Fallout, Doom, and Skyrim show the limits of blockbuster games in VR

Bethesda has really gone all-in with virtual reality. Whereas many developers and publishers have toyed with the medium, releasing smaller experiments to test the waters, over the last few weeks Bethesda has released three of its biggest games in VR. On the surface, it sounds great. With a VR headset, you can become fully immersed in the thrilling horror of Doom, the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Fallout, or Skyrim’s picturesque fantasy realm.

In practice, though, the games don’t work out quite so well. Each has been tweaked in some way to better suit virtual reality — Doom’s action is less intense, while Skyrim now utilizes motion controls — but they’re still clearly games designed for traditional screens. And, in most regards, they end...

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