| headset specs | |
|---|---|
| headset weight | 560 grams (1.23 lbs, excluding cable) |
| screen | 2000 x 2040 per eye, OLED HDR panel |
| refresh rate | Up to 120 Hz (90 Hz for many games) |
| field of view | ~110 degrees |
| controller | PSVR2 sense controller (required for hand tracking); dual sense |
| tracking camera | 4x outward facing (for head/location tracking). 2x inward facing (for eye tracking) |
| audio | 3.5 mm audio jack on head strap, built-in microphone |
| Notable features | Headset vibration, eye tracking, resistance triggers |
| price | $550 (PS5 console also required) |
Consumer virtual reality was still in its early days when Sony decided it should be on the cutting edge in 2016. The first PlayStation VR headset sold relatively well compared to its early PC VR competitors, and fared well compared to other console accessories. But over the past six years, Sony has largely let its first console VR experiments die to the vine, allowing competitors to advance their cutting-edge technology with frequent hardware and software updates.
Now firmly in the PS5 era, Sony is back to prove they haven’t completely forgotten about the virtual reality market. We’ll show you all the improvements and throw in some nice features that aren’t standard for our competitors. It feels like an overdue attempt by numbers to step in.
Ready, ready…
PSVR2 gets rid of the ridiculous jumble of wires, junction boxes, power plugs, and cameras that came to define the original PSVR. As described in our unboxing impressions, the new headset features a single USB-C cable that plugs directly into the front of the PS5. This means you can leave your headset plugged in and no more clutter left by your entertainment center. And if you want to put the PSVR2 back on the box between sessions, it doesn’t take much effort to connect.
The USB-C cable is light enough that you won’t get in the way of pulling your head or tilting your neck in VR. When facing away from the PS5, the cable tends to drape seamlessly from your left shoulder to your back, and in many gameplay situations you don’t have to think about it.
That said, whenever I turned on the spot, walked around, or swung my left arm wildly in VR, I usually had to worry about getting crushed or tangled in that wire. This was annoying enough to temporarily put me off the VR experience. In my years of regular use of true wireless headsets like the Meta Quest line, I’ve never missed an annoyance like this.
PSVR2’s plug-and-play simplicity extends to relatively easy first-time setup. In the process, a built-in eye-tracking camera determines the exact interpupillary distance of your eye, allowing you to set the most comfortable distance between the lenses with a simple dial. This is important because the edges of the VR image can look quite blurry if the lens is slightly off-center. If the headset sits slightly differently on your head in subsequent sessions, you may need to readjust.
A simple eye-tracking calibration test allows the system to know exactly where the user is looking and magically telepathically manipulate VR objects at a glance. The system then asks you to look around your room from all angles and automatically maps a safe play area on the floor. The process was fairly accurate when I tested it with different furniture configurations, but I found it difficult to use the (surprisingly high-resolution) pass-through camera and use the autofocus-style interface to map the suggested play space in the margins. You can also adjust it.
For sit-down VR games, it’s relatively easy to switch from a ‘standing’ space with just a few taps on the menu. Unfortunately, the default cylinder in that sitting-him area was relatively small, so the virtual-his barrier would constantly pop up every time I leaned forward or waved my arms during a seated VR session.
