Expected for February 22, the PlayStation VR2 comes to offer the PS5 new experiences with a headset that goes upmarket compared to the very first. More powerful, more ergonomic, more qualitative, it must justify a higher price.
Very often autonomous or designed for powerful PCs, virtual reality headsets have multiplied in recent years without the market taking off. The Meta Quest 2 takes the lion’s share with its standalone offer and a large catalog of experiences of all kinds. But no real big greedy games unless you lose autonomy to gain power by connecting it to a computer using a cable and then compete with the HTC Vive Pro, Valve Index and others.
Until then, home consoles were the poor relatives of virtual reality. Only the first PlayStation VR of the name had slightly democratized the subject on PS4, but at the cost of a strange helmet whose installation was tedious and the catalog no more exciting than that. Sony is back with a much more ambitious second generation. The PlayStation VR2 is only for PS5 owners, but it has raised its capabilities and, a fortiori, its video game ambitions.
Its advantages
Redesigned ergonomics
With a helmet that goes to the essentials (one product, a single cable to connect it to the PS5 and two Sense controllers), we install everything with the box open. Forgot the camera to install to play, the PS Move to have in addition, but also the external box to which it was necessary to connect multiple cables going to the PS VR and the console. A joyful mess that now belongs to the past and helps to limit clutter.
Sony has revamped the design to make the PS VR3 a little more ergonomic and light to carry. In this sense, the new opening system via pressure on the button on the back is perfect for widening the oval before placing the helmet on your head and tightening the hold thanks to the knob of the button. The distance between the lenses and the eyes is then adjusted to properly position the light shield to prevent light leakage, using a button above the screen part. Then, the sharpness of the image is adjusted using the small wheel located on the top to define the interpupillary distance.
As strange as it may seem, you have to position the helmet very low at the back to properly wedge the vision. Once you get the hang of it, it fits snugly and can be more easily supported than its predecessor for longer gaming sessions.
The earphones are built-in and it is quite convenient to enjoy the sound. It is also possible to connect your own audio system (headphones or earphones) by undoing the support to fix everything on the Jack socket on the arch.
Once connected to the console, the PS VR2 is ready for installation. You will also see on the TV screen everything that is going on inside the helmet thanks to an automatic mirrorring system. The configuration is extremely simple and detailed once the Sense headset and controllers are recognized by the PS5. The menu guides you to adjust the PS VR2 perfectly to your head, calibrate the gaze to better track it thanks to the two infrared cameras inside. Everything is done with precision and will have effects on many games.
Then comes the delimitation of the playing area by scanning the room. For this, the PS VR2 relies on its function pass-through which makes “come back to the real world” in black and white without removing the helmet (it is possible to press a button also for this). The sensors embedded in the front become your gaze. It will also be useful to alert you when someone enters the area. Finally, you have to choose between playing standing and moving or in a stationary position (most often seated). In less than five minutes, everything is ready.
The Oled screen of the PS VR2 is of much better definition (2000 x 2080 per eye) in order to offer gaming in 4K HDR, at 120 frames per second, worthy of the PS5. It is detailed, clear and well colored. The Sony headset is clearly at the top of the image quality basket, helped in this by the power of the console. This allows games to look beautiful, with retina-flattering graphics. The field of vision increased to 110°, combined with advanced eye tracking (see below), offers the most pleasant fluidity in play.
You turn your head to see everything around you, to spot your enemies or just stroll around. Do not panic if you are not very comfortable with virtual reality when the sequences accelerate, Sony has thought of everything: a gray area at the edge of the field of vision can be activated to reduce the latter and avoid “seasickness” effect that this can cause the first few times when the movement is too great (in running, in action, etc.).
And to complete the immersion, the PS VR2 has a vibration engine that will react according to your game (a shock on a shot, an element that touches you…).
This is one of the strong points of the headset: eye tracking. Your eyes thus become the control tool in many menus and then you just have to validate with a click on the joystick. It is extremely responsive and efficient. We are still waiting for the experiments that will make full use of it, but the beginnings are promising. And it is possible to disable eye tracking.
The PS VR2 also compensates for the lack of an external camera with four on-board cameras directly on the front. They are the ones that will track the environment, but also work with the PS VR2 Sense controllers and their multiple integrated sensors (gyroscope, motion sensor, infrared, accelerometer, etc.) by tracking them.
The helmet offers much more precision in the reproduction of movements, whether for archery in Horizon Call of the Mountain or to manage the shots in Star Warsactivate rowing in Kayaking VR: Mirage. In addition, the Senses Controllers take advantage of the advantages of the initial DualSense or the DualSense Edge for more advanced players: the haptic feedback which will make the controller vibrate according to the moment of the game, but also triggers with different levels of pressure, as required.
Our reserves
The price higher than the console
If the PS VR had bet on a lower price than the PS4 to make a name for itself, this is not the case with its successor. The PS VR2 is displayed at 599 euros, 50 euros more than the new price of the PlayStation 5 and 100 euros more than at its launch. In addition, it is sold without the slightest game. It will therefore be necessary to extend the invoice to easily exceed 1100 euros to play.
The autonomy of the controllers
The PS VR2 Sense are excellent controllers that hold well in the hand. They have been perfectly studied so that the buttons fall perfectly under the fingers, triggers included. The arch does not interfere in any way and the tracking system is impeccable. But they unfortunately have the same problem as their PS5 counterparts: autonomy is not their strong point and they often have to be recharged after a gaming session. via the USB-C x2 charging box.
Limited to PS5 only
The PS VR2 is made for the PS5 and that’s it. You won’t be able to link it to the PS4 or a PC. This is a shame and limits its use.
No compatibility with PS VR1 games
It is still the great desolation for those who had invested in games for the first headset. They can put them away with the PS VR1. None of them are compatible with PS VR2. Backward compatibility has never been Sony’s forte and in virtual reality too, the manufacturer is initially dragging its feet. Hoping that this error can one day be repaired. It could initially be possibly by the developers themselves, with a free update of the existing title…
Conclusion
Once again, Sony is positioning itself as a champion of the democratization of virtual reality on console. The PS VR2 is a real qualitative upgrade of its first helmet, having erased some defects of the previous one and reinforcing the immersion. It arrives with around thirty games at launch (less than the PS VR in its day) which will reach very different audiences. Too bad it can’t rely on the pre-existing library. However, its screen quality combined with the power of the PS5 suggests great possibilities in the future. With the PS VR2, Sony also offers a major advantage in terms of new experience for its console against the competition. But not yet enough to elbow against PC headsets, better equipped in games and versatility.
