PlayStation VR2 – virtually perfect!

When the original Sony PlayStation VR headset launched, it created bit of a stir. Once the dust had settled, the team at Sony Computer Entertainment went back to the drawing board with a difficult design brief: “How on earth can we improve on the already brilliant PSVR?”. After a lot of blood, sweat and tears, it has launched the hotly anticipated PSVR2.

Since getting my sweaty paws on the PSVR2 headset, I can say that with some caveats, it is an insanely impressive piece of VR gear.

That said, some gotchas do apply. It isn’t backwards compatible and it comes with a sticker price that’ll give some gamers pause for thought.

Caveats aside, would I take a crowbar to my much-abused wallet and buy one? Hell YES!

For a start, there are already over 30 titles available for the PSVR2, and Gran Turismo 7 gets a VR update (take my money, Sony!) With over 30 million PS5 owners globally, the PSVR2 has huge potential.

Perhaps the biggest issue with the PSVR2 needs to be dealt with first. When it launches on February 22 it’s going to cost you an eye-watering $999.95

Even though that buys you a state-of-the-art VR headset with loads of game support, it’s not far off the full cost of a PS5. So, would I spend that sort of money on the PSVR2? After using one for a week, I’d have to say I’d even be willing to sell a kidney or my firstborn. Yes, it is that good.

The PSVR2’s organic white-on-black design aesthetic is a perfect fit with the PS5. As it doesn’t have the added weight of a battery, or built-in computing hardware and so on, it weighs in at a shade over 500g, which (for a VR headset) is super lightweight. The importance of this cannot be overstated as its lightweight design combines with a well-thought-out head strap system to make the PSVR2 super comfy, even with extended use.

Tucked away inside the PSVR2, there are twin OLED displays, each with a whopping 2000 x 2040-pixel resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s also an IR camera for tracking eye movement, and embedded cameras on the outer corners of the PSVR keep an eye on controller and head motion tracking along with gyro motion sensing, and critically where you are in the room (more on this later).

The PSVR2 is wired. It comes with a long 4.5m cable that plugs into the USB-C port on the front of the PS5. Where Meta’s stand-alone headset offers smartphone-style graphics, the PSVR2 can tap into the PS5’s graphical goodness to deliver stunning peeper-pleasing 3D virtual graphics.

On the ergonomics front (another key consideration for VR headsets), the PSVR2’s design team has taken learnt from the original PSVR to create an easily adjustable design that has well-thought-out padding and a head strap that goes over the top of your head. Fitting the PSVR2 sees you pulling the back of the strap out and then sliding it onto your noggin. A dial at the back lets you adjust the fit for maximum comfort. Black flexible silicone baffles around the eyes and clever ventilation mean that even though you are encased in darkness, you won’t get sweaty or have to constantly adjust the PSVR2’s fit. The bundled controllers are also an ergonomic delight. Not only are they lightweight, but their design seems to fit your hands perfectly and their buttons are all in the exact spots your fingers tend to rest in.

Getting set up was a relatively pain-free undertaking. After plugging the PSVR2 into the USBCC port on the front of my PS5, I was prompted to tweak the display spacing via a dial on the left side. Next, I took an eye-tracking test by moving my eyes to follow a moving dot around the PSVR2’s screen. Built-in external-facing cameras allow you to set up a bounded play area, or you can choose to play sitting down. As there is no longer any need for a camera connected to the PlayStation, the setup process couldn’t be any easier.

In use, the PSVR2’s super hi-res displays made pixels all but impossible to make out. The 120hz refresh rate made motion feel super smooth and accurate. As the displays pretty much filled my entire field of view, the effect was incredibly immersive, especially when combined with the PS5’s 3D audio. Another nifty feature that added extra oomph to my PS5 VR experience is haptics.

In Horizon Call Of The Mountain, the haptics added to a myriad of otherwise unnoticeable extras. Grabbing hold of surfaces or brushing foliage out of the way was accompanied by a subtle rumble in the headset or controllers which helped me “feel” the virtual environment I was exploring.

All told, the PSV2 is easily the best VR headset I’ve used to date. There are already over 30 titles that support it, and I’ll be sure to review these soonish!

https://www.playstation.com/en-nz/ps-vr2/