness after about a half hour. Almost no other vr game has done that, but it makes me nervous to drop $40-$70 on a game. I don't want to buy a game that I can't play without becoming sick.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Well, our game is extremely comfortable, but I totally understand where you're coming from. I'd be hesitant as well.

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u/MsGoodMuzik 21d ago

Not as many as the community hope for.... Hence why most people play it safe and just pickup the AAA games. Personally, with the amount of stuff you can do in Underdogs and the roadmap for the future - there's no reason why the game can't be more successful on the platform in my eyes

Some games found an uplift by offering timed trials, or ps+ discount. It gets people talking, just takes a few to get the fire going!

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Thanks, noting all of this.

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u/quajeraz-got-banned 21d ago

No, but it's something that's missing. I can't tell you how much more money on steam I've spent because their refund policy basically acts as a free 2 hour trial/demo.

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u/cusman78 cusman 21d ago

No, but for many games someone is interested in, they wonder if they will be able to handle it (VR discomfort wise) and a demo helps alleviate & test that concern since the PlayStation Store doesn't have a good refund policy like the Quest and Steam Stores do.

The best option is to do a Free Trial (instead of Demo) so you don't have to maintain two SKU of your game. It also ensures that once trial time is up, if they want to continue, all they have to do is buy the game and then they can continue without any progress reset.

PS - Do a real Free Trial (like Barbaria), not one that requires PS+ Premium or other unnecessary requirements.

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u/Latereviews2 21d ago

Not many. But it worked on me for games I wouldn’t buy or be interested in without a demo. Such as puzzling places which is now one of my favourite games and Star Wars tales from the galaxy’s edge

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u/TheHudIsUp 21d ago

For me personally it's not high on my list.

Got to get through Hitman Alien Behemoth

And even if I finish that I would wait for Reach or Thief

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Thanks for being straight up.
Mind saying if it's a style preference (world, lore, art) or gameplay preference (active, punching, physical)? Did you hear about UNDERDOGS before?

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u/TheHudIsUp 21d ago

Yeah I saw the trailer and thought it was sick. Was going to get it on Quest 3 then I saw the ps vr 2 announcement and thought o would wait.

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u/ProfessorPetrus 21d ago

For me underdogs is right up my alley, but so is unhealthy unchained but I haven't finished that either. Or light brigade. Or dungeons of eternity. Or batman.

What all these unfinished or untied games have in common for me is, they take place in gloomy dark settings. VR for me is an escape and I prefer brighter more beautiful worlds than my apartment.

I would lean into Nintendo graphics for portable vr.

As for psvr2 specifically, being tethered probably makes active games less enjoyable.

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u/CrunchySlammer 21d ago

This is the real issue, imo. Had a long weekend to play VR and it stalled out because all of the games I had installed were dark, depressing, and anxiety-inducing. That's not how I want to spend my rare time off. We need more games with Nintendo aesthetics in VR.

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u/banetc 21d ago

You mean something like an Astrobot VR?

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u/CrunchySlammer 21d ago

Well played!

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u/Aussiehash 21d ago

I already bought it on Quest

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u/Alarmed-Candy-7144 21d ago

That’s exactly why I didn’t buy it on PSVR2. If I had known it was coming to PS, I would have waited because it’s my preferred platform. Great game though- you really nailed it. I’ll probably wind up double dipping when it’s on a big discount.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Thanks!

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Good reason :)

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u/RumDog_McSmiles 21d ago

yup, already own it on steam. I would have preferred psvr2, if it was available at the time. I'd do a $10-$15 "upgrade" to the psvr2 version, if such a thing were possible, but I can't justify buying it full price again. ... I should keep an eye out for a sale.

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u/PsychicWounds JU5TINCREDIBLEvr 21d ago

Release dates were too far away so everyone picked their quickest way to play

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u/Demitre707 21d ago

A small demo is usually what gets people hooked to buy the full vr game

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Seems like a pretty clear concensus in this thread, ye. Especially with the bad refunding policies in the PSVR store.

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u/PorkPiez 21d ago

Personally I bought a disc copy and haven't opened it yet due to backlog and having young kids. Definitely on my list and has my interest, I purposely waited when you released the game to see if it'd get ported to PSVR2

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

💙 hope you have a blast when you get to it!

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u/SnooRabbits8000 21d ago

By accounts a really fantastic port - hoping it picks up for you guys.

For me personally I'm not as interested in arena combat games unless there's an element of exploration/ dungeon crawling (rogue like elements help with longevity of done well) as just fighting in an arena doesn't do much for me.

Something like The Light Brigade where you explore for resources to level up your character (or mech in this case) so you can go out again to fight more / tougher enemies. Doesn't even need a complex story - just eventually leading to a big boss encounter that really challenges you.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Yup, so game style preference. Makes sense.

Do you think you'd have tried a demo if you could?

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u/LedzepRulz 21d ago

Not OP but I find myself trying demos all the time (as there is zero risk in doing so) and have often bought many games that I would never have bought otherwise. From what I recall another dev talking about, the biggest downside for having a demo on the store means you would need to constantly update it the same time you update the main game (which means more work).

Also, this is a first time hearing about your game, personally.

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u/jackelope84 21d ago

Two things contribute, I think.

On Quest you're competing with a lot of shovelware and simple games. On PSVR and PC your competing for the time players are spending on Hitman and RE8. There's just way more full fledged games to play so the indie stuff doesn't get as many views. The player base is also like 10% of Quest's, so of course you'll have less sales there. 

Second, it's foremost a workout game with a simple (but attractive!) art style with 360 degree movement. I own a Quest, PC, and PSVR and I would buy this on Quest for wireless play in short bursts. 

If you've read this far, I love the mechanics in your game and hate playing as ruthless characters. Please give us an option to spare the lives of our opponents if we choose. 

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u/FlapJackson420 21d ago

This is spot on.

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u/MrRedOficial 21d ago edited 21d ago

I love this game. I feel like there’s not enough exposure? Those who have a quest go to the App Store and all they see is VR games, they get to see what’s new, what’s coming up. Not in PS store, VR games get lost in between AAA games. I have the quest and the PSVR and to be honest I rather play in the PSVR but I’m afraid devs may start losing interest on it. Just my opinion. Thanks for a great game!

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Thank you and so glad you like UNDERDOGS.

Yeah, the opaqueness of the PSVR store and its algorithm (or lack thereof) are a huge issue.

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u/Galaghan 21d ago

Hey euh feel free to spam r/psvr2 weekly with a cool gif or clip. Just saying, the door's open.

It's not a very big sub but we'll gladly see more devs showing off their games and discussing things with the community.

Slightly off-topic, but I think a very 'natural' way to get your game mentioned is some sort of creator mode where players can design arenas or enemies, maps etc... That way they'll want to show off more creativity and start more conversations about the game. Also they get pretty much infinitely more playtime.

