PlayStation VR 2 review: a small step that might become a huge leap

PlayStation VR 2’s qualities snuck up on me. I was almost done. Tetris Effect: It’s Connected’s “Downtown Jazz” stage, and decided to let my last tetromino drift slowly to the bottom of the grid — the better to take in the rooftops, street lamps, and fire escapes surrounding my floating avatar. I landed the block, but my last line vanished, and New York disappeared in a shower white motes. Standing from my seat, I opened VR Quick Settings by pressing a button and set up a larger play area. Before switching to the next game, Horizon Call of the Mountain. Experimenting, I took off the headset to check my watch. Since I had last played, it was now three hours.

I’ve spent the better part of two weeks with PlayStation VR 2, and it’s been permeated by cases like this: not mind-blowing Holy shit Not moments but cumulative instances in which everything works together WorksThe headset works seamlessly and comfortably so that hours seem to disappear. The headset’s library of new games is woefully lacking at the moment, and its $549.99 price tag is as exorbitant as they come. But mechanically speaking, it’s a solid foundation. And if Sony can maintain a steady flow of substantial games to the peripheral’s library, I might be inclined to recommend it somewhere down the road.

PlayStation VR 2, with the VR 2 Sense controllers floating next to it

PSVR 2’s elevator pitch is simple: virtual reality, pulling from the power of the PlayStation 5. You can enjoy 4K HDR display and eye tracking. It also allows you to hear 3D audio through your headphones. For a full rundown of every bell and whistle, you can read PlayStation’s exhaustive FAQ. I won’t bog this review down with information that’s already been assembled elsewhere.

Instead, let’s turn our attention to Horizon Call of the Mountain This is the presumed display piece for all those bells, whistles, and other gadgets.

The linear spinoff of Guerrilla Games’ open-world series begins in a canoe, meandering down an azure river under a vibrant jungle canopy. I’m immediately struck not only by the range of colors, but also by the detail and the lighting: Shadows play across the water as the boat passes beneath particularly large palm fronds, and the clothing of my two fellow travelers shifts between coarse leather, scarred metal, and textured cloth. Wind stirs the jungle from every direction. It’s nowhere near as good-looking as Horizon Forbidden West, of course, but it is the most attractive game I’ve seen in VR.

It takes a few minutes before I notice the “foveated rendering” — essentially, the headset’s eye tracker drops the resolution in my peripheral vision in order to enhance it in the area where I’m focusing. Although I didn’t notice any changes in the environment details, it was noticeable. Bit It took too much time to fine tune in many cases, particularly during combat encounters later. The result is a beautiful game that tends to look a bit blurry when I’m not standing still. The eye tracking feature is great for aiming at specific parts of enemy machines. Provided my bow and arrow are aimed in the correct general direction, the projectile will (usually) land right where I’m looking. During one fight with a group of Glinthawks, it made me feel like Legolas as I sniped the freezing canisters on the flying opponents’ chests.

There are many things to do between light puzzle-solving and pitched battles. Call of the Mountain features climbing — There are many of them.. This would allow me to demonstrate the VR 2 Sense controls. Like the PlayStation 5’s DualSense and DualSense Edge, the VR 2 Sense’s triggers change resistances based on the in-game action. When climbing, this manifests by necessitating a firmer finger grip toward the bottom of the trigger’s range. After longer ascents (Call of the Mountain features side-quest-like “Legendary Climbs”) my fingers were actually sore. Combined with the over/under movement of my arms as I climbed up cracks and sifted along ledges, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t need a bit of a pause at the top of the cliff. (It’s worth noting that my co-worker, Russ Frushtick, experienced significant motion sickness issues when playing Call of the MountainEven when the comfort settings are maximized, you can still use it. If you’re a casual VR user that needs a teleport movement, which Call of the Mountain(You may feel too sick to play this game.

