Giovanni Colantonio
One year ago , I took my first step into virtual reality with the PlayStation VR2 . One class by and by , I have n’t walked much further .
I spend a long time see the VR sect of the gambling metier from the sidelines , curious about this new form of fundamental interaction , but never taking the full dip . Impressed with the PSVR2 ’s specs and confident in Sony ’s first - party capabilities , I bribe it at launch in February 2022.After a week of use , I save that I “ look for it ’ll be a very subsidiary play manner for me in the future tense , not something I ’ll want to do for hr every day . ”
Giovanni Colantonio
That ’s a very generous meter reading of what ended up fall out .
PlayStation VR2, one year later
After a year of using PlayStation VR2 , I ’m disappointed in my $ 550 purchase . There was a honeymoon form when it ab initio launched as I explore the headset ’s launching lineup , all of which was new to me . It was a flake uncomfortable to employ for long periods , and it lacked exclusives outsideHorizon Call of the Mountainand VR modes forResident Evil VillageandGran Turismo 7 . I hoped this would improve over time as I got used to wearing it and more game started to come out .
Regarding solace , I ’m getting less queasy playing VR games now than I was a year ago . That ’s an aspect of the VR experience that does ameliorate with time . Unfortunately , I still do n’t find the headset itself comfortable . I mess around with it a lot each time I put it on , but after 30 minute of arc , it always starts to spite my nozzle and forehead . I might be willing to crusade through the painful sensation if the games were good enough to justify it , but they have n’t been .
The most woeful facial expression of PSVR2 one yr later is the lack of first - party financial backing . Last class , it only get two Modern Sony - release game : Horizon Call of the MountainandFirewall Ultra . The former was a great prefatorial experience , but the latter was a buggy multiplayer gun for hire that left a unsound discernment in my mouth . Horror exclusives likeThe Dark Pictures : SwitchbackandResident Evil 4 VRaren’t my cup of tea , and outside of that , I only had a solidBefore Your EyesVR spiritual rebirth and the entertaining , butextremely repetitiveSynapse .
I savor some other VR experiences throughout that time , likeRez Infinite , but overall , the headset ’s 2023 game batting order did n’t do enough to elicit continued interest from me . My headset became a bauble to put on every few month , not a permanent addition to my play rotation . The situation did n’t seem so spicy for developers make games for PSVR2 either .
First Contact Entertainment , the studio apartment behind the Sony - publishedFirewall Ultra , shut down in December 2023 . “ After almost 8 year of ferment with the most amazing team I ’ve ever had the pleasure of being part of , I ’m sad to denote that we will be close our fellowship First Contact Entertainment by the end of the year . The want of reenforcement for VR within the industry has eventually taken its bell . As a AAA VR biz developer , we are just not able to apologize the expense ask [ going ] forward , ” the developerwrote on Facebook .
If that ’s the thought from a Sony - backed developer , I ’m not affirmative about yr two of PSVR2 single living .
PlayStation VR2 vs. Meta Quest 3
My opinion on PSVR2 pitch even further this class when I tried out the Meta Quest 3 . After obtaining the headset with a copy ofAsgard ’s Wrath 2 , my interest in VR reignited a spot as I once again entered the honeymoon phase with a new piece of hardware . While I was n’t a sports fan of how often Meta asks for my data while using the affair , it ’s a decidedly more comfortable headset than the PSVR2 . It ’s smaller , making it a bit easier to set on my large head . It also does n’t finger like it ’s pressing into my face as much , meaning my Meta Quest 3 play sessions have lasted longer .
I triedJourney to Foundationon both headsets for a headspring - to - head comparison . I did find that it looked a mo better on PlayStation VR2 , so if performance and visual fidelity are what you mainly care about with VR , Sony ’s headset still has that going for it . That said , VR game generally look a bit go steady visually , so I did n’t mind the fragile ocular downgradesJourney to Foundationreceived on Meta Quest 3 .
Horizon Call of the Mountainis lack , but Meta Quest 3 ’s game program library feels much more telling than the PSVR2 ’s . When it comes to traditional games , I enjoyedOut of Scale : A Kurzgesagt Adventure , but what impressed me the most were mixed reality experiences . I ’ve had a blast withPillow , a minigame accumulation you may bring rest down , andDemeter , aMoss - similar platformer where the stage are place out in your own room . VR is at its good when it ’s playing with view , not when it ’s show you yet another way to recharge a gas .
Considering all the buzz theApple Vision Pro has been getting , assorted reality and spatial game will belike become the new heat for VR headsets . That ’s something PSVR2 is just not equipped for , and the system does n’t presently have enough exclusives or first - party support to put much religious belief in Sony ’s more erstwhile - school VR approach . Right now , the only PSVR2 exclusive on the horizon is the flight armed combat gameAces of Thunder , which is lacklustre heading into year two of the platform ’s biography span . Sony has a lot of study to do if it wants to reinvigorate my interest group in its VR offerings or it involve to admit its lack of design for support outright .
The Meta Quest 3 is a cheaper , more comfortable headset . It has a vast library of games and other VR and MR content , and I have more confidence in Meta ’s first - party support . Even then , I ’m still not playing with it nearly as much as I play my on PC , PlayStation 5 , Xbox , or Nintendo Switch . My assessment that VR would stay a supplementary gaming experience for my last year was precise . I ’m just more disappointed now that I empathize just how niche the economic consumption grammatical case for the PSVR2 is within my own VR usance , just one year after launch .
