The release of PlayStation VR2 coincides with a turning point in virtual reality gaming. John Carmack showed what was feasible in 2012 when he showed off a duct-taped prototype that gave PC players an amazing sense of presence and immersion. But over the ensuing years, the industry started to split: Oculus moved from its exclusive PC marketplace to independent gear, and high-end PC applications declined in tandem with the exorbitant price of the newest headsets. Then there was Sony, whose 2016 introduction of PSVR gave users of PS4 systems a chance to experience virtual reality. With the PS5, we now have a companion VR headset that upgrades the console’s capabilities at a more reasonable price.
But let’s be clear. With limited availability and a starting price of £529/$549/€599, the PSVR2 is not a cheap buy. It comes with two Sense controllers, an accessories box, and a headset all packed into a sizable box. The primary difference between this version and the original PSVR is the significant decrease in complexity. You don’t actually need much more than the headset’s single long USB-C connection; there’s no pass-through or breakout box to worry about.
The build quality is excellent. Although the headset’s materials are unmistakably similar to those of the original PSVR, many of the first criticisms are addressed. For example, the rubber that encircles the viewfinder significantly increases light blocking while also improving comfort. Long sessions will be more comfortable because to the headset’s noticeable reduced weight and the single USB-C cord being less cumbersome than with the original PSVR. The new controllers also have a high-end feel to them; they are substantial and comfortably heavy in the hand.
Additionally, first impressions are often positive. The headgear itself comes first in this. The PS VR2 employs a halo system, just as the original and Oculus Rift S. To tighten the band, spin the dial after releasing it using a button on the back of the headset and sliding it over your head. There is still a little button situated along the upper ridge that controls the front visor. To zoom in and out of the viewfinder, press here. Moreover, the PSVR2 has mechanical interpupillary distance, which you can adjust with a dial on top of the headset to precisely center the lenses in front of your pupils. Thank goodness, using it with glasses is also comfy.
first impressions, display quality, and compatibility with HDR
After making sure the headset is securely in place, you are prompted with a set of setup instructions. Unlike the PSVR1, this new headset does not require a camera or other sensors because it does not rely on external tracking. The headset analyzes your surroundings as you look about, generating a blue polygonal mesh that represents the available area to decide the size and form of your place space. It has a mystical vibe to it, and you can adjust it after the fact by directing your controllers and pulling the edges outward. It is even possible to designate provisional areas by shifting the headgear around. It feels even more sophisticated than the guardian arrangement that comes with Oculus devices.
But once you’re inside, this headset’s new OLED display will be visible for the first time. Field of vision, pixel density, screen brightness, contrast ratio, and motion clarity are some of the important topics to cover here. The PS VR2 can see 110 degrees in its field of vision. It’s not quite as broad as the Vive Pro 2 or the Valve Index, but it’s still far wider than Oculus Quest and the original PSVR. In actuality, though, it straddles the crucial distinction between seeing everything through a porthole and being fully immersed in the action. Like with other headsets, you’ll notice the left and right borders of the displays, but vertical visibility is almost flawless. It seems more immersive and captivating right away.
The PSVR2 has four times as many pixels per eye as its predecessor, which virtually completely eliminates the screen door effect in terms of picture clarity. Small UI components are crisp and readable due to their exceptional sharpness and cleanliness. In actuality, it’s crisper than any headset I’ve experienced. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the opportunity to test the HTC Vive Pro 2, which claims an even higher pixel count, but it utilizes an LCD display instead of an OLED.
Which takes us to contrast ratio and HDR support, which may be the most crucial factor. In the past, I’ve always found that the visuals sometimes seem a little dark and grainy, especially with older headsets like PSVR1. This isn’t the case anymore—the PSVR2 has the brightest screen I’ve ever used. Bright sceneries no longer show dreary, washed-out light as you get with most other headsets; instead, light that seems more natural to what your eyes would expect in the actual world is projected.
Darker content is also advantageous since, in contrast to earlier OLED-based headsets, the PSVR2 can display complete darkness. The presentation is significantly enhanced by the use of deep black depths and brilliant highlights. It seems more like a legitimate high-end OLED TV now, and I can’t stress this enough. It’s really quite beautiful. It also keeps the high performance, low persistence qualities that you would anticipate. The motion clarity at natural frequencies of 90Hz or 120Hz is astounding; it looks similar to what can be achieved with black frame insertion, but without any discernible flicker. Unfortunately, double image effects are seen on objects in games that use async time warp to simulate head movement at 120 frames per second at 60 frames per second. Regretfully, this problem occurs with all other headsets when 60Hz material is used in a 120Hz container.