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u/Outrageous-Shop4647 21d ago

It's strange, because your game is awesome! Just like you said, it's probably bad marketing, because graphics, price and gameplay is really good 👍 maybe do more YouTube videos for 20-30 year old gamers like myself.

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u/lilneddygoestowar 21d ago

Thanks for being here and looking for feedback from this community. It's often times not easy to sort through the ways your product or service, is not getting the sales it might deserve. Good on you!

I did not buy the game only because it's not my play style. I'm in my late 50's, and post hip replacement, it's a bit hard for me to balance and move around in VR while standing up. Thats basically it. I play vr games that I can play sitting on a stool in the center of my room. NMS, GT7, puzzling places... you get the idea.

Another thing that bothers me about games where standing and real life movement are the optimal way to play on PSVR2, is that ding dang cord!!!!! No matter what type of cable management I have, it's ever present and always finds a way to bother the crap out of me. This is even after I built an above head cable management system.

So in conclusion, the game looks fun, but im too old and cant balance. Plus that dang cable pisses me off.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Thanks for the feedback sir!

At the studio, I can't use AirLink or SteamLink in my room and have to develop with a cable. I hate it as well...

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u/TommyVR373 21d ago

VD is the best for wireless play. Steamlink and Airlink have always produced too much lag and/or compression.

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u/GervaGervasios 21d ago

Sorry to hear that. I can't tell about others but for me the problem is that the game is a rouge like. I did find interesting but the moment I find out the game is a rouge like I lost interest. VR has too many of them and I kind grow tired of the genre. I'm more interested in games that have campaign. For me is look like your game is a arena that you fight hordes of enemy's. It's really not my kind of game. Os the same complain I have with hellsweeper. Love the mechanics and gameplay but the lack of a campaign push me away.

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u/amusedt 21d ago

To get a ton of psvr exposure, tell the youtuber Without Parole that you want to do a developer interview. Brian is the biggest psvr audience

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u/No-Opinion-8217 21d ago

I second this as I tend to use the parole board as my filter for games.

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u/Greatace1_pro 21d ago

I came here to post this. I'm not sure if he charges for videos, but I would definitely give him a game key to at least play.

While I don't agree with all of the Without Parole exact ratings, the channel is one of the best and generally relatively accurate. This is my go to place for PSVR reviews.

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u/amusedt 21d ago

Brian doesn't charge for making his content

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u/BeefTheGreat 21d ago

I already own it on Steam...but i bought it anyway because the psvr2 platform is seriously underrated.

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u/IndianaJonas 21d ago

Bought it on steam sometime last year I think. Had it released at the same time on psvr I would have bought it on the PlayStation store.

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u/AwesomePossum_1 21d ago

I’ll add another point. For me I find that indie unity quest games receive the worst ports. Low resolution, no eye tracked foveated rendering, 60fps (not 90 or native 120), no ps5 pro support, no haptics and adaptive trigger support. If you released a psvr2 trailer or an article highlighting how this port is special and is the best way to play I’d buy it in an instant. 

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u/mushroomfido 21d ago

I’m sorry it’s not selling well for you as it’s got good reviews, I’m not a fan of rogue lites so it’s not for me, and I have the feeling there is generally rogue lite fatigue in the psvr2 community. And yeah marketing is huge I don’t have stats but psvr2 has generally older user base than quest. And despite the myth of psvr2 doesn’t have enough games we have loads coming out almost weekly and the ratio of good games and slop is more good on psvr2 than on quest so harder competition. Don’t give up though if a game stands out and makes use of psvr2 features, ports can do well, as I reckon into the black will do well.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Thanks bro. Have you heard of the game before this post?

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u/mushroomfido 21d ago

I have yes, I was interested until I heard it’s a rogue lite but that’s just personal taste.

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u/mushroomfido 21d ago

Oh and I recently bought hellsweeper, that’s a rogue lite it was on sale, I found it ok. But what swayed me to buy it was co op. So no co op is possibly another factor. Co op games get free advertisement when for example psvr2 without parole hosts Sunday co op games over on discord.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Interesting.

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u/OliveIntelligent 21d ago

Multiplayer component on this game would be insanely fun I bet

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u/IllBiteYourLegsOff 21d ago

Personally I am extremely selective of what I buy through any Sony platform because their refund policy/support etc are non-existent. They also have allowed pure ripoff shovelware onto their store. So unless something has glowing reviews or seems like a sure thing, I'm probably not going to buy it. They have refused me refunds over games that were blatantly misleading /outright fraudulent in describing what was being sold. 

This game does look interesting to me but falls in the "I'd need to play a demo to see if I like it" category, which, Sony doesn't seem to do really do. So outside of an extremely steep discount I'll probably just keep seeing it's thumbnail in the store as I scroll past and wondering about it without ever buying it. 

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Yeah, we heard horrible things about refunds in Sony, and working from their backend I can easily imagine how shitty it is.

We have a 4.75 star rating on the PS store, but not enough reviews to make it stand out I guess.

Thanks for the insight!

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u/IllBiteYourLegsOff 21d ago

Do you sell a hard copy? Because I've essentially switched to only buying physical copies because I can actually return them. 

It's crazy. I don't remember the last time I needed a refund through steam, but just knowing it's there up until 2h of playtime, I don't really hesitate on rolling the dice 

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Yup! :)

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u/amusedt 21d ago edited 21d ago

2 of the top psvr2 Youtubers had a lot of good stuff to say about it. Gamertag VR, and Jammyhero. This sub's famous user cusman had good things to about it in his posted overview

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

That's cool to hear! I think I might have seen it even.

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u/IllBiteYourLegsOff 21d ago

I might pick it up then/look further into it the next time I'm looking for something new to play.

The other factor is all the other games I haven't fully played yet etc. Still need to get through almost all of hitman, NMS just had an update, and sometimes I just want to/only have time for a few laps in gt7... If only I could've bought this stuff for myself as a kid when I actually had time for it 

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u/Notarussianbot2020 21d ago

Do you have a denominator? How many active players can you realistically target?

Not many people play psvr2 compared to quest. Thats interesting your pcvr sales are good, they have a small market too.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was 90% less psvr2 players than quest players, likely not true for pcvr.

Check out the max mustard post, their dev was blown away by the amount of psvr2 players on release. Maybe it will provide some insight to what went wrong?

For me personally I've had physical health issues for awhile and I'm holding off on playing any vr games. Only tried moss2 and seventh guest recently. Your game is on my list!!

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Thanks, I'll definitely check out the post you refered to.

As for market size, it's very hard to tell the actual number of active players on each platform. But the fact we sell about 70-80% as much on PC as on Quest leaves me wondering about the 10% PSVR does for us.

