PlayStation VR2
By: Sony
As a child of the 80s, the promise of a high-tech bucket on my head to fight off a Skynet or Lawnmower Man was intoxicating. In 2016, Sony brought this dream to life by offering virtual rides to the masses with their original PlayStation VR headset. It quickly became the best-selling VR headset on the market, but remained a sideshow to more traditional gaming.
Sony’s latest rig, PS VR2, certainly ups the ante. It’s lighter, more comfortable, and packed with high-end sorcery to deliver PC-quality VR without the PC. The single cable setup makes it easy to plug ‘n’ play, and the headset is more intuitive in helping you find the ‘sweet spot’. It features four times the pixel-count per eye compared to the original, for a 4K screen pressed against your cornea. Plus, 3D audio courses through its earbuds, a motor rattles your skull, and the pass-through camera lets you glimpse the real world without removing the headset.
Eye-tracking means characters will stare into your soul, and menus can be navigated with mere glances. And, the headset fan prevents it from steaming up. The list of features goes on!
PS VR2
The dedicated controllers provide more accurate interaction than the PlayStation Move wands of the original. And, at launch, there’s full support for Gran Turismo 7, Resident Evil Village, and No Man’s Sky, as well as a raft of VR exclusives. Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge is a simplistic shooter with tools and weapons to grab from your holster. Moss and Moss Book II are given a lick of paint for PS VR2, while Horizon: Call of the Mountain is the VR MacDaddy, providing a full-throated spin-off from the PlayStation blockbusters with motion-controlled archery and mountain climbing.
Horizon: Call of the Mountain on PS VR2
Sony has absolutely nailed the hardware, with the most comfortable headset and sharpest screens on the market. But, at over 500 notes, it’s no impulse buy. Now it just needs a steady stream of games to make slipping beneath those wonderful whizz-bang goggles worth it.
