GameCentral gives its verdict on the new PSVR2 headset and whether it’s a major leap forward for VR or just an incremental improvement.
It’s seven years now, since Sony released their first VR headset for a PlayStation console. The original PlayStation VR was made for the PlayStation 4 and while it was limited by the technology of the time, and some hand-me-down controllers, it still one of the best designed and most comfortable to use. More importantly, Sony’s involvement ensured it a significant amount of support from both first and third party developers.
We’re still not entirely sure why Sony has put so much effort into it, considering it doesn’t seem likely to have generated much profit for them, but no doubt they’re playing the long game, ensuring they get a major head start with the technology, when it comes to the console space, and preparing for the time when the technology and the pricing makes VR gaming a truly mass market proposition.
That time is not now but the PlayStation VR2 is a significant improvement on the original headset in every way. It’s a major step forward and yet it’s still obvious that the concept has a long way to go. The question is whether this latest stepping stone is worth enjoying now or if it’s better to just wait it out until the next one.
What’s better about the PSVR2?
The PlayStation VR2 (often shortened to PSVR2) is a virtual reality headset that works solely with the PlayStation 5. Like any other VR headset, it provides a view of the game world that seems much more realistic than usual because you can look around it simply by turning your head. Not all games are viewed from a first person perspective but even the ones that aren’t are much more immersive because you’re no longer just looking at a TV but experiencing the game world directly in front of your eyes.
The PSVR2 offers a number of improvements over the original iteration, with the two screens that sit in front of your eyes being much higher resolution than before (2000 x 2040 pixels per eye, compared to 960×1080 per eye in the original headset). This gets rid of the slightly blurry view the original suffered from and all but removes the gauze effect where everything seemed like it had a distracting filter over the top of it. Although you can still get some reflection from the lenses if you wear glasses.
Unlike the first headset, the PSVR2 doesn’t need a camera set up opposite you to work (it has cameras that look out from the headset, so you can press a button and see the real world without taking it off) and it’s able to track your eyes so that it can see what you’re looking at, which is used for everything from directing your movement to selecting in-game options.
There’s also support for 3D audio and the headphones that come with the headset clip in neatly at the back, so you don’t have to wear a bulky headphone over the top of your head.
There’s also now a much more extensive covering for around your eyes, that stops light from getting in, as with the original PSVR you could often see the real world peeking in at the bottom of your vision – but that no longer happens.
You can use the PSVR2 while sitting down or standing but like other high-end headsets there’s also the option for ‘roomscale’ use. This allows you to walk, kneel, and move just as you would in real-life, ducking down under virtual objects or reaching out to grab them. The only problem is this requires a minimum floorspace of 2m by 2m, which could be difficult to organise considering you also still have to have the headset connected to the PlayStation 5 console.
The headset is very good at working out a safe area to play in and will scan your surroundings automatically to spot things you could bump into, which is actually one of its most impressive sci-fi features. If using it standing, it’ll then warn you in-game if you’re getting too close to your TV or other furniture.
The PSVR2 also has the same sort of haptic feedback as the DualSense controller, as it thrums to life like a motorcycle engine when you first turn it on. In theory this can also be used to simulate things like the sensation of objects moving close to your head, or your character’s heartbeat, although none of that is used much in the games so far.
Is the PSVR2 wireless?
The fact that the PSVR2 only works with the PlayStation 5 is both its greatest advantage and biggest flaw. Because the graphics are powered by the console they’re far in advance of what’s possible on anything beyond a very high end PC. However, that means that the headset has to be connected to the PlayStation 5 by a physical cable, as a wireless connection would be too slow and unreliable.
There’s only one cable but it’s still something you have to have lying around on the floor and it’s relatively easy to trip up on it, especially if you’re standing up and physically turn round in a game. On one occasion, we managed to pull the cable straight out of the console and while it seems designed to pop out, rather than risk tripping you up, it’s still a major inconvenience.
The PSVR2 is essentially the polar opposite of the Meta Quest 2 headset, whose graphics are nowhere near as good (because it’s not attached to anything else and so everything has to be powered internally) but it is wireless.
What controllers does the PSVR2 use?
One of the main problems with the original PSVR is that it didn’t come with any controllers of its own. That meant you had to use either the standard DualShock or, if you wanted motion controllers, the PlayStation Move wands that were originally designed for the PlayStation 3’s equivalent of Wii motion-sensing games.
They were badly outdated technology from the start, and frustratingly imprecise, but the PSVR2 does away with them entirely and comes with a pair of its own Sense controllers.
These look and work very similarly to controllers for other VR headsets, with an analogue joystick on each, two face buttons, a shoulder button, and a bumper. They also have DualSense style haptic feedback, which is used by Horizon Call Of The Mountain for things like getting a bow and arrow ready to fire.
Sony has also talked about something called Finger Touch Detection, which allows the controller to know the ‘approximate’ location of your fingers, although there’s nothing in any of the games so far that seems to use this. That underlines the fact that there’s no kind of demo, or equivalent to Astro’s Playroom, to show off the headset’s features, which seems a bit odd.
There are downsides to the new controllers, the most predictable being their short battery life. It’s difficult to quantify at this point, as each game drains them to a different degree, but they only seem to last around four to five hours for a game that has a lot of haptic feedback.
The other problem we experienced is that the buttons are grouped quite close together and we kept pressing the non-essential Options and Share button by mistake, and even occasionally the PS button that sends you back to the dashboard. It’s not the end of the world but constantly being told you’ve taken a screenshot you never wanted can break the immersion in the middle of a game.
Will using the PSVR2 make you sick?
