PlayStation VR2: Right tech, wrong time?

#53: Virtual insanity

February 24, 2023

Not a subscriber? Sign up here!

So PlayStation VR2 is finally out.

Did you get one? Did you know it was out?

Do you care?

Expensive PC-based VR and phone-powered versions pedalling underwhelming kind-of VR meant PlayStation VR was a lot of people’s first taste of true virtual reality; 3D environments and full 6 degrees of freedom (meaning you could reach into the scene and physically walk around in it, rather than simply look around from a fixed position).

The PS VR was a wonderful piece of kit for a first attempt - great performance, comfortable, a strong game line-up and released at a fair price. It was a genuine achievement for Sony. But it wasn’t perfect. Its multi-cable, external power box and camera set-up was a mess. Convoluted for the tech-savvy and damn-near unfathomable for the casual user. It was a faff, basically. And people don’t like faff.

To those who persevered though, there was real magic there. Virtual reality can create experiences simply not possible elsewhere, and PS VR was home to a lot of them. It was proof that real virtual reality in your living room actually worked.

The PS VR2 builds on the first headset with some pretty huge upgrades; an OLED screen with HDR and nearly 4x the resolution, built-in cameras for headset and controller tracking, 110 degrees field of view, 3D audio, haptic feedback, and even eye tracking to maximise detail depending on which part of the screen you’re looking at. And best of all? No more faff! Just a single USB-C cable that connects directly to your PS5.

Most early reports agree that it’s hugely impressive, with Gran Turismo 7, in particular, showing just what it’s capable of. It’s a bit of a beast, basically, and a genuine step forward for consumer VR tech. But (and I’m sure you saw this ‘but’ coming a mile off)…. it ain’t cheap. At £530 this is an expensive bit of kit. More than a PS5 in fact, which you'll also need to power the thing.

It’s a bold move. After all, you can get a Meta Quest 2 for £400 and it requires no PC or console to run. It’s an excellent headset – certainly better than PS VR1 – but its specs aren’t in the same league as PS VR2’s. Make no mistake, PS VR2 is high-end VR in every sense, but if you want the latest and greatest tech, you’re gonna have to pay for it.

I’m thrilled Sony is so committed to what is certainly still a niche market. But it’s a huge risk, and I worry about it. I still hear people say they’ve never tried VR and that they don’t see the appeal. And that's always been VR’s biggest hurdle - It’s simply impossible to comprehend the sense of scale and presence you can get without trying on a headset yourself. And now the barrier to entry has been pushed even higher.

Sony could have offered a cheap, more refined PS VR1 and tried to get it into the hands of as many people as possible. Instead, they've gone the other way; opting for an expensive, high-end headset full of cutting-edge tech to really try and push the format forward.

It’s a move I applaud. I just hope the high price combined with the very real cost of living crisis doesn’t hold back one of the few truly daring and exciting endeavours in gaming. A medium you could argue is becoming a little too safe and predictable of late.

-

As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoy the rest of the issue.

Have a great weekend everyone,

Jeff

THE WEEK IN GAMES

The best news, deals and gaming content of the week!

NEWS

DEALS

MORE!

  • Safe in Our World Charity Bundle

The long-awaited charity bundle from Safe in Our World is now live. You can grab over £500 worth of games for £12 from Fanatical, with all the profit going directly to support Safe In Our World’s charitable endeavours. The bundle is limited though, so if you want to grab it you'll have to be quick.

  • Blood Echoes: A Bloodborne Anthology

Tune & Fairweather (makers of the wonderful 'You Died' Dark Souls books) are back with a new Bloodborne-themed offering. As usual this looks to be a lavish production described as "...a testament to the game’s enduring power, and an attempt to understand the strong magic it exerts to this day". You can pre-order the book here.

  • Boss Fight Books: Season 6 - Book 3

The crowdfunding campaign for season 6 of the brilliant Boss Fight Books rolls on. There will be four books released as part of the season with the first and second books already confirmed as PaRappa the Rapper and Animal Crossing. The third has now been revealed to be Minesweeper. The campaign ends on Wednesday March 8th. Check out the campaign here.

NEW RELEASES

All the major releases arriving this week and next!

THIS WEEK:

PlayStation VR2 is out now! Alongside too many games to list. If you'd like to browse the full list of launch games you can check them out here.

NEXT WEEK:

  • Destiny 2: Lightfall (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC) – February 28

  • Dungeons of Aether (PC) – February 28

  • Scars Above (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – February 28

  • Leap (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC) – March 1

  • Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – March 3

SUPPORT US

The Week in Games remains possible thanks to the support of members such as johnXprinter, SeánLynch, Px and Marcos.

If you enjoy it, please consider a Premium Membership from just £2. Your contribution goes directly towards maintaining and improving The Week in Games.

…and that’s it for this week!

If you have any comments or suggestions, are interested in advertising your game, product or service to The Week in Games' passionate readers, or would like to sponsor the monthly giveaway, please reply to this email directly or catch me over on Twitter!

Thanks again, and see you next week!

Jeff