Despite all this, VR 2 Sense controllers remained comfortable. They weigh about the same as the Meta Quest 2’s controllers, but their motion-sensor rings are larger and wrap widely around the wrists, as opposed to Meta’s, which curl over the thumbs. I’ve played quite a lot of. Resident Evil VR As a comparison point, Quest 2 was Quest 2. Paradoxically, considering their bigger size, I actually thought about them less while playing — and the fewer things that remove my focus from the games themselves, the better.

The VR2 Sense controllers floating against a gray background

Sony seems to have taken pains not to make it distracting while they were playing. If the headset is properly adjusted, the rubber accordion around my eyes prevents light from entering my head. The headphones, which hang from the rear band, are just the right length so the wires don’t pull on my ear or, alternatively, sag too low.

If, like me, you’re enamored by the Quest 2’s ability to boot up in any room of your home without being tethered to a console, the PSVR 2’s USB-C cord will definitely be noticeable — even when draped down the left side of your torso, which I found to be the most out-of-the-way place for it to rest without pulling on the headset’s rear band. The cord seems like a reasonable price in comparison to the future gaming benefits of the PS5.

Tethers aside, these touches all make way for what’s happening in front of my eyes. The VR 2 senses are barely noticeable in my hands. This allows me to view the rainbow of lichen that grows in moist crevices as I climb for long periods. I place the headphones in my ears to listen to the 3D audio. This allows me to see a river running below, a burning fire, and mechanical grunts from a Watcher among the weeds. It was a good idea. Does pull me out of the experience — I found the headset’s haptic feedback to be a bit more annoying than engrossing, so I turned it off — a slick UI pops up with the click of a button.

The PSVR 2 headset, as seen from above, resting on a white surface, flanked by both VR2 Sense controllers

This is also true when you hop between places. Rez Infinite, Moss, ThumperAnd Song in the smoke: A rekindled version, one of PSVR 2’s strengths comes into play during my longer sessions with Call of the Mountain: It’s an exceedingly comfortable headset. I don’t feel any pressure on my forehead, bridge or nose because the weight is balanced between the forward pad and rear band. It’s easy to set up the headset, as there are only two buttons to open the forward and rear visors. Aside from tousled hair and the general unease that comes with walking freely back in the real world, I’m no worse for wear after extended play sessions. I don’t think the Meta Quest 2 is an uncomfortable headset, especially when incorporating third-party add-ons. For VR, comfort is key, especially at this point when there are many major obstacles to overcome.

As a proof of concept, and as a microcosm for what the headset’s games could look like in the future, Call of the Mountain works. But like most proofs of concept, it’s never going to pull me back. PSVR 2 has been a great experience, but my favorite PSVR 2 moments have been when I was playing games such as Tetris Effect: It’s Connected The extraordinary The World Before Your Eyes — titles that aren’t new by any means, but instead, carryovers from other platforms, different headsets, or even previous generations. This is just as much a signifier of these games’ lasting appeal as it is an indictment of PSVR 2’s lack of system-selling titles. But still — I’m eager for something that feels genuinely new, to better justify the PSVR 2’s existenceAnd that extremely steep price point.

Because it’s not really the motion controls, or the eye tracking, or the haptic feedback that I’m most excited for when I boot up PSVR 2. I’m most excited by the headset’s very elevator pitch: VR, backed by the power of the PS5. It’s entirely possible that, one week from now, with VR updates to Gran Turismo 7, No Man’s Sky, and Resident Evil Village (the latter of which, in my opinion, could be a system seller in itself), that promise may come to fruition, and I’ll have exactly what I wanted: a comfortable, intuitive VR headset capable of capturing the long-form magic of some of my favorite games on PlayStation 5. Yes, PSVR 2 has tons of potential — but right now, that’s about it.

PlayStation VR 2 February 22nd, the peripheral and accompanying software will be available for purchase. Sony Interactive Entertainment sent a prerelease unit to review the peripheral and its accompanying software. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions on products sold via affiliate links. Here are some links to help you find. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.