Headset haptics, audio output, eye tracking, and head tracking
Thus, while the screen plays a significant role in the experience and may rival expensive PC headsets when all things are considered, PSVR2 offers more than simply stunning visuals. I want to talk about head tracking first. Head tracking is a long-solved issue for those who have used PC headsets or the Oculus Quest, but for those who have only used the PSVR1, it’s important to note that this new headset has flawless head tracking. As was typical with the original, there is no wobbling or swimming inside the headset; instead, it precisely monitors your surroundings, letting you move freely.
It can track more than just that. Additionally, the PSVR2 has gaze tracking, which allows it to track where your eyes are. This can be applied to enhance gameplay or render performance better. In the former case, the gain comes from foveated rendering, which lowers the burden by generating fewer pixels in peripheral vision. This is a fixed region with most, but not all, headsets and can affect the overall quality of the image. But with PSVR2, a scene’s pixel density changes according on where your eyes are focused. Although not the first headset with this capability, it’s a great way to increase frame-rate without sacrificing visual quality.
There are also gameplay ramifications; in certain games, you may engage with the scene directly by only shifting your eyes. You can navigate menus in Horizon: Call of the Mountain with just your eyes and no head movement. Rez Infinite is an even better example; it has a mode that lets you aim with your eyes, and it really works! It’s really insane to blast enemies down with only your gaze. The haptics are the final significant feature of the headset. While they aren’t really new and feel similar to what you would receive from a standard DualSense controller, having them in the headset is still a fairly neat addition that gives you more feedback. You’ll sense it when anything in Rez Infinite rushes by your brain, or when something rushes past your head in Horizon. Although it doesn’t alter the gameplay, this feature does increase immersion.
Regarding audio, the headset lacks integrated speakers. Alternatively, it features an external earphone port with a 3.5mm size. On the other hand, the headset comes with a set of earphones that snap into the rear of the device. These work with the 3D audio on the PS5 and have a decent sound. The illusion of positional audio will be apparent to you; it works particularly well in virtual reality. The important thing to remember is that all of these technologies work together to provide an extremely accurate, high-fidelity, and pleasant product. Considering the price, it seems like a high-end headset, as it should.
A brand-new VR console controller
The experience also heavily relies on the included Sense controllers. For the majority of VR systems, hand tracking is nothing new, but if you’re coming from PSVR, it will be revolutionary. This is what truly helps differentiate this from the original and is the key to appropriate VR engagement. To be honest, the controller design is essentially an exact replica of Oculus Touch. You have identical capacitive buttons, an identical button arrangement, and an identical outer loop design. Still, given how great the Oculus controllers are, this is a really excellent thing.
The new Sense controllers operate anywhere in the room and rely on inside-out tracking from the headset. This guarantees that there won’t be any errors or occlusion problems while you move about, making the gameplay seem exact and precise. I suggest utilizing the wrist straps that come with both controllers, which come with closures and a little engraved PlayStation logo. Haptics is the primary area where the Sense controllers and Oculus Touch diverge. The haptics are much better, much like the DualSense controller that comes with the PS5. The additional haptic feedback really enhances the immersion because you use your hands a lot in the gaming environment.
Even while the hand tracking is excellent, it’s not perfect all the time. In games like Horizon, for example, I occasionally noticed that my hands would occasionally behave strangely when interacting with surfaces. I might add that I have also seen this with various inside-out methods, but all in all, I wouldn’t call it an issue.
Additional features: capture quality and theater mode
This takes care of the hardware, but there are other aspects to take into account as well. For example, the theater mode is rather remarkable. Similar to PSVR1, this lets you use a resizing virtual screen within the headset to watch 2D content. But because of the striking improvement in brightness and clarity, I thought it was much more feasible this time. Text and graphics are crisp and clear, and the games are colorful.
The headset’s compatibility for 2D games with 120Hz output and HDR is more significant since it gives you access to a 120Hz HDR OLED screen that you can use for your normal entertainment. It’s a really strong feature; the only thing it lacks is VRR support.
