While offering impressive gameplay for PS5 users, Sony’s PlayStation VR 2 still falls short in terms of pricing and game library.
For most people, the first taste of virtual reality came in the form of a wireless headset like the Meta Quest 2. Therefore, Sony’s latest VR device, the PlayStation VR 2, may seem underwhelming if you consider the future of self-contained VR goggles and AR glasses that will probably be introduced in the next decade. Unlike the Quest, the PSVR 2 is a wired VR headset that requires a PlayStation 5 to operate. However, once you give it a try, you might not feel so let down. The PSVR 2 offers a luxurious VR experience for home use that is currently unrivaled. The hardware features vibrant OLED displays, superb vibrating controllers with unique force-feedback triggers, and runs on the high-powered graphics that the PlayStation 5 delivers, making it superior to the Quest 2 in every aspect. Oh, and it’s also compatible with my bulky glasses, which is a plus.
After seven years since the debut of the PlayStation VR on the PS4, Sony has finally achieved a successful console VR. However, with the PSVR 2 costing $550 (£530, AU$880), in addition to the $500 (£480, AU$859) PS5 console, it does have its drawbacks.
I had the opportunity to try the PSVR 2 last fall and was quite impressed, and after using it at home for a week, my opinion remains unchanged. For anyone who wants to experience the best-looking VR games available, the PSVR 2 does an excellent job, surpassing even the work-focused Quest Pro, unless you have a high-end gaming PC and expensive VR hardware.
However, arriving early in a year that promises VR headset competition, such as the Vive XR Elite, Quest 3, and potentially, Apple’s headset, the PSVR 2 launch feels somewhat lackluster. Though there are already numerous games available, few are exclusives or new, and Sony’s potential to maximize the PSVR 2’s capabilities with original games remains an unanswered question. Additionally, there are no indications of a more affordable PS5-PSVR 2 bundle becoming available any time soon.
Despite its drawbacks, the PSVR 2 is still my favorite dedicated VR gaming hardware because of the level of detail and quality of games it offers. While the Quest 2 is more affordable and allows for greater movement freedom, the PSVR 2 provides a glimpse of a bright future. Playing games on the PSVR 2 is not just a virtual reality experience but rather feels like a PS5 game has sprung to life all around me. Furthermore, the best PSVR 2 games are as detailed as PS5 games on my TV, unlike my usual standalone VR gaming experience.
Play Station VR2
$549.99
PRO
- Vivid, high-res OLED display
- Comfortable fit
- Excellent controllers
- Realistic vibrations
- Powerful graphics potential
CONS
- Expensive
- Needs to be cabled to PS5
- Included earbuds are just OK
- Doesn’t work with old PSVR games
- Game library needs more exclusives
Specs
| Display method | OLED |
| Panel resolution | 2000 x 2040 per eye |
| Panel refresh rate | 90Hz, 120Hz |
| Lens separation | Adjustable |
| Field of View | Approx. 110 degrees |
| Sensors |
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| Cameras |
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| Feedback | Vibration on headset |
| Communication with PS5 | USB Type-C |
| Audio |
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Inside the box
While the contents of the PlayStation VR 2 may not be surprising for those who have recently purchased a VR headset, it is a major relief for anyone who owned the original PlayStation VR from 2016. The odd cables and breakout boxes are gone, and instead, there’s only the headset with its long cable, a set of Sense controllers, earbuds, and a USB C-to-A charge cable. The latter is also needed for syncing the controllers to the PS5 during initial setup.
Setting up the PSVR 2 is significantly easier than its predecessor, which was a multi-cable project. The USB-C cable permanently attached to the headset is the only cord you need to enter Sony’s VR world, and you simply have to plug it in, establish room boundaries, and set up eye tracking (more on that later). The controllers can be charged using USB-C or an optional charging dock that must be purchased separately.
If you’re someone who doesn’t want the installation process to be intimidating, you can read our hands-on thoughts from unboxing, but rest assured that it’s all good news.
The headset: Refined, glasses-friendly, not perfect
Although the PlayStation VR 2 headset comes with a long cable attached, it is not wireless. While this may be disappointing to some, the cable is fairly lengthy (4.5 meters or 14.7 feet) and should suffice for most rooms. Nonetheless, there are some downsides to using a cabled VR headset. For example, you cannot use the PSVR 2 in any room other than the one where your PlayStation 5 is located, and the cable can sometimes dangle awkwardly or become tangled around you during gameplay. Additionally, as someone who has grown accustomed to wireless VR, I was concerned that I might accidentally damage the cable.
In terms of the headset itself, it has a single knob that tightens it to your head, similar to the original PSVR. The front visor can be adjusted to meet your eyes, and the rubber gasket around it is wide enough to fit over glasses, making it one of the best VR headsets for people who wear glasses. However, users should be cautious as their glasses may bump against the PSVR 2 lenses when the headset is tightened.
he OLED HDR displays of the PSVR 2 are impressive as they offer a resolution of 2,000×2,040 per eye, providing a sharp and detailed image that is bright and vivid. However, it is not at the level of “retina-level” resolution found on 4K TVs or phones, so there is still some visible pixelation. The viewing area of 110 degrees is larger than the Quest 2, but there is a slight sense of blur or bleed when moving the head quickly, more so than on the Quest 2 or Quest Pro.
