A leap of faith: the PlayStation VR 2 review - voila! The gaming channel

Many thanks to Lishfar and the Sony global company for providing us with the set for review.

Playstation VR2 (Playstation)

I am a big believer in virtual reality and that in the future it will become the standard.

Because with a hand on our heart: how much can we play the same-thing-only-in-slightly-different-variations?

Someday VR is bound to catch on and become the norm.

And it is true that it may take a long time.

decade.

two.

maybe more.

But you can't really escape it.

Even Sony understands this' and its new virtual reality glasses, the

, feel like another (welcome) attempt to plant the buds of this medium's routine in the future.

But is this set worth the purchase?

let's start

Playstation VR 2 (photo: official website, Playstation)

The hardware and design

From the moment of the announcement it was possible to see that this was an impressive specification.

The PS VR 2 includes two OLED screens with an impressive resolution of 2040x2000 per eye, with a refresh rate of 90 to 120 Hz.

The players' field of view (Field of View) is around 110 degrees, and the new kit includes four internal cameras that are integrated into the device in order to monitor all our actions while playing.

Each kit itself maintains a uniform language with the PlayStation 5 and uniform colors of black and white and a futuristic/alien design.

You can see it in the controls themselves, which also have Haptick Feedback and Adaptive Triggers, just like the standard DualSense control of the PS5.

Add to that motion sensors for your fingers, and you can expect a more immersive experience than you're used to.

I tried to complete the experience with Sony's Inzone headphones to get three-dimensional sound and noise filtering, but it didn't really fit together with the set.

Instead, I had to settle for the sound of the included headphones, which provide a great replacement in the world, and are also very comfortable in the ear.

It's just a shame that these are button headphones that go into the ear, and there will be those who will not be happy to share wax with others.

Maintains the same look as the parent product - the PlayStation 5 (photo: official website, Sony)

The layout of Sony's familiar keys has not been damaged here and it has been divided into two: the right remote includes the X keys, a circle, a settings key, the home key, the R1\R2 keys, and a joystick.

The right remote keeps the same configuration and includes the triangle-square keys, and the social and recording button.

Both also include a lanyard that you can tie around your hands to make sure none of the remotes fly off your hands during intense gaming moments that will give us all flashbacks to the joyous Wii days.

or any other VR platform.

Compared to other notable devices on the market, such as the Meta Quest Pro, the PS VR 2 is a set that requires a permanent connection to Sony.

Although it has a 4.5 meter long cable, this is an important point to note for those who expected the device to stand on its own.

This means that the games will also be installed on the console itself, and it is not a separate set from the PlayStation 5. It is a complementary product to everything.

Playstation VR 2 (photo: official website, Sony)

And if we were really talking about a comparison with competitors

I think it's a bit unfair to compare the PS VR 2 to the other competitors on the market.

Sony's kit relies on the PlayStation 5 console to deliver the entire experience.

Meta Quest Pro has its own internal processor and graphics card.

Even if we look at the hardware, we can say that the OLED screen of the PS VR 2 does a much better job than the LCD screen of the competitor, and it also takes into account the comparison of the resolution or field of view of the players.

Even if we connect the Quest Pro to a computer, I don't think there is an equal comparison here, mainly because the PS VR 2 is a piece of hardware that was built specifically to take full advantage of the processing power and potential of the PlayStation 5. A more correct comparison would be with the Index glasses of Valve, but even in this case, there is the matter of the different hardware on the PC, and even then on paper, the PS VR 2 still wins in all aspects: screen resolution, refresh rate, field of view, and it doesn't even require external cameras.

And of course you can't forget that it has eye tracking technology.

Putting together the set: first moments

Wearing the PS VR 2 is quite comfortable.

The bow that will wrap our head has a pivot that can be rotated to expand or reduce the size, and on the screens themselves there is a lock/release button that allows us to move the set further or closer.

Personally, I did not feel the set as a burden on my head even after a continuous hour and a half of playing time.

It wasn't the weight of the set that required me to take a break, it was the intensity of the experience.

So in this segment there are no complaints at all.

The installation process is extremely simple.

Just connect to the console, and the set will already do the job and guide you.

The whole process of scanning the room was very intuitive and easy compared to the setup of the previous generation PS VR set.

The first scan of the game space was just perfect on the first try, and I didn't have to make changes again like with other sets.