Then there’s the capture scenario; I’m guessing most people don’t have to worry about this, but content makers should. The PS5’s HDMI connector allows you to record the very crisp 4K 60Hz social screen output in the same way you would any other game. While PSVR1 recorded footage with very grainy images and visible boundaries, PS5 seems noticeably better in this mode. The only drawback is that the output is only 60 Hz, and depending on how the game is designed, you can have screen tearing. However, this is not a feature of the headset itself.
First-round game round-up
This covers the hardware and important features, but more time will be needed to evaluate the games. With the exception of Horizon: Call of the Mountain, the majority of the games we tested during the review period were already released. While the updates for highly anticipated games like Resident Evil Village and Gran Turismo 7 haven’t gone online yet, we’ll keep you updated on important releases as soon as they become available.
The greatest example of new features is perhaps Horizon: Call of the Mountain. Although the game itself is somewhat different from the flagship releases, it nevertheless emphasizes fine-grained interactions. You physically (virtually?) build weapons, use a variety of tools to scale sheer rock cliffs, fight, and solve puzzles in the vein of Tomb Raider by using the Sense controllers. It fully utilizes 3D spatial audio and haptic characteristics. Since this is effectively a 60 frames per second game with an asynchronous time-warp mapped to headgear movement, there may occasionally be some blur, similar to what happens with 60Hz content running on a 120Hz screen.
Rez Infinite returns for PSVR2 in a revised edition. This is an excellent demonstration of the new HDR features and controls made possible by the upgraded hardware. The highlights of the colors are far brighter than in any VR headset I’ve tested, and the contrast is flawless. While you may use the controllers to aim with your hands, the haptics are employed to improve the experience. It is also quite versatile because you may choose to use eye or head tracking targeting. This is also true with Thumper, which offers a considerably more immersive experience thanks to its haptics, greater resolution, brighter picture, and enhanced contrast. Thumper is still fantastic in the modern day.
Updated for PSVR2, Moss Books 1 and 2 is an excellent example of the higher pixel count in the headset. The game places you in different dioramas while you manage your character. Try Moss on the first PSVR and then go to the PSVR2, you’ll be astonished at the quality difference. Song in the Smoke Rekindled is something we’ve previously discussed with the creators, and now that I’ve used it myself, I can understand their excitement. Something that feels perfectly accurate and fluid is created by utilizing all of the PSVR2’s functions.
PlayStation VR2: The decision from Digital Foundry
In conclusion, it is evident from our assessment that the PlayStation VR2 is a powerful bundle. In terms of specifications, it can rival more costly PC headsets; moreover, it is far more pleasant to wear than the PSVR1 and has a great deal of promise. Regardless of pricing comparisons with its predecessor, the issue here is that it’s incredibly pricey in a world where the Oculus Quest 2 offers an all-in-one experience at a far lower cost. Although there is a significant difference in specifications between Quest 2 and this new hardware, I wonder if the install base will increase quickly enough to justify creating high-profile titles for the new platform.
Having said that, the PSVR2 offers a few more features that could influence your choice to buy. The screen works well. It’s excellent. The PS5’s theater mode is quite amazing if you’re still playing on an older 1080p screen with either no HDR support at all or only spotty support. It’s probably not as nice as a standard 4K OLED because of the head tracking, but it’s about the same as playing games on a 1440p panel with support for 120Hz and great HDR.
Going back to the main purpose of the PSVR2, the software lineup is good at launch, however a large number of the titles are improved ports of earlier releases. Despite the fact that a number of those games are free upgrades for PSVR1 owners, what we’ve experienced thus far doesn’t offer a revolutionary gaming experience, and the absence of a Half-Life: Alyx conversion is felt strongly. Although the headset has a standard USB-C connection, it does not support PCs at all. However, it is possible that PSVR2 may eventually be reverse-engineered and made PC compatible. This would have increased the headset’s appeal to a wider audience. However, if the PSVR2 manages to establish a market niche and acquires support from PCs as well, it may eventually become a need.
The new hardware is an excellent choice for PSVR players seeking the next level of performance. This is a far better VR experience that adds to the PS5 all the advancements observed in other parts of the industry and some significant upgrades, such as an incredibly brilliant HDR OLED screen.