I had an absolute blast getting my palms (and eyes) on with the PS VR2 headset. Sony’s new VR headset is arriving quickly to the general public, and with it comes controversial choices, resembling the dearth of backwards compatibility and that $549 price ticket. However let’s simply say my very own pockets is perhaps opening up quickly.
With a slate of 30 video games on observe for launch, together with a free VR replace to Gran Turismo 7, and an enormous potential viewers of 30 million PS5 house owners (as Sony confirmed at CES 2023), the whole lot is in place for this to be one other profitable piece of PlayStation {hardware}.
However is it well worth the lofty asking value? What’s the expertise of utilizing PS VR2 like? Let’s get into it.
PS VR2 value & availability
Let’s peel off the massive metaphorical wax strip of ache first. The PS VR2 launches on February 22 on the lofty value of $549/£529.
For what you get specs-wise, that may be a fairly good value, however we are able to’t ignore the truth that it’s greater than the price of a PS5 only for an non-compulsory accent. At a time once we’re all penny pinching, that is fairly a drastic buy proper now.
PS VR2 design & specs
If there’s one phrase to sum up the stylings of the PS VR2, it’s “smooth.” From each angle, the headset seems to be rather well thought-out, with an aesthetic that matches the colour end of your PS5 for a whole suite.
Packed inside this headset, you’ll discover OLED shows with a 2000 x 2040-pixel decision per eye and as much as a 120Hz refresh charge, an IR digicam for eye monitoring, 4 embedded cameras on the outer shell for all of your head and controller monitoring, and a six-axis movement sensing system.
There isn’t a built-in battery for wi-fi use, however the quantity of cables wanted to run it have been diminished to only one. That could be a enormous step up from the unique PS VR — something to forestall gamers from yanking the PS5 out of their TV stands.
PS VR2 consolation
Whereas we don’t have any official affirmation on weight or dimensions, a lately leaked PS VR2 guide said that it weighs about 1.2 kilos (560 grams), which feels impressively mild on the pinnacle for long-term use.
That is additional improved upon with an simply adjustable design with cushioning in all the proper locations for a cosy, safe match. Plus, with out the strap that goes excessive of your head, it does not really feel as constraining as the unique PS VR.
The controllers are a big step up from the primary era headset, too, with a light-weight, ergonomic design that welcomes your palms with sleek curves and buttons positioned in logical locations in your fingers to only fall into. Plus, there is a component of capacitive contact right here that tracks finger actions fairly properly.
PS VR2 setup
Organising the PS VR2 to your wants was an absolute cinch. A dial on the left aspect of the headset adjusts eye positioning, which is then adopted by a watch monitoring check to optimize the digicam to your actions. That is performed by a transferring dot across the display.
When full, navigating menus and the world round you is a generational leap from the earlier headset. Due to eye monitoring, it’s tremendous straightforward to take a look at what you need to choose and zip round choices.
PS VR2 gaming
The demo I attempted on the Sony CES stand was a 30 minute blast by means of Horizon Name of The Mountain, which made for a incredible demonstration of simply what the PS VR2 is able to — immersing you again into the fascinating world of robotic dinosaurs created by Guerilla Video games as a disgraced former Carja soldier named Ryas.
I began by going by means of a scripted scene in a ship crusing down a stream, which is a superb presentation of that vast quantity of polish you get from a AAA PlayStation sport. Fairly than simply watching the scene move you by, you possibly can put your hand within the water and really feel it by means of haptics, transfer vines out of the best way and duck your head beneath them, and seize a maintain of lots of the surfaces round you.
Then it is time for traversal and fight, which is dealt with within the typical method of holding buttons and transferring your arms in a running-like movement, with some moments the place you climb the surroundings. All of it feels principally intuitive, apart from some small moments the place it’s worthwhile to modify the digicam with the proper analogue stick. I’d love to have the ability to simply go searching and discover my subsequent hand maintain, however the complexity of sure scenes means it isn’t all the time potential.
As for combating the machines, the act of grabbing your bow from behind your shoulder and firing off photographs feels as spectacular because it sounds. I felt a way of Legolas-style energy as you launch arrows and attempt to hit the weak spots, whereas traversal is proscribed to a circle across the sure enemy you’re going through. That final bit could sound just a little confined, however it helps to maintain the fight gameplay targeted.
Plus, there are DualSense-quality haptics in every single place — in each the controllers and the headset itself. The expertise shocked me at first, and it’s form of exhausting to explain the intangibles right here, however it’s a new degree of immersion that helps you’re feeling the moments round you.
Outlook
So, if you add all of this collectively, I’ve just one factor to say: the PS VR2 is well probably the greatest VR experiences I’ve performed with.
The visible constancy and smoothness of the image is unbelievable, the controllers really feel nice with impeccable haptics, and with what I name that “PlayStation polish,” the primary social gathering sport expertise immerses you in an interactive world — somewhat than simply feeling like a simulation that passes you by.
I can’t say extra till I get some correct hands-on time for a full evaluate, however pricing apart (and if it’s a little bit of a wrestle to afford, then there’s all the time Black Friday later within the 12 months), there’s lots to be enthusiastic about right here.