Although the PSVR2 is a major leap forward in terms of technology, it doesn’t do anything fundamentally different to other VR headsets, which means that all the intrinsic problems with them still exist, including the potential to feel nauseous while using them.
There are a number of features in the PSVR2 that can reduce this (the wider field of view definitely helps) but it’s still an issue and will affect everyone differently depending on their physiology and experience with VR. We’ve obviously played VR quite a bit, but we still felt slightly dizzy at times with PSVR2, until we got more used to it.
Even then, things such as sudden or fast movement can cause some nasty headache style pain, although it usually stops the moment you stop moving. This effect not only depends on yourself but the game and what it’s doing at any given moment. All games feature several comfort options to reduce the effects, the most common of which is choosing between walking around as you would normally in a video game or teleporting between each location to reduce movement.
How much does PSVR2 cost and when is it out in the UK?
The PSVR2 costs £529.99 and will be released on Wednesday, February 22. That’s obviously extremely expensive, more than the price of the console itself, but in terms of the technology, it’s actually very good value for money – especially when you consider that it comes with two high-tech controllers.
There’s little you can do to mitigate the cost, especially as it’s currently only available via Sony themselves at the PlayStation website. You can save £20 on Horizon Call Of The Mountain, though, if you buy it and the headset together. Call Of The Mountain is the highest profile launch game, but it’s not necessarily the best – as we’ve explained in our review.
What games are on PSVR2?
This is a frustratingly difficult question to answer because Sony has been very unclear about exactly what games are available on day one, with what information they have put out only appearing to be valid for the US. Multiple new games have been added to the UK PlayStation Store this week, and there’ll probably be more to come, but at the moment the following seems to be the best estimate of what exactly will be available on day one.
An additional problem is that many of the games don’t have their prices listed yet, which is very important for many of these titles, which are often little more than tech demos. If they’re relatively cheap, then that’s fine but if publishers try to charge more for them then that becomes a problem.
As you can see, most of the games are ports and remasters of existing games for the PC or PlayStation 4, with very few that have been made specifically for the PSVR2. Sony’s Horizon Call Of The Mountain is the only big budget exception but that will change over time, especially as other prominent titles, such as The Dark Pictures: Switchback and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution have only missed the launch by a few weeks.
You can find mini-reviews of each of the games here, but the updates to existing ones aren’t going to be available until launch on February 22, so nobody’s had the chance to play the likes of Resident Evil Village and No Man’s Sky yet.
PSVR2 launch day games list
- Horizon Call Of The Mountain
- The Last Clockwinder
- Demeo
- The Light Brigade
- Cosmonious High
- Altair Breaker
- Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate
- Fantavision 202X
- Moss and Moss: Book 2 Bundle
- Thumper
- Rez Infinite
- Tetris Effect: Connected
- Tentacular
- Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition
- Jurassic World Aftermath Collection
- After The Fall – Complete Edition
- Song In The Smoke: Rekindled
- What The Bat?
- Kayak VR: Mirage
- Pavlov
- Puzzling Places
- Cities: VR – Enhanced Edition
- Townsmen VR
- Synth Riders: Remastered Edition
- Zenith: The Last City
- DrumsRock
- Gran Turismo 7 VR update
- Resident Evil Village VR update
- No Man’s Sky VR update
Is the PSVR2 worth getting?
This is not a question anyone else can answer for you. The PSVR2 is an excellent bit of hardware and a clear improvement over the previous iteration, that should allow for some excitingly unique video games in the future.
However, it is extremely expensive and there are not currently any exclusive games that fully justify its purchase. It doesn’t even come with a game by default and since it’s not backwards compatible with previous PlayStation VR games you must spend more than just the hardware price to even have something to play with.
We’ve greatly enjoyed messing around with all the launch titles but at the same time it’s clear that the PSVR2 doesn’t bring any fundamental change to the VR experience, except perhaps for the increased comfort of wearing the headset (we used it for hours on end with no problem at all).
Even ignoring the problems of price, and of it not being wireless, there’s still the fact that you’re essentially blocking off the outside world in a way that is highly anti-social for anyone else in the house at the same time. Other people can see what you see if you keep your TV on, but with headphones stuck in your ears and the headset over your eyes, the whole thing is purposefully designed to keep other people out.
As we’ve explained, nausea is still a major problem, with games forced to limit in-game interactions as a result, so that even big budget games like Call Of The Mountain awkwardly fade to black during a scene transition.
Hopefully more complex games will be released in time but at launch all of them are still inarguably shallow experiences that are constantly butting up against the limits of current technology. Even things like you only controlling a pair of hands, so that it feels like you’re cosplaying as a Haunter out of Pokémon, hasn’t changed, with the power of the PlayStation 5 apparently not enough to enable a full virtual body.
It’s important to note though that none of this is Sony’s fault. Indeed, we salute them for putting so much money and effort into VR, despite the uncertain rewards. PSVR2 is unquestionably the best VR headset we’ve ever used but it still doesn’t make an unequivocal argument in favour of VR as the future of gaming, or indeed anything else.
If there’s a PlayStation VR3 in another seven years, then no doubt it’ll have even higher resolution and perhaps a few other new tricks, but will it still be the same basic experience? Is VR a dead end and will we need to be plugging games directly into our brain, or go some other sci-fi route, to realise the dream of a fully interactive virtual world?
These are questions neither we nor the PlayStation VR2 can answer. All we can say is that, despite a number of caveats, the hardware is excellent and yet the best games are either old or barely concealed tech demos. We don’t think any of those facts will come as much of a surprise to anyone, but we do hope that now the technology has seen such a significant leap forward it won’t be too long before the games follow suit.
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