Talking Point: Is PSVR2 Worth Buying In 2025?

There is not enough software that appeals to me to warant it.

If you are interested just hold fire.

It is great, but there isn't masses of software on it and it is obviously struggling.

My view is that there won't be a PSVR3 and that this one will be offloaded at bargain prices in a couple of years and the games cheaper too.

A good end of gen purchase.

Ive had mine for about 9 months and still play a couple times a week, mostly GT7 (i couldnt play it in 2D again, VR is literally a game changer) and Arizona Sunshine 1/2 with a lot of horde mode. I need to finish off Moss 1/2 aswell.

No regrets here (i got it in one of the first price reductions for about £450)

For me, there is no must play VR game. But maybe the bigger issue here is that I’m lazy and I just want to sit on the couch and play video games.

I think the PC adapter made it far more worth it than the price drop.

Now instead of having a bunch of cool features but locked to a system with very little vr games and customization, NOW you've got a great PCVR headset with oled screens, then you add all the extra great features if you wanna play on PS5.

@Jey887 agreed unfortunately I bought one hoping for great games. Unfortunately I was wrong, when Astrobot was announced as being a flat version only. I knew then they had no faith in there own tech. Some will disagree but I own one & that's my opinion.

@Dman10 Half Life Alyx and Half Life 2 VR are both in my top ten video games of all time, if you've got a friend with it I highly recommend you try it out, I never liked shooting games but they are just so much better in VR.

I just don't see the justification for getting a VR since it still looks like there is a lack of games. It just seems like the problem with Sony is that they don't have a dedicated VR development team.

Can guarantee it's let's than £300 for black friday so I'd say hold off until then. There's atleast 10 games I want to play on it so it's worth getting but just not at £400.

Don't know how you can write.an article psvr2 and it's games and not mention Arizona sunrise 1 and 2, Saints and sinners, Resident evil 4, No Mans Sky.... but.mention call of the mountain,.which is average at best

I think if I had £399.99 burning a hole in my pocket it would be set aside for a Switch 2 or maybe get a series S as a gamepass machine.

At this price I'd say it's worth it but it does have a fairly limited library but with some excellent exclusives and often the best version of multiplatform games and the haptics and screen are great. Downsides are the controllers battery life, the cable connecting to the PS5 and I'm not a fan of the lenses, though this likely won't be an issue if you've not used other types.

The biggest shame for PSVR2 is the lack of backwards compatibility as many great games never made the jump to PSVR2 and since I moved over to the Quest, it's only highlighted how limited PSVR2 is by comparison

I wanted one but the price made me hesitant. I will wait for future price cuts.

Its a really fine piece of kit, but the type of games I enjoy just do not fit very well with VR imo, and/so generally (with a few exceptions) dont have VR modes.

What do you mean “still”? It was worth it at release and it’s, obviously, even more worth it now that there are (so many!) more games available and the original games are cheaper.

@themightyant
For me it’s Resi 4. Although admittedly hard to pick from between a dozen or so.

@Nepp67
There is only a lack of games if you look at the Pushsquare release schedule. Look at the game catalogue on PSN (then add all the flat games that can be played in VR like Resi and GT) and there are more than one person could possible play if they have any type of job or life.

RE8 and RE4 are great, not to mention GT7. But the output of complex games of my taste (i.e. not a zombie or alien shooter) is so slow that I saved RE4 for over a year. Waiting for Hitman though!

I got a Quest 3 around Christmas time last year so I'm personally not in the market for PSVR2. It's biggest problem was the fact that it's not backwards compatible with PSVR1 titles and just hasn't really gotten much support from Playstation proper.

The Quest 3 on the other hand has access to almost everything on PSVR2 and has some compelling exclusives like Batman Arkham Shadow. It's also backwards compatible with Quest 1 & 2 games as well. Add in the fact that it's completely wireless too (which is a very big advantage to me for VR as I don't have to worry about accidently disconnecting the cord) and you got a pretty great product.

That is a pretty great price cut though to their credit. But if someone asked me where I'd recommend going for VR for the first time I'd still say Quest 3 is your best bang for your buck.

I’ve had mine since launch. My first ever headset and I love it. I’ve never run out of games having bought 46 games since it launched. I’ve found that most of the best experiences are the indie titles though the Resi games and GT7 are unmissable.

Personally I’m swimming* in Psvr2 games, plus having recently signed up to PS Plus Premium means even more of them.
The last six months have been crazy and next month we have Wanderer and Hitman both releasing on the same day.
PS. Bargain in the recent sale is Galaxy Kart for £3 (for PS Plus peeps).

*That reminds me I must buy Subside.

