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With all the hype surrounding the PS5 Pro and the upcoming Holiday season, I thought I’d take a break from testing motherboards and GPUs to see how well the PlayStation VR2 fairs today, especially now that it has serious competition from the likes of Meta.

As usual, I put this VR headset through its paces to see if it should be on the top of your gift list, or if there are ultimately more appealing options out there today.

PlayStation VR2

4.5 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

Type: Wired USB-C
Resolution: 2000 x 2040 per eye (OLED)
FOV: 110° diagonal
Refresh Rate: 90Hz, 120Hz
Storage: N/A
Battery: N/A

SOC: N/A
DRAM: N/A
Lens Type: Fresnel lenses
Weight: 560g

What We Think

Overall, I was taken aback by the PSVR2’s performance and capabilities. Although initially it felt light and a bit on the cheap side, I quickly understood that every design-decision had been made with the user in mind. The immersion was incredible, and the eye tracking and reactive controls were responsive and translated my movements well into the game. If only the setup was a breeze and you weren’t tethered to the console, it could be the perfect solution. But still, for console VR, there is nothing quite like it, even if it’s slightly lacking on the exclusive titles – but I’m sure that will change soon enough.

Reasons to Buy

Very nice and guided setup process
Lightweight and adjusts well to any head, making it comfortable to wear
Incredible light isolation
Great controls and tracking of fingers and controllers
Fantastic immersion and detail

Reasons to Avoid

Quite expensive compared to the last gen, and the console itself
Not very many first-party titles are available
The controller battery life is not great
Is tethered, not wireless, and PC adapter is not included
Caused more motion sickness for me than other options

Specifications

	PSVR 2	PSVR
Resolution	2000×2040 per-eye	960×1080 per-eye
Refresh rate	90Hz, 120Hz	120Hz
FOV	110° diagonal	96° horizontal 111° vertical
Optics	Fresnel lenses 2x OLED binocular 58-73 mm IPD range	Aspherical lenses 1x OLED binocular 58-70 mm IPD range
Passthrough	Grayscale	None
Controllers	2 x Playstation VR2 Sense, 6 DOF, with capacitive buttons Rechargeable	2 x PlayStation Move, 6 DOF Rechargeable
Tracking	6 DoF Inside-out via four integrated cameras Eye tracking	6 DoF Outside-in 1x Base station
Weight	600g	560g
Connectivity	USB Type-C Bluetooth 5.1	HDMI USB 3.0
Sound	Microphone 3.5mm audio jack	Integrated stereo earphones Microphone 3.5mm audio jack
Release date	February 2023	October 2016
Retail price	$550/£529	$299

This table takes a more in-depth look at the PSVR 2 specs and compares the differences between the original PlayStation VR. Primarily, we see a significant increase in the resolution per eye, as the PSVR 2 now doubles up on the resolution with two OLED panels instead of one.

For that, it does change the lenses, opting for fresnel lenses instead that have that tiered look while powered off. However, it also gives a 3mm larger interpupillary distance that might give you the proper adjustment to suit your eyes. It also adds a 90Hz refresh rate mode, even though it primarily uses the 120Hz mode. All of that adds up to giving the headset an approximate field of view of 110° on the diagonal.

Then, it surprisingly offers a passthrough option, although only in greyscale, as it’s from the tracking cameras on the headset. It now has four integrated cameras that provide six degrees of freedom and eye tracking. These cameras help with the new-gen controllers, that are a move away from the ‘wand-like’ option we’ve seen previously, with some finger monitoring thanks to the onboard capacitive buttons.

With all that, it only adds 40g to the headset’s weight, bringing the total to 600g. It also changes the connectivity, utilizing USB-C to combine HDMI and USB, minimizing extra ports, and instead adding Bluetooth. It also removes integrated stereo earphones and provides audio jacks for earbuds.

Design

The PSVR2’s design is reminiscent of the PS5 console, as the headset is made directly for it. Smooth, white, and super sleek with a pleasing curved aesthetic.

The headset’s white plastic front housing extends around the sides. Four cameras sit at the front in each corner, and a light in the lower middle section shows the power status. It’s super clean, with the PlayStation logo only on the right side. It has the microphone, power, and sync buttons on the bottom. On top is a button to adjust how far the headset sits compared to the strap and an IPD dial. These all give quick and easy access to the controls.

Inside, the lenses are set apart, with a tracking camera between them. While the face interface is rather peculiar, it’s a relatively simple yet effective solution. The rubber grommet is very light and adapts to any face. You might have to adjust a bit, but it creates an effective seam, directly even creating compatibility with glasses, although it’s easy to make it sit too close and dirty up your lenses.

The strap is connected at a singular point at the top center back of the headset. A reasonably wide connection point connects up to the forehead mount, which itself is relatively large. It has an effective rubber insert, which makes a good seal with your head, and is comfortable to wear, even if it’s not as padded as some other offerings.

At the back, you’ll find another padded strap that will hold the back of your head while also housing the 3.5mm connectors for its earphones to plug into it. You can conveniently store the above in two rubber grommets so they don’t swing around getting in the way when you’re not using them.

