Top-tier specs deliver a state-of-the-art experience.
PlayStation VR2 arrives at a crucial moment for virtual reality gaming.
Let’s be clear though.
Starting at 529/$549/599 and with limited availability, PSVR2 is not a casual purchase.
Build quality is fantastic.
First impressions are also highly favourable.
This begins with the headset itself.
Like the original and Oculus Rift S, the PS VR2 uses a halo system.
The front visor is still controlled by a small button mounted along the top ridge.
Press this to move the viewfinder in and out.
It’s also comfortable to use with glasses, thankfully.
it’s possible for you to even assign temporary spaces if you move the headset around.
It’s comparable to the guardian setup with Oculus products but feels even more refined.
PS VR2 has a rated field of view of 110 degrees.
It instantly feels more engaging and immersive.
It’s extremely sharp and clean to the point where small UI elements are perfectly sharp and legible.
Which brings us to perhaps the most important aspect - contrast ratio and support for HDR.
This is no longer the case here: PSVR2 boasts the brightest screen I’ve experienced to date.
Darker content benefits as well, as unlike prior OLED based headsets, PSVR2 can display absolute black.
The combination of bright highlights with deep black levels dramatically improves the presentation.
I really cannot overstate this enough - it now feels more comparable to a proper high-end OLED TV.
It’s genuinely stunning.
It also retains the low persistence, high performance characteristics you’d expect.
First, I want to mention head tracking.
That’s not the only thing it can track.
PSVR2 also features gaze tracking - that is, it can monitor the position of your eyes.
This can be used to improve rendering performance or enhance gameplay.
It’s completely wild shooting down enemies with just your eye movement.
This is not a game changing feature, but it improves immersion.
As for audio, the headset does not include built-in speakers.
Instead, it has a 3.5mm headphone jack for use with external earphones.
These sound pretty good and work with PS5’s 3D audio.
You will experience the illusion of positional audio and it’s especially effective in VR.
It feels like a high-end headset which, given the price, it absolutely should.
A new generation of console VR controller
The supplied Sense controllers are also key to the experience.
This is the key behind proper VR interaction and what really helps set this apart from the original.
The controller design is, quite frankly, pretty much a direct copy of Oculus Touch.
You have the same outer loop design, a similar button configuration and the same capacitive buttons.
However, this is a very good thing as the Oculus controllers are fantastic.
The new Sense controllers rely on inside-out tracking from the headset and work anywhere in the room.
The difference between the Sense controllers and Oculus Touch mainly comes down to haptics.
The quality of the haptics is greatly improved, resembling the DualSense controller that ships with PS5.
The theatre mode is impressive, for example.
Like PSVR1, this allows you to view 2D content within the headset using a resizeable virtual screen.
Imagery is sharp and clear including text and games are vibrant.
It’s a very powerful feature indeed, missing only VRR support.
Horizon: Call of the Mountain is perhaps the best showcase for new features.
The game itself differs greatly from the mainline entries but it focuses on granular interactions.
Using the Sense controllers, you physically (virtually?)
It makes full use of the haptic features and 3D spatial audio.
Rez Infinite makes a return with an updated version for PSVR2.
This is a fantastic showcase for the new HDR capabilities and controls possible with the new hardware.
The contrast is perfect and colours highlights are far brighter than any VR headset I’ve used.
The haptics are used to enhance the experience while the controllers can be used to aim using your hands.
Or you’re free to opt for eye or head tracking targeting making it very flexible.
Thumper remains as awesome today as ever.
All the various PSVR2 features are used to create something that feels completely fluid and precise.
The screen is good.
It’s really good.
