8Bit/Digi

An Immersive VR Experience

Even now, almost 7 years after its launch, the original PSVR is still impressive in a great many ways. It’s among the most comfortable out there and its ability to cut out all outside light and immerse you is still phenomenal. The PSVR2 follows many of the precedents followed by the previous headset, whilst updating it for a modern generation.

The PSVR2 is a great piece of tech that even PC users might think about adopting. That being said, there are a litany of little things worth watching out for. It’s a great headset with just a few things holding it back from being the industry leader from launch. 

Unboxing the PlayStation VR2

Sony has this ability to welcome you into a community when you commit to a piece of its hardware. This was immediately clear when I started to take my PSVR2 out of its box. It’s a dazzling white headset that is surprisingly light. Despite how striking it is, the PSVR1 is a much more clumsy device. Replacing that box and all those wires, the PSVR2 is just one wire you plug into your PS5. Setup takes just a few minutes and it’s ready to go. 

The setup process is light but it manages to show off many of the main functions of the headset. Starting off, the passthrough system is surprisingly great. By clicking a button under the headset, you see through the built-in cameras, allowing you to check around your room without taking it off. This is needed as it takes a little while to get the headset on. 

After you have it on and have the controllers in your hands, it will calibrate the lenses and eye tracking. You do this by staring at things on the screen until it registers how your eyes work. This is a fascinating bit of tech as the screen follows what your eyes are doing and puts it on the screen in front of you. This shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes but it’s still rather shocking how well everything works. 

Taking Control 

The new PSVR2 controllers are sturdy and interesting, designed to almost wrap around your arms. It can be a little difficult getting them on initially if you’re used to other VR controllers but they feel much more snug in your hands. One of the major things you will notice is how well the controller vibration and haptics work. 

Like the PS5 controllers, triggers come with adaptive functions, allowing you to really feel the squeeze of a trigger or the punch of grabbing something. This is then combined with feedback in the headset, designed to jolt you when you’ve been hit. All of this comes together to make a much more punchy VR experience – something that really plays into the spectacle of the medium. 

Unfortunately, on launch, its game lineup is a little lacking. There are tonnes of arcade-style games you play for an hour or two but not many of those big experiences that veteran VR fans come back for. Resident Evil: Village is super spooky, Pavlov has incredibly satisfying guns, and Horizon: Call of the Mountain is a solid but somewhat underwhelming mountain climber. These are the cream of the crop and they are a decent start but we may be left waiting a while for something truly spectacular. 

Function Over Form

Being tethered, there are nicer ways to play VR. This being said, the PSVR2 is wonderful for what you get. It slides right onto the face and has been widely reported as the most comfortable headset out there. Unfortunately, due to my glasses and the shape of my face, getting the “sweet spot” can be a little difficult. Most people playing it can figure out the best place to hold the headset pretty quickly but it takes me a minute or so. This makes the setup a little slower than the likes of the quest. 

Fortunately, it makes up for this in pure usability. The lenses project at 4K leaving an incredibly crisp image on screen. As well as this, it has a 110º FOV, allowing a much wider range of motion than most headsets. These all come together to make a genuinely fantastic experience. If you can get over it being tethered, this is among the best experiences VR has to offer. The cable is around 4.5m long so you shouldn’t struggle in a medium sized room. 

Not only is it fantastic at launch but it has the depth to become an even better piece of kit as developers get used to it. Its eye tracking capabilities allow for foveated rendering, where it renders what you are looking at directly and deprioritises where you ears aren’t focused on. In concept, you might expect a little bit of messiness here but it works perfectly in Horizon: Call of the Mountain. 

Out of Charge

As is the case with PS5 controllers, the charge in the PSVR2 controllers aren’t great. Generally, a full charge can last about three to four hours but it only comes with one wire in the box so you charge one controller at a time or free up an extra port and extra wire to charge them both. This means that if you forget to charge both controllers after every use, your next session may be cut short by low battery. 

It’s a shame that these don’t last longer as the PSVR2 learns from its competition in a handful of great ways. Swapping from a camera set-up to built-in tracking makes the entire process so much easier. As well as this, a dedicated pass through button and the ability to mark out the space you use are little things taken from the Quest setup that work very well. 

Earphones in the box mean that you likely won’t need any extra accessories to get the best experience. A built in volume button would heighten this experience but it’s not too big of a hassle to go into settings and change it from there.

Ultimately, the PSVR2 has learned from the mistakes of the previous headset, modernizing the controls and adding some really great functions. Though a lineup without hugely unique experiences and some starting hiccups may hold some back, this has quickly cemented itself as one of the very best headsets you can buy.

Disclaimer: The PSVR2 used for this review was purchased.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

PlayStation VR2

9

Must Have

9.0/10

Pros

• Excellent screen
• Easy to setup
• Haptic feedback works wonderfully
• Comfortable to wear and use

Cons

• Could have more unique experiences.
• Searching for the "sweet spot" can be a pain.