There is also a dial at the back with a button inside. That’s the adjuster for the headband, enabling you to tighten the headset to your head. However, being a wired headset, there is a massive cable in the back left of the strap next to the 3.5mm connector, which you have to keep moving. I found that this really got in the way when I was putting it on and using it.

The controllers are very ergonomic and made to accommodate your hands’ nicely. They have a ring that wraps around your wrist and straps to keep them connected to you. The capacitive buttons track your fingers and movements well, translating into the game.

Price

Regarding pricing, the headset was nearly double the retail price of the first headset. Now, with a release price of $550/£529, it is a more expensive option but adds many features. It also costs $50 more than the Meta Quest 3, although that’s standalone and not for consoles. It also goes wireless, not attached like the PSVR 2. In comparison, the Valve index for PC comes in at $999 for the whole kit, which requires much more equipment and setup.

Setting up

Setting up the headset is relatively simple and guided. Once you plug it in and turn it on, you get instructions on the screen to follow without needing to put it on. It instructs you to clear out the space where you’ll be using it and then checks for the brightness in your room, informing you that the cameras in the headset can’t deal with direct sunlight but need enough light to see.

Then, it goes through the steps for putting on the headset, with you opening it all up entirely from the front of the unit to the headband. That way, it can be adjusted to any head shape and size. You can adjust and tighten the strap to keep it still, then, move the lenses closer to your eyes to make it easier to see.

You can turn the dial on top to change the interpupillary distance so it’s in the right spot on your eyes. The PSVR2 tracks this with the cameras and informs you when it’s best placed. Using the button on the bottom, you can continue through these menus and train the eye tracker to read your eyes as best it can.

Once it’s all set in place and on your head, you map your play area. This is where I came into many problems, as after several attempts, the scanning kept failing, as the PSVR2 insists on setting the area automatically first with its cameras, and clearly had an issue with our office space. It kept failing after mapping out some of the room. What I then realized as you looked through the greyscale passthrough was that the white wall lights were flickering rapidly, and I came to realize they must be interfering.

I could progress with the scan only after turning off all the bright white lights. Their frequency was interfering with the headset cameras. Only after its completed its own scanning and mapping can you adjust your play area. If you get it to over two by 2x2m, you can use it for standing and moving; otherwise, you have to play sitting. All of that seems rather inconvenient, and it seems easier just to let you set the play area from the get-go instead of needing to scan it.

Performance

Finally, after the setup took over an hour, as, of course, the controllers had run out of battery and I needed charging, I started off testing the performance and usability. That was with Horizon Call of the Mountain, and I did so standing up and using the play space.

Taking you through the load of options at the start, there are a lot of adjustments to be made from the get-go. Including the way you move and if you want to use eye tracking as another way to select things in the menu apart from the joysticks. Once in, though, you’re immediately immersed in the experience, and I was seriously impressed with the visuals.

Although the movement and climbing immediately made me nearly fall over, clearly showing that my brain believed the movement was meant to be there even though I was stationary, using the bow, items, and general interactivity was immediately intuitive and impressive. The controllers did very well tracking my hand and finger position and translated that into the game.

I then promptly sat down before launching the next game of Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge and, after that, Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded. These were also very easy to learn and handle. It also showcases the controller’s capabilities. Trigger reactivity was much more apparent, with it reacting realistically to various activities.

Although there was no time limit on the battery running out, unless it’s the controllers, I still wanted to take it off as I thought I was getting motion sick, which I’ve never had before. Out of all the options I’ve used before, like the Index, Oculus Rift, and Meta Quest 3S, the PSVR 2 is the one that I needed to take off the soonest. The immersion and glasses started to steam up and began to take me out of it also, and then there was the cable. I constantly found myself worrying about where it was, and what would happen if I stepped too far away from the console, and whether it would meet its doom as a result.

But in general, I was surprised at how well it gets you into it. There were no light leaks,, and in my eyes it works better than the Quest 3S I tested not too long ago, especially as a glasses wearer. Even though they did start to get a bit steamed and greasy, it wasn’t really a hinderance, and the weight of the headset itself was barely noticeable either.

Conclusion

PlayStation VR2

4.5 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

Type: Wired USB-C
Resolution: 2000 x 2040 per eye (OLED)
FOV: 110° diagonal
Refresh Rate: 90Hz, 120Hz
Storage: N/A
Battery: N/A

SOC: N/A
DRAM: N/A
Lens Type: Fresnel lenses
Weight: 560g

Overall, the PSVR2 is an impressive piece of kit, with performance that surprises based on its slightly plasticky appearance. Everything is designed for a purpose – you barely feel it on your head while using it, light isolation and embedded earphones completely immerse you, and advanced tracking and controller tech give you one of the most responsive VR experiences ever.

It does come at a cost though, and the benefits to note having the added weight of a battery are almost marred by the constant need to worry about the power cable. Since the controllers will run out anyway, and you’re likely not going to play for more than two hours, I feel it would have been worth the extra weight just to keep you immersed and not fearing for your PS5’s life. It’ a small gripe in an otherwise seriously impressive VR headset, and one that I think will feature on many people’s wish lists for a few years to come.

PlayStation VR2 review – an almost perfect console VR experience

Table of Contents

Specifications

Design

Price

Setting up

Performance

Conclusion

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