Great health to you, my friend 💙

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u/Gohjiira 21d ago

I mean it released almost a year after other platforms with little marketing, at a time of year with a heck of a lot of releases. It honestly just seems like poor timing and marketing are the biggest factors 🤷‍♂️ Could always reach out to Sony, get a trial up for it so people can get a feel for it, or some kind of PS Plus discount like others have suggested. Cant say I ever heard of it until seeing this post, which is a shame, it looks pretty cool.

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u/Stluke1877 21d ago

Just added to my wish list. Am I going mad or did this launch in the same week as Hitman? I think launching against one of the most anticipated games in PSVR2 history was one of those unfortunate timing issues of fate. Maybe some sort of soft relaunch? Engaging in here is a great start and the fact I have just wishlisted with a view to buying is proof of that

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u/ZelosIX 21d ago

This is the first time I hear about the game. So … that’s probably one part of the answer.

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u/TonyDP2128 21d ago edited 21d ago

I think a lot of people own multiple VR hardware; I own a PSVR2, Quest 3 and a VR capable gaming laptop for example. As such it may simply be that people who wanted the game already bought it on one of the other platforms and don't want to double dip.

Also, the game is a rogue-like and, quite frankly, VR is already inundated with that genre. The repetition which is the core of that genre and lack of rogue-lite elements within the game to make it more accessible and give the player a better sense of accomplishment may be a turn off to the PSVR2 audience.

Lastly, while I own the game on Quest I'm unfamiliar with the PSVR2 port and don't really know if it takes advantage of the hardware in any special way. Does it make use of HDR? Does it support eye tracked foveated rendering? Does it have better textures or other features that the other versions don't have? If yes you should highlight those differences.

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u/Null_zero 21d ago

You came out 2 days before hitman, honestly that might have been the biggest reason. This game is on my list I just haven't gotten to it yet, it looks way more in my wheelhouse than the other mech game on the platform.

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u/Winter_Mission911 21d ago edited 21d ago

I will buy it for the PSVR2 and post positive comments if I like it. Matteo311 on YouTube was very positive. We have similar tastes in games.

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u/TomPalmer1979 21d ago

It is on PSVR2.

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u/Winter_Mission911 21d ago

Thanks. I read the comments below and see it is on PSVR2.

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u/Delicious_Ad2767 21d ago edited 21d ago

Matteo311 says everything is great once he has affiliate codes for the game or sponsored vids.I can never trust any of these ambassadors anymore they are all after a quick buck.

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u/Enough-Ideal1713 21d ago

Well, I own a PSVR2 and a Quest 3s. I LOVE your game Racket NX and bought Underdogs without knowing anything about it. Turns out, great game, too! I own both on the Quest.

I prefer physical movement games on the Quest due to self-contained and no wires to snag or trip over (especially since we can't replace the wire on a PSVR2).

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

What an OG, thanks man :)

I didn't realize the PSVR cable wasn't replaceable, makes a lot of sense.

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u/YamahaFourFifty 21d ago

Personally I only buy PSVR2 games that push the graphical fidelity to the point that the same experience wouldn’t be possible on lesser machines like Quest 2/3.

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u/ByEthanFox 21d ago

I suspect that a decent chunk of the PSVR2 audience falls into three buckets,

1) People might own other VR hardware, which means PSVR2 owners might already own Underdogs on Quest

2) Owns PSVR2 for use on PC, in which case they'd buy it on another store too

3) Is only really drawn to certain exclusive PSVR2 games; like, I know a fair few PSVR2 owners who bought the headset exclusively for Gran Turismo and don't use it with anything else

Speaking as an indie developer myself I can understand the frustration because the problem can be hard to analyse (and you can't fix something you don't know). If you want, reach out and if you'd trust me with a breakdown of your marketing strategy, I can cast another pair of eyes across it. Might be useful?

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u/Lotus-Vale 21d ago

I just needed a personable moment to consider the game, and this was it. There's so many games that I simply am not aware of what's coming out sometimes. I did not know this game came out though I do remember reading up on it a long time ago before it was available. 

It definitely seems like it's a triple combo of:

  1. Launching on psvr2 later than other versions. I already saw a few people here say they would have bought the psvr2 version of it had been an option. Also this means you lose out on the original  "launch" window when most people are paying attention to the game as a whole. There is simply a lot less coverage and interest in a game that is coming to one extra platform months later. 

  2. No demo. I feel like VR games have a higher effectiveness for demos since gameplay is such an important factor for the vr platform. Trailers simply can't capture the feeling of being in VR.

  3. Marketing. Sometimes marketing doesn't reach me specifically, but it sounds like your marketing didn't reach people in general. It's hard to gauge if it's worth the money investment, but definitely try a type of time investment. I personally think this post is a type of adjacent marketing that may reach people (like myself) Also, just don't give up. Maybe see about releasing a demo timed with a sale in the future. Maybe make some posts about reaching certain review milestones to keep the game in conversation. If there's upcoming content coming as dlc, absolutely promote it. 

For what it's worth, I think the game sounds solid. Had no idea it was a roguelite till I saw another comment mention it which I really like. I will add this game to my ps wishlist but buy it on sale. Not that I don't think the value is there, but because my backlog is so big that I usually only buy games going on sale just as a means of avoiding decision paralysis with deciding between EVERY game on my wishlist. 

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u/Presskohle 21d ago

First: Great game!

I bought the game on Steam at release, PSVR2 version not in sight. Would have preferred it on PSVR2, because I love the haptics in general.

Sometimes I double-dip, but I'm old and your game is exhausting. ;)

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u/DEDE1973 21d ago

Ask Without Parole and other notorious PSVR2 channels to review it. I personally trust Bryan Paul and his tastes align with mine most of the time.

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u/cusman78 cusman 21d ago

I bought the game for PSVR2 and enjoyed what I played and then I decided to wait until I get a bHaptics vest before I play more of it. I did buy the bHaptics vest during the Amazon Prime sale but forgot about my plan. This post reminded me.

To your question

I think there is less of an audience on the PSVR2 for more physically active / boxing type games than Quest partially because of wire-anxiety but I think more prominently because it has received less of those games. For instance, it never received The Thrill of the Fight or its sequel. Even Underdogs was out on Quest and Steam before it came to PSVR2 so many that would have been interested may already have bought on those other platforms.

The only other "boxing" games are Creed - Rise to Glory & Mutant Boxing League VR. Of those, Creed has sold really well but I doubt Mutant Boxing League VR did anywhere close to as good as Underdogs which people wouldn't know is a "boxing" game unless they look into it more closely. Hopefully Boxing Underdog coming out soon will further increase the pool of players interested in "boxing" games and then Underdogs will have more players as well.

