PlayStation VR2 Review

Sony Interactive Entertainment’s PlayStation VR2 virtual reality (VR) headset for the PlayStation 5 is their new attempt at VR. A market that is already overcrowded, nearly impregnable to get into and expensive as well.

I have liked the idea of VR ever since playing around with various View-Masters (1939 to present). I remember Virtuality (the 1990s), Virtual Boy (1995), watching Red Dwarf (Better Than Life – 1998 and Gunmen of the Apocalypse – 1993), and The Simpsons (Lisa’s wedding – 1995) future episode.

These all got me interested in the idea. Even then, I knew the idea was interesting, except they were all jokes. They were used as a punch line to a joke or a way to show the absurdity of future technology. The idea seemed neat, if not feasible with current technology, especially how it was portrayed in the media. In these, the VR was so real that you couldn’t distinguish reality from fiction. When I think of VR, I think of The Matrix or Vanilla Sky. So immersed that you don’t know you are in a dream. Except it’s a dream you chose at a reception desk and forgot about.

There are about thirty games available for the headset on launch: The Last Clockwinder, Resident Evil Village, Moss, Moss: Book II, Rez Infinite, Horizon: Call of the Mountain, and Gran Turismo 7 being the most memorable. Even though they don’t do anything particularly new or innovative.

The main problem with the PlayStation VR2 is the cost. It costs £529.99, and that’s without games. You can get the PlayStation VR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle for an eye-watering amount of £569.99. In other words, choose £530 or £570. I don’t know why marketers still put the 99p at the end and not round it up. It doesn’t make things look less expensive. You will also need a PlayStation 5 console which costs £479.99 (£480) or £389.99 (£390) depending on the Base or Digital Editions chosen.

That means to experience Sony’s take on VR, you will need to spend at least £920, and that is without any games. The one benefit is that once you have set it up, you do not need a television to play VR games.

For the amount you need to spend, you could get a good PC and skip the whole VR thing. You could get a Meta Quest 2 for £399.99, and you won’t need a PC. Of course, having a PC is beneficial to experience its full potential. Despite the whole Meta business being a dumpster fire, the Meta Quest 2 looks quite stylish. In contrast, the Valve Index Headset costs £459.00 and looks terrible. It doesn’t come with any controllers or base stations for tracking. However, it does come with Half-Life: Alyx, arguably the best big-budget attempt at a VR game.

The other problem is that VR games are limited in nature. They shouldn’t be, except they are. They usually come in two ice cream flavours: firstly – vanilla flavour, a first-person game, and secondly – mint flavour, a third-person game. Both mostly have either fixed movement or awkward hopping or walking. You never feel like you are immersed in another world. You feel like you have a phone and a graphic card strapped to your face. It also can’t be good for your eyes.

The PlayStation VR2 may be the easiest way for console gamers to get into VR, but it comes at a cost. It is also unknown whether Sony will have the stomach to support it more than they did with their previous iteration of the concept.

Overall it hasn’t tempted me to get a PlayStation VR2 and a PlayStation 5. Sure, you can have some merriment, but by spending nearly £1,000, you can spend less and have more memorable and life-changing experiences elsewhere.

Information

Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Publisher: Sony.

Platform: PlayStation 5.

System: PlayStation 5.

Release: 22nd February.