Review: PlayStation VR2 is a huge leap that still can’t escape its niche

PlayStation VR2 is an exciting and disappointing development in the virtual reality space. High specs, easy to set up, reasonably light and comfortable, Sony’s latest finds VR going mainstream with a lack of compelling content and shattering image fidelity despite its brand new 4K OLED display. It can’t shake the underlying issues that have kept it from becoming. It’s the best VR I’ve ever had and I still can’t recommend it to anyone who hasn’t ridden it yet.

PSVR was one of the first VR headsets to be truly accessible to consumers, and while it was easy to set up for its time, the quickly outdated Move controller and outdated controls for TV-mounted cameras depended on. Still, VR has the future of gaming, and it showed that Sony is approaching VR with accessibility and ease of use in mind.

Last year, the PSVR2 was announced, and based on specs alone, it was a standout overall, with a few exceptions. At a retail price of $550, it struck a balance between an increasingly decent entry-level headset (the Oculus Quest 2) and a more expensive and complex PC-oriented headset (the Vive Pro 2).

With a 4K OLED screen running at 120Hz, inside-out sensing (meaning no cameras or emitters attached), and a pair of controllers stolen and improved from other controllers, the best combination seemed to embody. Single platform device.

And really, that’s exactly what PSVR2 looks like. It’s the best combination without any meaningful compromises in hardware other than using a single cable. It’s easy to set up and works for roomscale as well as seated and standing playstyles. A variety of games are available from day one, including Horizon: Zero Dawn spin-offs, Resident Evil titles, and other less intense genre games. So why am I still hesitant to recommend it?

Because VR gaming is a compromise in itself, as magical as it can be. Even the most seamless and compelling of VR is a sweaty, uncomfortable, artificial sensory experience, like sitting under a blanket watching a 3D TV through a screen door. Less than 10 seconds into Sony’s biggest hardware launch in years, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Is VR still like this?”

Some would say it just makes me hate them. But I really want VR to work.I hope it succeeds — I tried on that duct taped Oculus prototype many years ago and immediately saw the potential. We are witnessing significant changes fraction But unless they’re prepared to allow a lot, nothing like it takes me to say to someone, “Hey, spend six bills on this.”

Still, I don’t want to completely dismiss a perfectly good VR headset for participating in an ecosystem in development, so let’s talk PSVR2’s right features.

Gentle, refreshing, beautiful

First, the headset is attractively styled, reasonably light, and takes up very little space when not in use. Likewise, it’s a little cryptic and pretzel-like controller at first, but it makes sense in the end.

Setup is also incredibly easy. It’s the easiest VR setup I’ve ever experienced. Plugging the headset into his USB-C port on his PS5 shows how to put it on, how to adjust the fit, what buttons do what, how to sync the controller (literally, those PS buttons). .

Establishing a play area is done automatically by looking around in pass-through mode. It’s a real-time black-and-white view of your surroundings (and for some reason it’s a little unnerving). It uses the empty space around you to build a small playground. This can be easily added or removed by zapping with the beam coming out of the controller (which is actually a lot of fun).

Gaze detection is built in, and setup is equally quick and easy. Follow the dots and you’re done in 20 seconds. It was accurate enough for the less accurate ones, but I found it impossible to look directly into Rez:Infinite’s crosshairs. Repeating the composition didn’t help, but I beat his first two realms unscathed anyway.

When you enter the game, you’ll see familiar prompts, such as whether to use gestures for movement or use analog sticks. I was definitely thinking of a gesture until I found out in Horizon: Call of the Mountain that the gesture to move forward is to hold down the buttons on both controllers and move your fists up and down . I laughed out loud and switched to sticks, not so good. Motion in VR is still an open problem.

(We didn’t have enough space to really try out full room scale play, but tracking seemed fine most of the time, even if most games didn’t specifically need it.)

The PSVR2’s most impressive aspect is the controller’s accuracy and responsiveness. There’s still a layer of “well, these fake silly hands aren’t mine,” but the immediate feedback of movement and rotation tricks the brain right away, rather than jitters and jank being seen. Climbing is at the heart of Horizon games for a reason. Turn awkward movements into natural and fun. On the flat side the game feels silly. It’s really thrilling on the edge of the cliff.

The display is great, just like the VR display. The organic EL panel is bright and vivid, and the deep darkness is also attractive. Motion is smooth too, running at full 120Hz or interpolating lower frame rates down to that level. The 110-degree field of view is much better than tunnel vision on other headsets, but it’s still very noticeable and distracting.

hard limit

But even at 4K and 120Hz, you can’t escape physics. In fact, your eyes are only an inch or two away from the screen, with a complex Fresnel lens assembly in between. The result, as it has almost always been, is glare, chromatic aberration, bleeding, aliasing, vignetting, and inevitably eye strain.

To be clear, it looks as good or better than what’s out there right now, especially in color intensity and depth. ). We found that there is a very narrow sweet spot of maximum transparency, and even then the transparency decreases further away from the center of the viewport.

Other reviews have stated that aliasing is greatly reduced at 2K per eye, which is true, but it hasn’t been completely eliminated and the final image has the depth, fluidity and extremes of VR. is more convincing by its nitty-gritty nature, but seemed fuzzy and chunky to me.

In the context of detailed and immersive game environments like Horizon jungles and stylized Rez areas, even the Moss series storybook tableaus might be able to enjoy the moment past the screen door effect. But it’s always there, waiting to be noticed. In more static scenes where you can gaze at details at your leisure, the lack of clarity becomes immediately apparent, for gamers used to seeing ultra-sharp images on a large 4K screen 8-10 feet away. Especially. The idea of ​​wanting to play regular games or watch movies on a “cinematic mode” virtual screen rather than a decent TV simply doesn’t hold water.

The underlying problem of vergence and adaptation fatigue—the inability of the eye to focus properly by turning and reshaping—is also not alleviated by eye tracking or foveal rendering, but these technology can be expected. I’m not prone to motion sickness, but after playing the game for an hour or so with him, my eyes and temples definitely hurt, leaving me with a lingering sense of visual distortion.

The truth is that while the experience has been streamlined so effectively and the technology has improved so much over the last few years, the game still isn’t worth the price of admission for most people. Some avid players who love n and Resident Evil and are constitutionally well-suited to VR play were sold long ago on PSVR2.

And I tell them, have fun! Better than ever, super easy to set up, great controllers! And potentially a truly new and powerful gameplay experience!

But PSVR2’s progress, however significant in its own right, seems unlikely to convince those who were still unconvinced years ago. It can be felt and while some titles benefit from VR (Rez with eye control is very good and the cover shooter shines), the level of image and immersion possible on a TV screen is still improving. You didn’t have to wear a VR helmet to be terrified deep in the caverns of Elden Ring. And Resident Evil Village was terrifying when I was looking around with my mouse!

Any game that really takes advantage of VR’s potential still feels preliminary and unfinished. This is a hint of what is to come. I’m hoping that in a year or two there will be a true killer app that eats up my words. I don’t want anything anymore

But for now, VR is still too expensive for the experience it offers. And with better picture and audio quality for your home TV setup, upgrading your game isn’t a pressing need. The PlayStation VR2 accomplishes its goal of making a cutting-edge headset simpler and more capable than ever, but unless you’re a VR enthusiast, it’s another promising way to go to the Holy Grail. can be viewed as steps.