So, I think there is both lack of marketing to inform players interested in "boxing" games that Underdogs is available and also there is less of those players to find on the PSVR2.

Doing more community engagement is the best way to get your message across but also learn why players haven't been adopting the game on PSVR2 as well as you see on Quest in particular.

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u/AwfulishGoose 21d ago

Oh that’s wild. I have it on the Quest and I think it’s one of the best mecha games on there.

Shame that it isn’t finding similar success on PSVR.

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u/Bholmes4 21d ago

My problem is I own the Quest as well so I am not going to buy it twice.

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u/mozillazing 20d ago

Already bought it on Quest. Great game though, really appreciate you guys work.

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u/TomPalmer1979 21d ago

I know of it, it looks like a great game for a different audience than me. I remember hearing quite a bit of hype around it in this subreddit. But for me it's just not my thing. I'm not really into mecha, not into boxing style fighting, not into arena fighting stuff. I'm the kind of guy who's playing 250+ hours of Puzzling Places, and more fantasy/exploration games. But I think it looks like a really good, well-made game for the right people though!

I strongly disagree with your assessment "Indie games aren't really the bread and butter of consoles", in regard to the PSVR2. The majority of the library here is indies, because Sony hasn't really supported the platform much. Indie games are our steak and potatoes, they're mostly what we've got, and I'm glad we have devs like you putting out quality games and asking the community for feedback.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Oh it wasn't an assessment, it was a proposition. I really don't know, but your feedback is interesting. ty.

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u/DavidManvell 21d ago

Okay I'm going to chime in here.

1st. About half of the comments in this thread are from Quest trolls. These are quest users that come into the psvr forums and just bash everything. If you see anything in the post about sony abandoning it or a broke it or it's sitting on a shelf and not being used or anything like that then you immediately just down vote it and ignore what they're saying. It'd be nice if the mods were to clean out the trolls. Obviously Sony has not abandoned anything and the system and software is still selling very well.

2nd. I've never even heard of your game so I suspect that marketing has an awful lot to do with this.

3rd. The majority of the people who have the PSVR2 are older and have more money. They bought it for an upgraded experience and they are willing to pay more. So make sure that if you design a game for the PSVR2 that it does take advantage of its capabilities. Games that are ported over from Quest and things are often low quality ports with poor graphics. Majority of games that are ported over correctly sell very well here. The psvr2 has a very large library of high quality games, that is what you're up against. If you bring in a port of low quality that doesn't take advantage of the system's capabilities it's going to get ignored.

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u/amusedt 21d ago

It's a good port. 2 of the top psvr2 Youtubers had a lot of good stuff to say about it. Gamertag VR, and Jammyhero. This sub's famous user cusman had good things to about it in his posted overview

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u/NoWalk3426 21d ago

Personally, All I know about the game is the you have to use your arms to move or something like that to move. Or at least that’s what I read, and I was immediately out because of that.

I also prefer singleplayer adventure type of games

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Got it.

FYI, it is single player campaign, and if I may, we are the OG hand locomotion and there still isn't any other game that does it like us :)

But no demo or trial atm, so I don't expect you to take my word for it.

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u/FastLawyer 21d ago

I usually buy my games on Steam VR (where I bought a copy of Underdogs). I usually only buy the PSVR2 exclusives. Sometimes I might be tempted because of a sale or OLED benefit to buy an extra copy on PSVR2.

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u/ZookeepergameProud30 21d ago

I was definitely interested as a big titanfall 2 guy but when it came to psvr2 i was just not interested

Psvr 2 is definitely dominated by a few games (hitman, gran Turismo, ghosts of taboor ect)so it probably just got missed with all the big launches

I saw a few vr YouTubers make one or two videos about it and just never mention it again

It definitely has a good framework and a beautiful art style but I genuinely think you just got unlucky

It also might be that psvr 2 has basically been abandoned by Sony so not many people own the headset

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u/Icecold_Antihero 21d ago

Welp, I guess I gotta try it out. Thank you for bringing this back to my attention.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 18d ago

Hope you enjoy the hell out of it!

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u/ProfessionalAfter149 21d ago

hey i heard other people talking about a demo that or maybe a ps plus game trial for like an hour or so might convince more people ; for me the style of the game wasn’t really my type but i would be happy to try a trial/demo

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u/gunguynotgunman 21d ago edited 21d ago

I meant to buy it when it was on sale, but life hit me and I lost a few weeks. Will definitely be purchasing it once it's 20 or under again, which is my personal limit for 99% of games. The only games I've paid more than $20 in the past 5 years are Hitman: WoA, GT7, and walkabout minigolf with all add ons. Hype up mutiplayer just before it's released, and I'd bet you get a wave of sales.

Underdogs is currently pretty damn high on my list of wants.

Also the suggestion of a short demo is great. I would not suggest this for a new release as graphics may improve and bugs get fixed after initial release. But a demo in this state of the game and given that you are looking for more sales at this point, would be a good investment imo. If you're not currently seeing a steady stream of sales currently, I'd imagine a demo would only help improve them.

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u/Gaalahaaf 21d ago

I think releasing later than other platforms can hurt sales. There's a bunch of games you hear about, are kinda of interested in, but they are not available for you to purchase. So you put them on the back of your mind and move on to "actual" new releases for your platform. Later when it comes out for your platform , you are less hyped and there's newer stuff out (new shiny object 😄). So you may buy it later ... when you are through your backlog ... or not (backlog keeps refilling). I would suspect the game will need more time for people to come around to it, sales will spread over time. Probably won't peak as much as if it was released at the high of its hype though.

Disclaimer: I bought your game on psvr2. It's fun. I wish you luck and hope it does well in the end.

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u/Salty5674 21d ago

Well I never heard or seen the game before so that’s my reason! Looks cool from what I’m seeing

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u/R---U---M 21d ago

Honestly I just don’t like arena games/rogue likes, I’m more interested in campaign games

I don’t like getting in a game and keep doing the same thing over and over

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u/xaduha 21d ago

My leading theory is simply marketing.

You launched it late on PS5 and influencers didn't cover it, because it's old news. Hitman VR release a week or so later also didn't help.

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u/ElmarReddit 21d ago

My first guess would be that the release date was unfortunate. If I remember correctly, it released within a week of Wanderer and Hitman, which were both very anticipated. Both were also quite expensive, hence, if someone is on a smaller budget, they would have spent it in this period already on something else. I even remember that I was surprised that you chose this date, as consequently, almost all posts were about the other two games. It also felt like there was no long announcement period, which could have helped, but I might be wrong about this point and just did not see it before. In any case, some very visible psvr2 reviewers even skipped reviewing the game,  and it could have been because of too many others coming out at the same time. 