Got one for £330 before Christmas with horizon and its...alright. tbh I've used it for maybe 10 hours since then, definitely not as good as the quest 3 but the resi games and gt7 are fun

I feel like it's quite clear the hardware has largely been a failure and near abandoned buy Sony. You really aren't going to get an unbiased opinion from most that shelled out that absurd price, as it's hard to swallow/admit it was a waste.

Vr in general may have a few fun gimmicks, and even fewer decent fully fleshed out games. The medium just hasn't taken off into a booming platform supported by a myriad of devs.

It's just to niche and narrow in its scope.

IF you have expendable money, you could pick it up together with a few choice purchases. I imagine that you might like:

FPS:
Metro Exodus
Pavlov
Arizona Sunshine 2
Star Wars: Tales of the Galaxy

Platformer/adventure:
Moss 2
No Man's Sky
Synapse
Behemoth

Party game/exercise:
Beatsaber
Thumber
Superhot VR
Pistol Whip

Driving:
GT7

Horror:
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 8

RPG:
The Walking Dead
Vampire Masquerade
Demeo

It is honestly a fresh experience every time.
But I am not pushing it expecting a revolution. If you can, indulge a little.

Still too steep a price for so few games. At that price I'd buy Meta Rayban glasses. I'd use those way more often and possible also get as much entertainment value out of them.

VR has never been "worth it". EVER!

Bought one on release ....my first vr.....probably will be my last ..I just CBA to play it tbh...games I have finished almost felt like a chore to finish to justify the price I payed for it....tech is decent enough etc just ain't for me...much prefer just chilling with a normal controller

Best games for me personally are rhythm games and stuff like pistol whip....and even them I get bored pretty quick

I’m already admittedly averse to the idea of VR (sat in a room with a headset on just won’t be as comfortable as sitting in front of a nice big OLED). The fact that there’s such a paucity of software makes it even easier to pass over.

Ever since getting a Quest 3, it's been rough going back to PSVR2, mainly due to the disadvantages of it's fresnel lenses. God rays aside, the Soft image clarity is more evident now than ever...Where as Q3's pancake lenses have a tack sharp/super clear 'looking through a window-like' effect. I couldn't believe it the first time i tried it. PSVR2 also has head movement motion blur(Q3 has none), it's uncomfortable, bulky, tethered, I hate the controller rings, it doesn't even have an IPD 'number' based dial, no colour passthrough or Mixed Reality Mode, topped with a poor 60fps reprojection system. It's a frustrating headset, with serious potential, but it NEEDS a revision, using the Quest 3 as a template and besting it.

I use it on occasion, probably even more than my PS5. But in most ways it truly feels like a generation or so behind Q3. RE Village is still the VR2's magnum opus imo, followed up with RE4. Compound is also a lot of fun. Subside was super eerie yet oh so impressive(This site hasn't reviewed either game, nor Arken Age). Yet i still need to hop on Metro, Alien: RI & Bohemoth. We also have The Midnight Walk coming this way, and for PC VR.

Now if only they'd release a Q3 Pro, with dual micro-oled displays, eye tracking & foveated Rendering, resolution boost to 2300x2500 per eye, along with a smaller, lighter, slimmer goggle-styled visor with no top middle strap.

Anyways, at this point, if you have a good PC and a Quest 3, the PSVR2 probably won't be worth it. Praydog's Resident Evil Village & 7 mods, in ways, are even better than the official PSVR2 versions. Once you go pancake with lenses, going back to fresnel can be rough. VR2's black levels and colours are great, but that's where its perks end strictly in terms of picture/image quality. HDR is BS....Who care about having a super bright image, when it creates head movement motion blur!? The higher you raise the VR brightness slider dial, the more motion blur it creates. VR can't afford to have any of that. By comparison, Q3 has zero head movement motion blur, and hits 85 nits in SDR.

HDR sucks. You can't get clear motion clarity(PSVR2 head movement-wise) when you're pushing that many nits...It's a straight up doubled edged sword. Instead, SDR with top tier strobing/or black frame insertion can achieve CRT motion clarity, aka, zero head movement blur, which is the way to go for now, and that's what Q3 offers.

But back to PSVR2. Once the next Resident Evil main line trailer unveil lands, and it doesn't support a VR mode for PSVR2, that's when i'm boxing this thing up. It's a total indie cesspool, with too many compromises. Ultimately, the 'soft' clarity from the fresnel lenses and OLED head movement persistence blur are near-deal breakers for me. I could always use a 3rd party interface to improve the comfort which is nice, but eh. I Know Sony will get it right with PSVR3 for PS6, but as is. PSVR2 is a bit of a dissapointment. And to add insult to injury, they haven't even bothered porting over and optimizing that incredible Shark encounter from PSVR Worlds(For PSVR1), Resident Evil 7, Kitchen(Another Resident Evil VR theme park-like attraction that goes great with Ocean descent) and of course Astro Bot: Rescue Mission.

