PlayStation VR 2 Review
PlayStation VR 2 offers a major upgrade with 4K HDR OLED visuals, advanced Sense controllers, and enhanced VR experiences for PS5 users.
Most people’s first experience with virtual reality might be the wireless Meta Quest 2. However, if you’re curious about future VR and AR technologies, you might find Sony’s PlayStation VR 2 a bit underwhelming. Unlike the Quest, PlayStation VR 2 is a wired headset that connects to a PlayStation 5.
Despite needing a cable, PlayStation VR 2 offers exceptional home VR experience. It features vibrant OLED displays, advanced vibrating controllers with force-feedback triggers and leverages powerful graphics of the PlayStation 5. This setup outperforms the Quest 2 in many ways. Plus, it works great with larger glasses making it a top choice for premium VR experience.
PlayStation VR 2 – Design & Features
PlayStation VR 2 is major upgrade from original, though it maintains a similar design. It features sleek black-and-white look that matches PlayStation 5 and uses adjustable head strap. This design comfortably fits a variety of head shapes and allows weight of the screen to rest on the top of your head instead of your face. Head strap’s adjustment mechanism remains easy to use for a perfect fit.
PS VR2 includes a handy slider on the top-left of the lens casing to adjust the interpupillary distance (IPD). It also has an internal camera that measures the distance between your eyes during setup. The headset is straightforward with just two buttons at the bottom of the display. One button turns headset on and off while other activates passthrough mode, allowing you to see your surroundings in black and white without removing the headset. However, it’s a bit disappointing that there are no physical buttons to adjust the volume.
Sony Keeps the Headset Simple
PlayStation VR2 offers a major upgrade over other VR headsets at a similar price. It’s now the best option for high-quality VR at 4K resolution. Unlike HP Reverb G2 which was known for its clarity, PS VR2 features two HDR OLED panels, each with a 2,000 x 2,040 resolution per eye, a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 110-degree field of view. This setup makes image smoother and more vibrant compared to Reverb G2’s LCD panels which have a lower refresh rate and narrower field of view. PS VR2 delivers exceptional visual experience, even surpassing more expensive headsets like Meta Quest Pro.
PlayStation VR2 – Setup and Controllers
Setting up PlayStation VR2 is much easier than the original PSVR. Instead of dealing with multiple cables and an HDMI switcher you only need to connect a single 4.5m USB-C cable to your PS5. After that, you just need to install a firmware update, calibrate the controllers, adjust the eye tracking and lens spacing, and let the tracking cameras map your room. This helps create a safe play area with clear boundaries.
Recalibrating or adjusting settings is simple through PS5 menu. You can even have someone use a DualSense controller to help with setup from outside the headset.
Sense controllers are a big improvement over the old Move controllers. They have familiar buttons and analog sticks but add haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. This makes gameplay more immersive by simulating various sensations, from resistance of a virtual bowstring to the vibrations of touching different textures. While they don’t have advanced finger tracking like some other controllers they still allow for gestures like pointing or giving a thumbs up.
PlayStation VR2 – Gaming Experience
PlayStation VR2’s sophisticated haptic feedback and adaptable triggers provide a very immersive experience. Pressure of pulling a virtual bow or the blaster’s impact are palpable. Nevertheless, since you cannot change the batteries in controllers, their battery life is limited to four to five hours, so be sure to recharge them. The ring form of sense controllers may take some getting accustomed to, but once you do, they are pleasant.
PlayStation VR2 – Gaming Performance
PS VR2 features a 4K HDR OLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, making games look vibrant and detailed. Compared to the original PSVR, you receive a wider & more realistic view with a 110-degree field of view. The PS5’s superb graphics also aid PSVR2 which displays intricate surroundings in titles like Cities VR: Enhanced Edition and Horizon Call of the Mountain. In general, it’s among greatest VR headsets around $500.
PS VR2 Introduces Foveated Rendering for Enhanced Visuals
With its integrated infrared camera, PS VR2 tracks your eye movement to improve visual performance. This new function is called foveated rendering. This enables the headset to concentrate its processing power on the region you’re seeing, increasing detail in that area while decreasing detail in other areas to conserve battery life. Certain games also allow you to interact with characters simply by glancing at them or choose menu options.
At the moment, only PS VR2 and more costly Meta Quest Pro support this capability.
Moreover, PS VR2 has integrated headset vibration which raises the gaming’s immersion level. For example- you can feel vibrations in response to in-game events like dinosaur roars or explosions. This enhances the experience but works best with high-quality 3D audio, so the included earbuds might not fully deliver the effect compared to Sony’s Pulse 3D wireless headphones.
Included earbuds for PS VR2 aren’t as effective as Sony’s Pulse 3D wireless headphones, which offer much better sound quality.
It’s also crucial to remember that PS VR2 is incompatible with older PSVR titles. For PlayStation VR, this new headset represents a fresh start, therefore any PSVR titles you wish to play on the PS VR2 will need to be purchased again. Not all game companies are giving away free PS VR2 upgrades, though. It may take some time for PS VR2 to accumulate a sizable game catalog given the small amount of new titles that have been revealed thus far. Positively, it features well-known games like Beat Saber so you still have lots of wonderful selections to choose from.
Conclusion
Although PSVR2 costs $150 more than PS5 Digital Edition, it is a significant improvement over the first PSVR. It provides a far superior virtual reality experience thanks to its 4K HDR OLED screen and sophisticated Sense controls. The power of the PS5 also significantly affects the appearance and feel of VR games. Though it doesn’t support older PSVR games and has limited game selection at launch, these issues should be resolved as additional titles are made available for the new device.