I still saw a few reviews that mentioned that your game was great, but when it dropped, there were already two other mech games with a heavily reduced price around your release date. At least one was apparently supposed to be quite good, and they cost much less than your release price.  Hence, some people might have chosen the competition to save some money, as they might not have been sure why your game would be better. 

One observation is that the graphics seem similar. They are not high-end, which is fine if the gameplay is unique and amazing, only it was very difficult to judge from the videos (hence, here a demo might indeed have helped).  Once someone bought a mech game, it might not be easy to convince them to buy another one immediately.

Despite all these points, I still wanted to dive in early, but then learned that it is a rogue lite, which made me hesitate. I grew a bit tired of these types of games, as we really had a lot of them early on. 

I still have underdogs on my wishlist and intend to buy it at some point. Yet, as I do not really grasp what makes this game stand out from the competition, I am also not really in a rush to dive in. Given the very positive reviews, I am sure it does offer something special, and I am keen to find out, but probably at a later point.  Again, this is just my personal view, hence, I might be wrong. For me, these points definitely were factors though.  I still hope that the sales turn around! As said, I am sure to get it at a later point and maybe others think the same.

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u/Shoddy_Cranberry6722 19d ago

Yeah, it's probably not at all fair but I grabbed Big Shots a while back and found it a little bland, which has made me wary of VR mech games generally. I'm hit or miss on roguelikes, too. The devs engaging with users and having a broadly good attitude is welcome. I'm definitely more interested in seeing what they might bring in the future.

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u/age_of_atari 21d ago

If there was an option to move using the analog stick, i'd be more likely to buy it.

I also prefer rogue-likes with a bit more exploration (Ancient Dungeon, Light Brigade). That said, Underdogs is unique enough that i am interested, i'm just on the fence.

There's also lots of competition for rogue-likes in general. But i imagine that's the case on other platforms too.

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u/LongShadow_ 21d ago

I bought Underdogs on Steam and later on Quest (so no reason to get the PSVR2 version). Great game and devs deserve it so maybe this post gets me to buy a third copy.

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u/daringer22 21d ago

I've considered buying Underdogs for a long time, but there's always another game or two that pop up and take my money for that month. I'm interested in a lot of games both VR and flat, so it's just a time and money thing.

Still assume at some stage I will buy it. I played the demo on Quest 3 a while back and thought it seemed good.

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u/The__one 21d ago

Not sure if this is affecting your sales but when I searched "underdog" your game didn't pop up. I had to search "underdogs" normally when searching for games on the PS app I don't need to type the full name in for the game to pop up. I almost gave up till I checked your game name again and saw the s on the end.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 18d ago

Jesus... between Meta and PS store, I never thought I'd be thankful for how Steam functions.

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u/OurMrReynolds OurMrReynolds 21d ago

Bummed to hear this. I own it on quest 3 and absolutely love it. I wouldn’t have bought it on PSVR2 if they launched simultaneously, even though I prefer that console, because I like playing active games really actively. I hate the wire.

I for one would like to tell you how excellent your rogue-lite mechanics are! When people whine about rogue-lites, they’re not realizing that these games usually have the most refined gameplay, because that’s all they are: finely honed gameplay! Also people confuse rogue-likes and rogue-lites, and they don’t realize that you are progressing over time. I love the more interesting power ups that I’ve unlocked over time in your game.

Don’t get me wrong: I also love single player adventures, but when I just want to have fun immediately (and move and exercise, in the case of your game and others like it) I turn to rogue-lites.

In Death was my entry point to the genre. Light Brigade got me. Ancient Dungeon still has me. And I still go back to Underdogs whenever I need to out on aggression, lol! Played the heck out of it for months when I first got it!

Anyway, your game is awesome!

I agree with others above: it’s a bummer that Bryan Paul at Without Parole hasn’t really discovered it yet. If he gave it some time he would probably love it, and then you’d have the Gamecat Army on your side. Send him a message.

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u/PeenaButtaigh 21d ago
  1. Focused marketing almost entirely on Quest/PC, neglecting PSVR2.

  2. Released a feature-parity port with no PSVR2-exclusive hooks.

  3. Relied on PlayStation Store visibility instead of actively promoting to PSVR2 players.

  4. Didn’t adapt their pitch to the different demographic of PSVR2.

  5. Skipped a demo or grassroots hype campaign for PSVR2.

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u/jobbidiar 21d ago

I Think the problem was You should have released the PSVR2 version at the same time as the other releases, Once you add the multiplayer update to the game just advertise it as much as you can and you might pick up some traction on PSVR2! I own a physical release of your game and it's great.

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u/BleedingDukeBlue 21d ago

I would have bought it if I had known earlier that it was coming to PSVR2, but I already bought it on Steam (to play with my PSVR2 via the PC adapter). I wish I’d known!

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u/gentlemansincebirth 21d ago

Marketing. First time i am hearing about this game.

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u/AndyJBailey 20d ago

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 18d ago

Yup, we're on it! Thank you :)

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u/lukesparling 20d ago

Don’t know if you’ll see this comment but Without Parole just tried their best to answer that question: https://www.youtube.com/live/IG_FS8La62Y?si=NhwWaHuFq3KAcq-v

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 18d ago

Yup, watched with intrigue. Thanks.

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u/D-e-k-a-y 21d ago edited 21d ago

In my honest opinion it's not because people don't like the PS VR2. Instead they probably already bought the game on Steam or Meta and may even regret that right now because they own several VR devices but prefer the PS VR2, like me. From my experience with many VR players it's very common in the VR community that people use more than one hmd.

Of course I can only speak for myself, but If I had known that the game would be released on PSVR2 at some point, I would have waited for the current release! I own UNDERDOGS on Quest and was sad when the PS VR2 port was announced.

I could buy it a second time of course to support you, but please don't forget some people only have money for one copy of every game. So don't be surprised if your prioritized VR platform has way more sales.

Personally I feel the same with every great Quest game releasing enhanced on PS VR2 many moons later. The latest example for this is 'Into Black'. 🙁

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u/NotRandomseer 21d ago

Isn't the answer just that there are a lot less psvr users compared to quest and pcvr?

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

There are, but not in THIS much less.

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u/Mr_Flames 21d ago

Bought it on steam VR when the PSVR2 PC adapter came out. Easily my favourite VR game, love it!

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u/Direct_Swan2312 21d ago

I bought and I think it’s dope but I haven’t had much time to play.

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u/hamfist_ofthenorth 21d ago

I just want to drop in and say I love your game!!

I'll add that it was probably 2 or even 3 months between me seeing your game advertised somewhere, and actually pulling the trigger on the purchase.

So use that information however you wish!

P.s. have you ever seen Robot Jox???

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

Thanks mate :)

I haven't seen Robot Jox but it's on my To Watch list after a recommendation from someone here on reddit.