I am expecting more franchises comes here, And am talking about Sony games like Astrobot, Blood and truth (Studio is closed ), Moss 3 example, And hope arkham shadows will be released here.
Any way i am a PS collector and i will buy it, but next year, No rush for it.

I bought a PSVR2 last year on Black Friday for €320 (I wouldn't have bought it at any other price) and I was really pleasantly surprised. GT7 is incredible (but I can't last more than 5 minutes), so I play Metro or Beat Saber. It annoys me that PS Store deals ignore PSVR2 games, Horizon is still on sale for €70, not a single discount.

...It's such a frustrating headset with a handful of caveats, but with so much potential IF a revision happens, using the Quest 3 as a template, while besting it certain ways >

• Wireless Connectivity to PS5/PS5 Pro
• Even smaller & slimmer than Quest 3 (Goggle-design)
• Ring-less Controllers
• Pancake Lenses - (Wide sweet spot, tack sharp/clear image & no god rays like Q3.)
• Dual LCD 'Full Array Local Dimming' Displays - (Retaining the same clear blur-free head movent motion clarity & 85 nits SDR as Q3, BUT applying deep inky blacks & richer vibrant colours thanks to FALD technology.)
• IPD 'Number' Dial
• Silicone padded interface for improved comfort - (Or use Fabric, and insteda make the better silicone padded interface sold separately as an accessory.)
• Built in Audio speakers - (Plus headphone jack.)
• Colour Passthrough
• Mixed Reality Mode
• Size adjustable 3D/2D Mixed Reality Screen for playing PS5 games, 3D VR2 games & even Streaming.

Topped with an amazing new trailer reel with new VR & MR games including the next big Resident Evil(9 or Zero), House of the Dead 2 Remake VR, Ocean Decent+, Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, even stuff like Sega Genesis 3D Classics from 3DS(Using the same stereoscopic 3D effect, on a mixed reality screen with VR environmental wallpaper, or full passthrough to see you're actual living room)and so much more, in tandem with the revision has the potential to make a huge turn around for VR2.

All of the above could very well give the VR2 a new lease on life, and a fantastic one at that. But I think, Sony is pretty much done with it. We'll have to wait until PSVR3 for PS6...Which probably won't see the light of day until 2029/2030, if they continue the same 7-year head set gap release pattern. Sigh*

Meanwhile, PC VR is a total friction point laden boutique niche that will never gain mass popularity. VR/MR needs to be either stand alone or to wirelessly connect to a console like PS5 or Switch 2.

Plus, It's all about eliminating those pesky barrier/friction points that are turning most people away from the idea of VR/MR.
Like the Quest 4 possibly being quite a bit lighter than Q3, and due to it's lighter weight, that will allow meta to get rid of that tacky top middle velcro strap(Which is currently needed with Q3 for that 'locked in' sturdy tight fit, or to even out weight distribution), Pancake plus lenses which would get rid of fiddling or adjusting for a sweet spot, as wide as Q3's currently are(PSVR2's sweet spot is awful by comparison. Topped with an even smaller, slimmer goggle-like design, an obvious resolution boost to 2300x2500 per eye, and with 2x the horse power of Q3 could possibly make Q4 a smash success. If not Q4, definitely Q5 in Q4 2029.

Weight issue nixed, no more sloppy top middle strap, no more sweet spot(Just put it on and go), and an even smaller more aesthic slimmer visor would do wonders at getting more people on board.

@Luk4s
Horizon is in the current dealmania sale, just under 50,euros.
It has been on sale a few times according to platprices and always at the current sale price.
Also as I mentioned in a previous comment, the best deal in the current sale is Galaxy kart at around four euros. There is a demo so try and see if your VR legs can handle it.

Cost me £340 new over Christmas. Also jumped in because prescription insert lenses were also on offer and there was a huge psn store sale. I like it and bought a load of games but I wouldn't recommend for friends with mainstream gaming tastes. The only friend who would, already has it. It's not a mainstream device and I'd say is for those who lile to play lots of different and indie games. It requires building up a tolerance for many games. Something I had built up with Quest2.
It's also a system that needs a demo with someone who knows the system.

Amazing how companies can't let go of VR. I remembered seeing a VR arcade game back in the day. Just searched and it was 1994. VR will probably always remain a niche market (3D TV anyone?), but I could be wrong. Good for those who do enjoy it.

Can't believe all the comments here about "Lack of games"???