In terms of audio, the included earbuds are not particularly impressive. They are plastic buds on a plastic bracket that pop into the rear strap of the headset and dangle down. While the 3D audio is okay, there is no off-ear ambient audio like on the Quest 2, so using the earbuds means you won’t be able to hear your surroundings. The PSVR 2 does work with Sony’s over-ear Pulse 3D wireless headphones, which offer better audio quality, but they made the reviewer’s face sweat more. The headset has a storage solution for the earbuds in the form of small, grippy cut-out holes on the headband, but this feels like an inelegant solution and may damage the earbuds.
One unique feature of the PSVR 2 is the built-in headset vibration, which adds a rumble-like sensation to the face in some games, providing a basslike kick in cinematic experiences and feedback that works in tandem with the controller haptics to enhance the immersive experience.
The PSVR 2 also boasts eye tracking, a feature that may become more widespread in VR headsets. While the Meta Quest Pro has eye tracking, it’s not yet widely utilized in its early apps and games. In contrast, Sony employs this feature extensively. PSVR 2 games utilize a technique called foveated rendering, which optimizes graphics quality only where it detects your direct gaze, thereby enhancing graphics without compromising the peripheral details. Some games also experiment with eye tracking for control functions. For instance, in Horizon: Call of the Mountain, you can navigate menus and aim using your eyes, and Tentacular and Rez Infinite also incorporate this feature.
In the past, I’ve encountered problems with eye tracking in VR due to my thick glasses, and it took several attempts to set up the PSVR 2 for it to work properly. A tip for those wearing glasses: ensure that the headset is positioned close enough to your glasses.
The headset is quite adjustable and offers a variety of options to accommodate different users. You can slide it in or out to adjust the distance from your face, and there’s a dial to modify the distance between lenses, also known as interpupillary distance (IPD). The setup software provided by Sony makes the fitting process relatively straightforward.
However, accessing the headset controls while wearing it can be challenging. The power button is recessed at the bottom of the headset, making it challenging to locate by touch, and the passthrough camera button is not as convenient to find as the Quest 2’s side double-tap feature.
Nevertheless, the passthrough cameras on the PSVR 2 offer a higher level of detail than the Quest 2’s cameras, although they lack color, unlike the Quest Pro.
Easy to set up
The PSVR 2 has a setup and functionality that closely resembles that of the Oculus Quest. The headset comes equipped with four built-in cameras that handle all the room tracking, so there’s no need for a camera to be mounted on your TV like with the older PSVR hardware. The new controllers are capable of tracking movement in space, and they feature all the buttons, analog sticks, and triggers that other VR controllers offer. Similar to AR headsets like the Magic Leap, the PSVR 2 scans your room and creates a play area by painting your walls and obstacles with polygons. This process is smoother than that of the Quest, and it suggests a play area based on the scan, although you can customize it to your liking. While the PSVR 2 recommends a play area of 6.7-by-6.7 feet for full movement, a smaller space like my office, which measures around five feet by four feet, worked just fine. Like other VR headsets, the PSVR 2 features glowing grid-walls that warn you when you approach the edges of your play boundary. However, this can sometimes disrupt the gameplay experience.
The controllers
Previously, Sony lacked a dedicated game controller for VR, and the original PSVR required the use of the outdated PlayStation Move wands. Finally, with the Sense controllers, users have access to the highly anticipated upgrade, which does not disappoint.
Compared to the Quest 2 Touch controllers, the Sense controllers have a more sleek and futuristic appearance, resembling part of a spaceship. The spherical orb design is more prominent, and the button-stick layout is gently curved, resulting in a comfortable feel. Moreover, these controllers are lightweight, and their buttons and sticks, while smaller than the DualSense controller’s, feel just as good. The triggers are equally impressive, featuring force-feedback similar to the DualSense controller, which enhances gameplay in titles that require more pressure to fire a weapon or climb a cliff. It’s worth noting, however, that the Sense controllers do not have a D-pad or clickable touchpad like the DualSense, meaning that players still require a DualSense controller to play non-VR PS5 games on the headset.
Additionally, the haptic feedback of the Sense controllers is superb, with more nuanced ripples and rumbles than any other VR controller available, which enhances immersion. In Tentacular, the user can feel their tentacle-hands wiggling, while Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge finely tunes the feedback for various guns and tools, making them feel like they’re reverberating in the user’s hand. In Horizon: Call of the Mountain, the user can feel the tension of the bow and arrows they’re using, further adding to the immersive experience.
One potential downside to the PSVR 2 controllers is their battery life. During a few hours of gameplay, I noticed that the controllers began to run low, although recharging them is quick and easy through USB-C or with the separately-sold $50 charge dock included in our review package. The charge dock features contact pin dongles that can be inserted into the controller’s USB-C slots to rest them on the dock and charge both controllers simultaneously. Alternatively, users can plug them into a standard charger.
