VR has been in the repertoire of Sony Playstation since the launch of the first PSVR headset in October 2016 for the PlayStation 4. The first version of the PSVR was launched in India the following year in February. Sony launched the new PSVR 2 for the PlayStation 5 in February this year globally, which launched in India on December 11.
Sony PlayStation VR 2
57,999What Is Good?
- Well built and great fit
- Great visuals
- Excellent controls
What Is Bad?
- Wire can get tangeled
- Pricey
The new PSVR 2 comes with improved specifications as well as features which exclude an external camera device to track the subject. Sony provided us with a PSVR 2 unit for review and I have been using the device for about a week. Here’s what I think of the new Sony PSVR 2.
PSVR 2: The Ins and Outs
One of the first things to grab attention about the PSVR 2 right out of the box is the long cable running from the headset which is supposed to be attached to the PlayStation 5. Now this might be a point of contention for many people out there as it was for me at the beginning but those concerns dissipate quite soon.
For one, the cable is more than 4 meters long which is almost 14 feet, which gives the user a lot of room to work with. The cable also ensures the highest quality visuals are available for the OLED displays to output for the user, and other wireless headsets depend on the processing power of the headset itself for visuals which is limiting at the moment.
The greatest feature of the PSVR 2 are the two Sense Controllers which come with motion tracking. These come with the buttons that the users will see on a Dual Sense Controller but are split into the left and right Sense Controllers. The controllers are ergonomic and the best part about them is the haptics and force feedback which is missing from the controllers of other VR headsets. So when the user is drawing a bowstring, like in the Dual Sense Controller they will feel tension and vibration with the adaptive triggering of the Sense Controllers. These are missing the D-Pad of the regular Dual Sense Controller but most games easily make do without them.
The PSVR 2 Sense Controllers each need about 45 minutes of charging from the console to get to full charge which then last long enough for you to have 4 sessions of VR gameplay without charging them. You would notice that I mentioned sessions of VR gameplay and not hours because it so happens with me that I can’t play on VR as long as I would play on the PlayStation on my TV since VR tends to take a toll on the eyes. Each of my sessions lasted about an hour to an hour and 30 minutes.
The other big feature this time is the addition of four cameras to the PSVR 2 headset itself which locates the user inside the space without any external camera devices. These cameras also let the user see the surroundings by pressing the interface control button. The world around you might appear black and white but the cameras provide a crisp enough image that you will be able to check messages on your phone although the text might appear a bit blurry.
These cameras help when setting up the play space by creating a virtual mesh of the surrounding room. The game will warn you when you’re going out of bounds of that area by showing the mesh in red and you can readjust yourself. Users can even craft the space around them as they want with the PSVR 2 Sense Controllers.
The PSVR 2 comes with 2,000 x 2,040 (4.1MP) per-eye, OLED HDR displays that have variable 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates. This makes the visuals crisp and tight without any gaps in the textures or pixelation of any sort. Besides this, the new eye tracking feature not only helps the user navigate menus quickly but also uses a feature for Foviation which ensures that the highest quality graphics are sent to the area that the eye is looking at.
One of the biggest questions people with spectacles have about VR headsets is whether they would be able to use the headset comfortably. The good news is absolutely, I am a bespectacled man using large framed spectacles and these fit comfortably inside the rubber gasket on the PSVR 2 headset. Although the process of setting up the eye tracking might take some time and adjustment of the headset along with the given wheel on the headset to fix the distance between the two lenses, users should get there with some patience. Though I have to add a word here that the VR headset needs to be fixed properly each time in terms of vertical as well as horizontal positioning or the visuals might appear a bit blurry, but once the optimal position is reached there should be no issues at all.
Coming to the audio bit of the headset, the PSVR 2 does not come with speakers and needs earphones for the user to get audio. Although they can also use the TV speakers as well, that does not quite sound as immersive. The headset comes with a pair of earphones that are connected to the rear, but users can choose to use their own 3.5mm earphones as well. The audio does have the 3d effect, but in all other aspects seems rather basic. But I did not try out the PlayStation Pulse Headset which others have claimed does a much better job.
Onto the most important aspect, and that is the games for PSVR 2, at the outset, I have to mention that any of the VR games available for the first iteration of the PSVR are not compatible with the PSVR 2. That being said, the library for PSVR 2 is not the smallest. It has more than 30 games available to play, many of which are demos at the moment.
A Special Callout for Horizon Call of the Mountain
The biggest draw has to be the Horizon Call of the Mountain which is one of the most visually appealing VR games I have played yet. Thanks to the fact that the PSVR 2 is connected to the main console, the games feature PlayStation 5-level visuals and gameplay that is enhanced by the PSVR 2 Sense Controllers. You will feel the twang of the bowstring or the clang of the climbing axe as you strike the mountainside. You play as Ryas, a former Shadow Carja rebel who is being taken to settlement Dawn’s Grasp. And that is where your adventure begins.
The game will make you climb mountains using rocks and crags as well as ropes and branches. You will climb buildings, take on machines with your bow and arrow, you get to craft a pair of climbing axes which will let you climb steep walls. The visuals of this game are unmatched in terms of what I have seen in VR so far.
PSVR 2: In Conclusion
The Sony PSVR 2 for the PlayStation 5 is easily the best VR headset out there in terms of visual and gameplay quality. It is not so heavy as to cause headaches and neck aches, and provides a comfortable experience on the face with rubber gaskets and padded bands.
The visuals on the OLED display are crisp and the eye tracking produces high-quality images which makes things immersive. While default headsets may not be the best in terms of audio it can be improved with better headsets. The PSVR 2 Sense Controllers are easily one the best in the business out there and the haptics make for an engaging experience.
But what could possibly be a drawback for people is the pricing. The PSVR 2 is priced at Rs 57,999 in India which is quite expensive. And that too for a headset that does not have a standalone mode. So the user requires a PlayStation 5 to use it. Hence for someone who does not have a PS5, the price goes up to Rs 1.13 lakh which is quite steep. But for those who already have a PS5 and want to experience quality VR gameplay, the PSVR 2 is a must-buy.