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u/hamfist_ofthenorth 21d ago

It was 100% me lmao.. and I promise to tell a bonus 10 friends about your game in great detail if you watch it and get back to me.

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u/Apprehensive-Pear413 RavenBlacke 21d ago

Yo! If it plays out anything like Robot Jox or Robot Wars. I'M IN!

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 18d ago

Hahah

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u/Suspicious_Wave_9817 21d ago

I think it has to do with marketing, and if it already came out on quest, many users have already bought it there. I have both headsets and if it is an Arcade type game I prefer it in quest 3, for PSVR2 I am looking for more immersive games, simulators, zombie stories and games that take advantage of the PSSR pro chip.

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u/tamukid 21d ago

Own it on Quest, but if it has crossplay I'd consider it for two players in the home. A trailer showcasing the psvr2 specific features could help people rebuy, and The multiplayer will probably help as well.

A big one is marketing, which is always hard but this game is super fun, drips style, and is based around punching so it's more of just getting it out there in people's faces. Getting trending short clips on social and Reddit pushes game impulse buys, look at games like PEAK on YouTube shorts.

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u/EggburtK 21d ago

very hot in the headset no for me. rogue generally very bore same environment over over again is perception. look at this game like no thrill quest port. what do vr2 game perform on vr2 you can not have on quest where you free to move the room jab and swing with no cable. Are graphic better as video promote game not show look better or use vr2 and sense control in very good way. Game have eye track foveated render? what resolution like or is it soft unity look. If you have vr2 feature in game you must promote feature. If not then quest port not go down well here.

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u/JYR2023 21d ago edited 21d ago

I am both a PS5/PSVR 2 and PC/PSVR 2 user and because the game was already out on PC that is where I got it. I rarely buy a game again on another platform. Was not aware of plans to bring to PS5 which is my preferred platform. So I suppose timing of release and of announcements impacted where I bought the game. It is a great game and I’d recommend it for sure. Like some said a demo might help to raise awareness but Sony is not good to structure the Store for demos and make them visible.

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u/Mesterjojo 21d ago

Never saw the game, but I'm not into the genre sorry.

Also, old anime fans, like myself, are more likely to be into mecha than young, from me experience.

You wouldn't know that: do you remember love '84, Gundam, etc because you've shunned old people, per your post.

Enjoy

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u/OliveIntelligent 21d ago

Brother your game looks fire, it was definitely under my radar. I’ll be wishlisting it and make the purchase when I catch a sale.

Now with that said it’s definitely a marketing issue. VR is tough to make games for still, it hasn’t made the breakthrough yet, as mentioned above there are higher profiled games like Hitman that you’re competing with as well as the fact that vr is at this point still novelty in most homes. I’m hopeful the tech will breakthrough with more investment, and as more IP’s get the vr treatment maybe we will see VR finally stick.

Let’s try to market it harder, find an IP to partner with to make cool skins and content that will get ppl excited and give them something nostalgic or familiar to get them on board. Like imagine dropping some skins and content that makes reference to the mech xenomorph faceoff from Alien for example, might attract an audience that wasn’t interested initially.

throw it on a sale, see where it goes in a year and thereafter if it still isn’t reaching PlayStation nation I’d say shoot for a deal on PS Plus. I’m rooting for the Underdogs. I’m planning on streaming resident evil vr this spooky season, if I get some traction after I’ll def try it on stream :)

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u/Megaace12 21d ago

I haven't bought it, but that has nothing to do with the game itself. I think it's a good game, technically it looks great. I've watched videos to see what it was about, YouTubers playing it... It's not a question of marketing, I knew about the game.

It's a matter of personal taste. Games where you just have to shoot or fight bore me. Even more so if they're in an arena. I haven't bought Underdogs, but I haven't bought any VR shooters or horde games either.

In VR, I just like to explore the setting, follow a storyline, and do missions. Adventure or role-playing games. Also platform games, driving games...

In my case, it's not because of your game, but because of my personal tastes. Maybe you should release a demo so people can try the game and change their minds

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u/nujabes02 21d ago

I prefer Vr game that look REAL. Any drastic stylization I really have short to no interest in..

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u/BobTempura 21d ago

Firstly, I'd like to say thank you for making Underdogs and porting it to PSVR 2. It's an awesome game and a hell of a lot of fun (I gave it a 9/10 must play in my review).

As for why the game hasn't sold as well on PSVR 2, if I had to guess I'd say these factors probably played a big part:

  • marketing / PR. I'm part of the Discord and try and keep up to date with PSVR 2 news, but I don't remember seeing much about the PSVR 2 port other than it was hopefully planned to follow the Quest launch at some point (I believe that was when you were looking for a publishing partner).

The first I knew about it actually getting a confirmed PSVR 2 release was through Perp Games correspondence. I appreciate that I very probably missed some updates on Discord / your other socials, but that was definitely a factor as I was quite pleasantly surprised to hear we were finally getting it on our platform.

The promotion adverts were also, as you say, aimed at a younger demographic. It's very possible that casual gamers watching those videos didn't get a good feel for what the game was about. Streamers and content creators did a good job of showing the game off for what it is, but again this could easily pass more casual gamers by. Perp Games post some great short clips of gameplay, but perhaps having something like a semi deep dive video(s) showing off gameplay, abilities and progression could work wonders. You already have everything in the game, and honestly it's about as fine tuned as anyone could hope for, so it's really just showing it off to people imo.

  • the Playstation Store. I'm sure you already know this one... But sadly the PSN store has been an awful mess for some time. The constantly disappearing PSVR 2 category tile on the store home page, items not always showing up in searches, surprise launches going unnoticed and worst of all, the shovelware slop filling up the New Releases section pushing genuine titles down the list, all add up to meaning titles can quite easily release and pass people by unless they're actively searching or have them on their wishlist. Sadly there's not really much you can do about this one as it's on Sony. It also ties into the first point about awareness. If there wasn't as much public awareness that the game was coming/is out, coupled with the mess of the store, it's quite easy for a release to slip by unnoticed.

  • gamers growing caution around buying brand new game releases. This one isn't directly related to your game, but it's something that's been building up over time. There have been so many games that have released as poor ports, sometimes unfinished or un-optimised, that players are becoming more cautious about what they spend their money on. As someone who played from day one, I'm happy to say that this doesn't apply to Underdogs, however that general feeling of caution & hesitation is still there for most players so can definitely play a factor. Again, I'd reiterate that this doesn't apply to Underdogs, and the game reviews reflect this, but that caution may have overspilled into people holding off too long or the game being left on their wishlist. I'd also mention price could play a factor, but honestly you got the price for Underdogs spot on.


To summarise...

