Sony’s PSVR for PlayStation 4, the first serious VR add-on for a console, did pretty well for itself. It was quite affordable, was well received by players and critics alike, and received much more support after launch than many previous PlayStation hardware efforts (RIP, dear Vita). Now several outlets have gotten their first hands-on sessions with an early version of Sony’s upcoming PSVR2 for PlayStation 5. The expected new VR hardware doesn’t have an official price or launch date yet (only “early 2023”), but based on these impressions is already causing a furore with critics.
A variety of outlets that got these hands-on demos describe the experience as comparable to supposedly more powerful PC VR offerings from Valve or Meta. That said, it’s still up to Sony and other developers to make compelling games, and right now the only exclusive experiences of the new platform are a Horizon spin-off and a VR version of last year’s Resident Evil Village. The latter is playable for the first time in VR on Sony’s headset. There also is a Walking Dead game and a Star Wars VR experience, both ports of previous PC/Quest VR games.
Overall, critics sound impressed, even stunned, by the experience. Among the qualities mentioned are the overall build quality and comfort, which seem to compete well with pre-existing headsets. It’s still tethered, but the cable length sounds appropriate enough. Especially the graphic quality and the overall ‘immersion’ attract a lot of attention. One of its most advanced features is the headset’s eye tracking, which allows the device to optimize the display based on what you’re looking at, or lock eyes with other players in the future. There is also haptic feedback in the headset itself. polygon notes that both functions are used in Horizonwhich is the most advanced showcase of the hardware to date.
In short, it just needs some great apps, and the quartet of existing demos sounds like a solid start. Here are some highlights of the practical impressions of each point of sale:
“Last week I tried Sony’s new headset for the first time and was blown away by how stunning two of its great games, Horizon Call of the Mountain and Resident Evil Village, watched. They did not rely on particles or stylized art direction; they looked like AAA console games that happened to be in VR. The past few years of playing Quest had recalibrated my expectations for what VR games should look like, and it was great to see games progress again visually without an elaborate setup.
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“But how does it feel to actually play games on the PSVR2, with all its new bells and whistles? The actual PSVR2 hardware was a joy to use. Like most modern VR headsets, you can adjust the headband to make sure everything rests comfortably on your noggin, and you can adjust the inter-pupillary distance (IPD) so that the actual lenses in the headset are the right distance for you. The screens looked fine, although at times it felt a bit blurry around the edges, which could have happened with the first PSVR.”
“Wow. Wow wow wow. That’s the word that keeps coming to mind when I try to sum up my time with PlayStation VR2. As an avid fan of VR for many years, it’s safe to say that my first hands-on experience with Sony’s upcoming headset blows my VR-loving socks off.This sleek and stylish unit was everything I could have wished for in an upgraded PSVR headset and much, much more.
In terms of technological and visual quality, this feels like one of the most memorable generation of console jumps. Experiencing the difference in visuals between the PSVR1 and the PSVR2 brought back memories of graduating to the sparkling, crisp, high-definition games of a PS3 after years of playing standard-definition games on the PS2.
“Sony has touted much higher visual fidelity for PSVR2, which, for the tech-obsessed folks out there, equates to an OLED display with a resolution of 2000×2040 per eye, HDR, refresh rates of 90Hz and 120Hz, and a 110- degrees field of view. This is all impressive on paper, but when you experience it with the headset on, it’s a bit of magic.
The level of detail on display was really overwhelming, especially as I wasn’t expecting it from a VR game. I know how disdainful that sounds of all the VR games out there, of which there are certainly more than a few impressive looking ones. However, there’s a clear line between the way a VR game and a non-VR game look – there’s a level of richness, detail and brilliance that separates the two. Horizon Call of the Mountain blurs that line on PSVR2.”
“PlayStation VR2 happily feels like a modern entry into the VR landscape, with first-class visual fidelity and comfortable ergonomics. The haptics and adaptive triggers, if implemented properly, will be a welcome addition to the immersive experience. As with all new hardware, the question now is whether there will be enough games to make the investment worth it. First-party games like Horizon Call of the Mountain certainly help allay those fears, and while nothing has been announced yet, I’d be shocked if the outstanding Half-life: Alyx has not found its way to the platform.”
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