Fox?

Maybe.

Impressive technology that has advanced?

There is a situation.

But this time the whole process is simply Plug and Play with a USB C cable. The days of an external camera that needs to be placed in front of the TV are over.

Too bad we're still connected by cable.

But this is not a serious complaint.

The installation process, the room scan and the game position are simple and intuitive (photo: official website, Playstation)

Personal adjustments to the game space (photo: official website, Sony)

Going in: user experience and gameplay

Sony Worldwide provided and selected four different titles for me and others to properly review the kit: its exclusive flagship title

(click here to read its full review), the two

magical

.

Each of them provided a mostly smooth and clean gaming experience.

Both Moss and Star Wars were originally released for older platforms, and the optimization they've carried over to Sony's new set feels flawlessly smooth.

The exclusive flagship game, Horizon, was a little more demanding than the console (and you can understand why) but you notice the attempt to maintain an experience of 60 frames per second.

This is an FPS title (first person) where the players have to be much more active in space as well - and this entails the infamous nausea phenomenon in the virtual reality world.

Unfortunately, people who are sensitive and prone to nausea and dizziness in VR probably won't find salvation here, but the symptoms are slightly milder compared to other sets I've had the chance to experience such as the oculus, HTC Vive or Mixed Reality.

In other games that let the player explore the environment by himself without manual movement of the joysticks (like Moss) you get a much smoother gaming experience, and feel the difference in resolution and sharpness.

I don't like to say such a bombastic sentence that sounds very pretentious: but it really feels like the PS VR 2 has no competitors that come close to it.

Currently.

Don't get lost: the user interface will explicitly indicate on the monitor where the remote controls are located (photo: official website, Sony)

The "walls of defense" that warn the players about the boundaries of the game sector (photo: official website, Sony)

The price, and the problematic situation of the entire medium

On paper this is a very impressive set.

Perhaps the most impressive you will find on the market right now.

But three main weaknesses cannot be ignored.

The first is the price.

The set costs about NIS 2699, which is more than the price of a PlayStation 5 console. The second is the fact that the PS VR 2 is an ancillary product that also requires the console itself.

In the final calculation, this is an expenditure of more than NIS 5,000 for new buyers, and that's even before we mentioned spending on games.

But I'm convinced that players who already own a PS5 and are looking forward to this purchase will probably find it a good investment.

Especially since Sony promised wider support in this generation.

And if we have already talked about games, this may be for many the third weakness.

PS VR 2 has 30 games available at its launch.

Is this a broad enough directory?

This is already an individual answer for everyone.

Don't get me wrong, I think some of the launch games are amazing and are in my opinion a MUST for the genre.

But they won't necessarily be the cup of tea for all PlayStation gamers, who will likely yearn to see more titles like Horizon's, or games based on Sony's exclusive brands.

And I'm not necessarily talking about FPS games like Horizon.

but on any style that can utilize the medium properly and provide a new and exciting experience.

I believe (and hope) that Sony is preparing more surprises soon.

The line of games at the launch of the Playstation VR 2 (photo: official website, Playstation)

This is the problem with the entire VR medium.

Really not just Sony's.

The chicken and the egg: do we want to see more invested triple A games?

The console must become more mainstream and sell.

But it won't happen if people don't buy.

And why don't people buy?

Because the prices are high.

But prices can't go down as long as it's a niche.

It's a complicated and frustrating cycle that repeats and feeds itself.

So the bottom line - the set is very impressive.

Is he worth it?

This is your decision.

I know personally I would probably wait a bit.

Just like with the purchase of a new generation console already at launch (PlayStation or Xbox).

In conclusion

Sony has released a premium quality product that apparently currently dominates both in terms of hardware and performance.

This is the only set that is highly optimized and polished for its exclusive titles that utilizes the capabilities of the console for which it was specially built.

As a casual VR enthusiast looking forward to seeing this medium blossom and gain momentum it's hard not to get excited, but not sure everyone will share the same excitement or identify.

The high price tag that compares to the price of a console + the fact that the console itself is also required - may be an initial (and understandable) obstacle for quite a few new players.

But if you already have a PlayStation 5 and are looking forward to this purchase, it's very likely that you'll be satisfied.

Our video review of the PlayStation VR 2 will go live on social media in the coming days.

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