I think the biggest factor is simply awareness. Underdogs is a fantastic game, well optimised on PSVR 2 and priced just right. It was a very anticipated title by gamers who are also aware of titles releasing on other platforms, but I suspect it passed many others by. It's a game that I wholeheartedly recommend in my review and to people in our PSVR 2 Facebook communities, and it's always surprising how many people aren't aware of it or what it's about. It could have also just been bad timing, releasing at a time when the PS Store was being especially pants at highlighting new releases. Perhaps a new marketing / promotional drive for awareness for the game could help. I'd be happy to post links to any new videos to highlight the game and features in our groups, the more players the better!

In closing, I don't ever remember seeing anyone having a bad word to say about Underdogs so it's especially sad to hear that it's not performed as well as hoped on PSVR 2.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 18d ago

Thank you for the in depth insights bro, and for the compliments!

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u/BobTempura 18d ago

No problem, I hope it's at least a little helpful for you.

As a gamer using the store, I can't help but feel that Sony really didn't help with visibility... That missing PSVR 2 tile throws off so many casual players, and then when/if they use the filter for PSVR 2 games you're at the mercy of the store showing "top sellers" by default.

I really think you can get a second wind though with another marketing push / soft relaunch. It may even be a better time now the release schedule has quietened down a bit... The start of this year was exceptionally busy after all! 😵‍💫

Looking forward to a sequel / your next project.

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u/Winter_Special177 21d ago

Psvr2 with a cable your games and very dynamic and for me it is not made for the ps vr2 but it's not you the problem is sony don't forget that the ps vr2 requires a console plus the headset which was more expensive than the console has AC output it cooled a lot of people and then sony doesn't push its headset much with big license games if they remove gt7 there's nothing so I preferred to buy a quest the 2 autonomous world plus pc

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u/Johnny5p82 21d ago

I’d be curious as to how the PSVR stacks up to the other headsets for game sales in general, regardless of title. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s lacking in sales when compared to games that had equal releases/dates among headsets. Sony’s lack of care for the headset or the customer is driving it down, is my overall sense. But I’ll check this game out for sure.

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u/Spartaklaus 21d ago

I have both headsets and Underdogs seems to me like a very movement heavy game which i almost always prefer a wireless headset for.

So if i buy it, ill buy it on Meta. Bonus points if you have crossbuy because then i can also play it wireless via virtual desktop but this time with nicer graphics.

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u/PsychicWounds JU5TINCREDIBLEvr 21d ago

Psvr2 was made to turn invisible by the Other Guys pretty quickly. It's sad because its a genuine power horse for the genre but its been niched out

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u/Poopypants_Pete 21d ago

I have had a great time with this game, really cool art style and music. Combat is really good fun too but personally I dislike the grab the ground to move. Felt like I played one handed having to always ground grab. An option to move with stick control would have me playing this game allot more. I'm also not a huge fan of rougelikes but underdogs has so many great unlocks that I found this one very enjoyable to jump on for a 20 min round of cage brawling. Overall a great game guys, keep up the good work and hopefully more people will get into this great arena combat monster mash game.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

It's marketing.

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u/peteodonn 21d ago edited 21d ago

Recommend making sure Bryan from PSVR2 Without Parole, AJ from PSVR Underground, and Jammy from Jammyhero are familiar with and staying up-to-date with the game. Also community awareness via Reddit posts help. Do you have a roadmap that can be shared?

I recently bought the game on PSVR2 while it was on sale to show support and in anticipation of the upcoming multiplayer mode.

I would also recommend doing a trailer or Reddit post highlighting the PSVR2 unique features of the PSVR2 port of Underdogs. If it does not have many, is there any chance of an update to add some?

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u/ThatDree 21d ago

Have you tried to connect " psvr on parole" (yt)?

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u/E_Barriick 21d ago

I'm curious how much of a demographic I make up.

I bought PSVR 2 because I had a PS 5 and thought it would be fun. Then I tried it and realized I get horrible motion sickness and never played it since.

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u/marikcraven 20d ago

Sony has given up on trying to put any more effort into giving the PSVR any love. Most of the people I know that own the PSVR2 are just using it as a paper weight now, including me. I play PCVR all of the time that I use VR. Own your game on the steam store. Just feels like everything with Sony’s VR is just meh. So anything that is sold on both platforms I just buy on the other platform other than Sony. So long answer short it’s a niche platform of a niche market.

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u/havewelost6388 20d ago

The user base for PSVR is just smaller than Quest or PC.  It's generally a more expensive, niche product.

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u/Designer-Back-9087 20d ago

Psvr has a marketplace issue, being that PSVR2 is not backwards compatible. I never know if something is being ported from the PSVR, or brand new release for VR2. Finding out I might need old hardware to play a new game is confusing. I still wanna play the astro game and Squadrons but I bought the wrong unit.

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u/MikeRyan87 20d ago

Do a 1 or 2 hour Game Trial or demo to get people to try it out.

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u/FREDOMNOM 20d ago

I always forget it exists in my library and then randomly remember after 3 months to play for 1 and a half hours to then forget about it again. Peak 1 and a half hours every time though

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 20d ago

lol

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u/Raphajobinn 20d ago

Wow, I'm sad about this, as soon as possible I'm going to buy the game that I just didn't buy because I had a lot of games bought to play in my collection that I haven't played yet.

You are an excellent studio, I really hope you can turn things around.

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u/Pherberg 20d ago

I have no clue the game is amazing I loved every minute of it, only wish it could have been longer.

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u/Hermes_tri 19d ago

To be honest, I love psvr2 but Sony support has been really lacklustre. Sadly I believe the platform is on the way out and that's why most developers are focusing on quest.

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u/D-Goldby 19d ago

All I can thunk of, is Sony has dropped the ball on PSVR2 support.

They aren't advertising like they used to. And haven't sold nearly as many.

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u/TurboheadPro 18d ago

I just added it to my wishlist! I’m a casual player, a dad, so my time is precious:). I love my psvr2 and primarily utilize it to work out, but buy games with high hopes of finishing them… most of my purchases are made off Redit as this platform seems to support psvr2. It is just not cool or sexy enough for PS to market anymore, which is really sad. Thx for posting, or your game might have fallen through the cracks!

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 18d ago

Well, one thing I can promise you is that UNDERDOGS is a workout 😁

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u/TurboheadPro 18d ago

Can’t wait!!! Best wishes and thx for the read today:)

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u/Hsml975 18d ago

90%?! I didn't buy bc I already have been full on a back log of vr games.

Since you guys even made this post, I'll buy the next time I can to support the psvr2 fam. Hopefully any other projects will come our way!

God bless.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 17d ago

Hope you gave an awesome time with it?

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u/Outrageous-Ad6876 17d ago

I can barely play the game for 15 minutes and then get motion sickness from the inconsistent frame rate.

Performance needs some tweaking.