However, unlike the Quest 2 controllers, the PSVR 2 controllers lack finger awareness. The Quest 2 enables finger movements in VR when users lift or rest their fingers on the buttons, but the PSVR 2 doesn’t appear to provide the same level of nuanced finger tracking for all games, although some games like Horizon: Call of the Mountain do feature hand and finger tracking. It remains to be seen whether future updates will improve this feature.
Moreover, the controllers feature adjustable hand straps, which can be removed if desired, but I prefer to keep them on for safety.
Games
I have had the opportunity to play around 16 games from Sony’s PSVR 2 launch library, and while they are generally good, many of them are already familiar ports that I have played on other headsets like the Oculus Quest for quite some time. Despite this, a few of the games such as Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition, Tentacular and Rez Infinite have received significant graphical upgrades, haptics improvements and added optional eye-tracking controls.
Of all the games, Horizon: Call of the Mountain has been the most captivating exclusive for me. It is set in the Horizon RPG game universe, and although it is more of a linear adventure than a true RPG, it is a stunning demonstration of the system’s capabilities. The gameplay consists of archery-based attacking (like In Death: Unchained) and climbing (like The Climb 2), with some aspects reminiscent of Half-Life Alyx. However, I have encountered some difficulty with the game controls, especially during challenging boss battles.
There are games in the PSVR 2 lineup that are only available in VR, while others are PS5 games that come with free PSVR 2 upgrades. Some examples of these include No Man’s Sky, Gran Turismo 7, and Resident Evil Village. I have yet to play these games, but I will provide my impressions once I have access to the updates closer to the PSVR 2 launch date.
It’s disappointing that the PSVR 2 doesn’t have automatic backward-compatibility with existing PSVR games from the last seven years due to the new hardware’s different controllers and tracking technology. While some games are getting free PSVR 2 updates, others require an extra charge, leaving original PSVR exclusives such as Super Stardust, Wipeout, Blood and Truth, and Paper Beast behind. It’s unfortunate that original PSVR owners are not rewarded for their commitment and are expected to repurchase many games. The PSVR 2 should have found a way to address this issue, especially since the PS5 can play PS4 games. Additionally, it’s curious that the beloved Astro Bot, a mascot that has guided players through new interfaces such as the first PSVR and the PS5 at launch, is nowhere to be found in the PSVR 2’s launch library. A more casual, aesthetically pleasing way to experience the PSVR 2 beyond Horizon’s intensity would have been appreciated. Although the existing launch library is impressive, it’s not enough to justify the PSVR 2’s price tag yet. Hopefully, by the end of 2023, this will change.
No metaverse ecosystem
At launch, the PSVR 2 doesn’t offer the social apps, avatar creation tools, and virtual world-building features that the Quest 2 and other VR headsets provide. Instead, it solely focuses on delivering an exceptional gaming experience. Unlike the Quest 2, which has a dedicated virtual “home” space and apps like VRChat and Rec Room, PSVR 2 lacks these features as of the writing of this text.
While this may change over the course of the year, the current state of the PSVR 2 gives it a hardware-centric feel rather than that of a forward-looking metaverse device. Some may find this to be a positive aspect, especially with the Quest 2’s recent issues with overloaded and buggy features. Nonetheless, in a year where VR and AR devices are popping up everywhere, the PSVR 2 may seem to lag behind the competition.
No mixed reality or hand tracking, either
The PSVR 2 lacks some features that are becoming standard in other VR headsets, such as the ability to mix VR and the real world using passthrough cameras. While the PSVR 2 can perform mixed reality by mapping the room and projecting boundaries, it currently does not have hand tracking without controllers, a feature that is available on the Quest 2. Although hand tracking is not always precise, it offers an alternative to controller-based play and could be useful in PSVR 2 games or the main menu interface. While it is possible that Sony may add mixed reality features in the future, the absence of these features may make the PSVR 2 seem slightly behind other VR headsets that already offer them.
Conclusion
There are various reasons why waiting for PSVR 2 may be a wise decision. Firstly, the price point of $550 is steep and when combined with the PS5, the total cost of $1,050 without any games is exorbitant when compared to the more budget-friendly Quest 2, which comes with a few free apps to explore and wireless capabilities. Although the Quest 2 is several years old, a new model is set to release this year, making it a more attractive option for casual or social VR enthusiasts.
Furthermore, it is uncertain if the PSVR 2 game library will continue to evolve and be as impressive as Sony’s PS5 games. While many VR game developers have shown interest, it’s hard to determine at this stage. Thus, waiting to observe its progress may be beneficial.
There is also the possibility of Sony bundling the PS5 and PSVR 2 at a lower cost, but it’s unclear if and when that will happen.
Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind that other VR headsets, such as the Quest 3, the Vive XR Elite, and potentially Apple’s foray into the market, are expected to launch this year. Thus, the PSVR 2 won’t be the sole option available, although its association with the PS5 makes it a potentially superior choice for experiencing PC-quality VR games without the need for a computer.