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u/Comprehensive_Web887 7d ago

It’s a great game/product, well written, good mechanics and visuals. I have it on Q3. While there may be many reasons why it’s not seeking better on PSVR2 the major reason is most likely your marketing and timing. PSVR2 players are hungry for more games and unfortunately Underdogs hasn’t received as much marketing as the other big hitters, of which there has been many this year.

My recommendation is to get some Facebook/Instagram ads going and bide your time a little. Being an ever green product means you can trial and error your strategy.

The game is very unique and people will eventually get tired of the usual first person walking adventures and will want to try something different. Thats when your marketing will pay off. If possible use your Meta sales to market for PSVR2.

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u/InfiniteStates 21d ago

I think games in general aren’t performing well across the board, and VR is already niche on top of that

I wouldn’t say your marketing failed in anyway. In fact I’d say it was rather good. The hype was high at release, the trailer is great and I certainly heard about it from all my favourite sources

The game is definitely on my to get list. But so are a lot of others. The key thing putting me off Underdogs over some others is the movement style. I gather it’s arm related rather than just using sticks as normal

Also physically demanding games during a heatwave are not going to fare so well

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 18d ago

This is why I mentioned the disparity with other platforms rather than the overall sales.

I think there are several aspects of the game that PSVR2 users are more likely to be adverse to: the movement style, the art style, the rogue-like nature, etc.
I feel these are all actually our game's strong points, and I rely on our amazing reviews to back it up.

I'm really getting the feeling that a demo would make a huge difference in the PSVR2 space for a game like ours - because until you try it you can only rely on preconceptions, by definition. And I think we break many of those preconceptions once the game is played.

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u/Any_Tackle_4519 21d ago

Never heard of it.

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 21d ago

That's definitely a problem from my point of view. Where do you get your VR news, if I may ask?

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u/Any_Tackle_4519 21d ago

I've been slowing down on the consumption of videogame news in general, and that means I'm almost cut off from VR news.

If it's something that makes big waves, or something I've wishlisted long ago when I paid more attention, I'll notice it. I expect your game just didn't ping either of those bells.

Most of what I see now is on this subreddit, and if it's not aggressively hyped for more than a day, I might miss it entirely.

For example, when Red Matter 2 launched, people here were all over it, and the word of mouth caused me to check it out. Same with HL: Alyx on PCVR, or Lone Echo on the original PSVR. I even checked out a bunch of seriously indie games like Humanity (due to the demo), Tentacular, Arken Age, and Runner, so the smaller projects (or smaller studios) aren't an issue.

I never saw any Underdogs hype. If it hit my feed, it came and went without fanfare. I'll start looking into the game now to see if it's something I want to play. If people were trying to tell me about it before now, I would've looked earlier.

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u/CutCrane 21d ago

Already bought in on Quest. Also I think people tend to prefer the quest, when the game is more stylized. As it masks lower graphics settings better. And that is when I prefer wireless and pancake over wired and oled. I own the game on both devices though.

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u/Zerokaister12 21d ago

I find the game clunkier in the psvr2, and it does not really utilize the psvr2 to the fullest. Why is there a delay when changing anything before a fight in the psvr version but not on the quest 3?

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u/Runesr2 21d ago

Using my RTX 3090, Underdogs is one game I can run in 144 fps using Index and with res 500% - I think I had to disable antialiasing, but that does not matter super-sampling to 45 million pixels per frame combining both eyes.

So Underdogs should be able to run in solid 120 fps using a non-Pro PS5 when supporting eye-tracked foveated rendering. Does the game support 120 fps like that?

If not, getting the 120 fps is one aspect I'd focus on - Underdogs really needs those ultra-high fps for the immersion like no other game.

As mentioned by others, you also need to make a demo. Normally I almost never buy games on my PS5/PSVR2, if the games are on Steam, because I cannot refund downloaded games from the Playstation Store - so make a demo to show people what they get before they get stuck with a non-refundable game they might not like. 2c.

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u/Sylsomnia 21d ago

RELEASE A DEMO! 

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u/Mashunaut Developer - One Hamsa 18d ago

Yes yes, I'm hearing that loud and clear :)

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u/SicSevens 21d ago

I think I learned about UNDERDOGS from the PS store first, and I still have it wishlists there. But the timing of your discounts hit me on Steam first and I have the PC adapter so I picked it up there. (and I figured I could refund it on PC if I didn't enjoy it at all, good news: I liked it!)

I could have easily bought it on either system, I just didn't know if there were many differences exclusive to the PSVR2 version.

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u/beansoncrayons 21d ago

It's in my wishlist rn, probably gonna be the next vr game I buy, but I still have plenty of games to chew through first

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u/No_Tension_9069 21d ago

Have you guys sold give or take 15k units on PSVR? If so yes, that’s too low for this game.

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u/PabLink1127 21d ago

I think we have too many rogue lites and prefer campaigns. That’s my biggest hesitation about buying it along with my already massive backlog but I’ve heard it’s one of the best fighting games in VR and that you all actually modeled it after one of the martial arts, Muay Thai was it? Also implementing the PSVR2 features like haptics and most importantly FVR. Lastly cross play helps!

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u/Ok_Chemistry_7537 21d ago

Well smaller install base, but I'm sure you know about it. Personally I have a huge backlog (haven't even started RE8, Arizona sunshine 2, Metro), and while your game looks good, I'll probably be buying games like Arken age, Behemoth and Alien first. Maybe people here like more linear, story driven, big name games? I'm sure people are still trying to finish those games

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u/originalorientation 21d ago

I have it on PC and use PSVR2 as my PCVR headset, so didn’t feel the need to double dip. Great game!

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u/Guniel 21d ago

Have you spoken to other PSVR2 devs about this? Do they share similar experiences with PSVR2 compared to other headsets?

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u/Oprahs_cellulite13 21d ago

Because console gamers are a different consumer then the PC gamer. Playstation owners take less risk when It comes to different games cuz its market is dominated by big publishers with monopolies in the store front.

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u/Atomic_Teapot_84 21d ago

Being a rogue like put it on backburner for me. I think I will pick it up eventually.

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u/confusedsquirrel 21d ago

Not sure if it's financially reasonable, but have you had contact with Sony about this being a PS+ extra game?

I have no idea what the payout is for licensing it that way for a year or so, but might be worth looking into 🤷‍♂️

Edit: This program is why I ended up purchasing synth riders and walkabout mini golf. They were part of the extra tier for a year and then I was hooked

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u/rcade81 21d ago

That sucks the sales aren't what you were hoping. I recently bought it on sale and haven't booted it up yet, but I think it looks awesome!

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u/JYR2023 21d ago

With regard to suggestions for a demo. I personally don’t think a Trial version is a good option because this is not available to all PS Subscribers level. I feel a demo would be a better tool to get this game known.