You buy a simple adapter and it becomes usable on PC

So there's no lack of games, in fact you have access to pretty much all vr games out there full stop, not just playstation games

Granted you need a pc over and above so "lack of games" if you refer solely to playstation is possibly valid but overall it's a mute point.

For the tech inside, especially the screen quality it's an absolute bargain at £400 when used with a pc, top end vr for very little compared to the competition.

All I would add is if you haven't even tried vr full stop then I'd strongly suggest finding a way to test it somehow, in a store or something like that as vr isn't for everyone and can make some folk really really sick

I'd rather have psvr games playable on TV. And if I have to choose between an accessory with few niche games, or the console that will let me play the next Zelda, the choice is easy.

Sony seem to be struggling supporting the ps5 let alone the VR, that’s the reason I’m not interested in it.

@Uromastryx I enjoyed all of those games but most are slightly nicer last gen games. I'm hoping for some new games that I haven't already played

I picked one up in the first sale and have enjoyed it a lot. It's definitely worth it, but it still feels like they are only really 60% there, especially when it comes to comfort and using it for more than 30 minutes at a time.

I've enjoyed collecting the physical library for it though. It's nice to have a collection that's actually quite easy to complete, and if it's the first time you've ever properly tried it the amount of games on offer is easily enough to warrant a spending £300-400.

I don't think it'll ever be valuable as a collectors item, but it will definitely be a neat curio in the future.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllll No. Such a waste of money.

PC or the few third party PSVR2 I think so. Depends but have to have a interest in VR and adapting mentality for it.

I do think some games are there but others are just over engineered and really bad when the Wii/Move did this stuff of good motion/button balance around the limitations not forcing it when it can't do it yet of some motions. Some devs just make me laugh at their stupidity more then anything. I'm a customer /collector with the right mindset of going ok that's how that works well, they overcame that, this range of motion and such and speed to move my arms around for it, and still know the limits of the motion controls yet they seem to not and think it can work. It's so dumb.

Like playing Call of Juarez Gunslinger on Switch I'm like yeah this sensitivity is too high and it just juts and struggles to line it up, slowing it down I was actually able to line the enemies up better. I wanted it for the motion controls and as bought up the 2nd game already on other platforms so like Grid Autosport Switch ports I think are fine for me to easily get the games and my PS3 Gird Autosport copy struggles to function so why not the latest version release instead then odd disk copies that vary in quality. I don't mind. But yeah some motion controls vary.

They aren't all Red Steel 2 but at the same time that game has it's limits too and I enjoyed it so much. The 1st game/launch title one segmented things and just felt way too VR headset bad game type design and 2 is just so much better. Regardless of motion plus as well it enhances it even if required but even still.

For what tech is there it's cool, the right price/mindset of how other headsets are as well.

I'm sick of seeing Meta headset focused games and downgraded nonsense. Why have the power and a chicken/egg situation of oh it doesn't have a large enough user base well make a product to make them want to buy one then. Duh! XD

It's like making mobile or Nintendo hardware downgraded titles but I actually like those in some cases when third parties 'used to do it' for DS, PSP, PS2, Wii versions, nowadays nah. They end up just being pretty average and just eh ports as well when to other headsets.

@UltimateOtaku91 Which is weird, Insomniac made a handful of Meta/Occulus headset (seeing as the Naughty Dog head went to Occulus as well maybe did or didn't help besides just VR/PC focus Insomniac wanted to do I guess at the time) related ones years ago. But are just forced to make Marvel games now.

Like Stormland (i vaguely remember the trailer for this one). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormland_(video_game)

Strangelets I'd never heard of as a AR game, never heard of Magic Leap One at all. Their mobile game of course I forget the name Outernauts, I thought it was Aquanauts thinking something different.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomniac_Games

The PlayStation engineering team must have some staff willing to make games or I'm too much thinking Nintendo will (or used to a fair amount in the past I don't remember if they do make games anymore that team) and Sony just doesn't bother with that.

Or the others willing to make games/had support staff for some projects like PSVR1 or of course call of the mountain as ex Liverpool staff that made the Playroom camera app Astrobots came from or the Persistence. So who knows when stuff gets offloaded to others.

They put out products, expect 3rd parties to fill in and then go oh not enough we gave up and the left over third parties support what they can and the rest move on.

By all the PSVR1 experiences many went lets right it and move on sigh. They are fair but still.

VR Modes can't be that much time, GT Sports was ok but 7 was better supported for the whole game so that's good, many were willing to for Kinect (Forza Motorsport 4 or Tom Clancy Ghost Recon Future Soldier and FM4's was terrible arcade mode driving, I get not playing the whole game like it but even still, seen Future Soldiers and I don't understand it that much it seems ok) when they could have just been Kinect features not small modes that are ok but not great either. Even Move support was more fun for actually functioning enough in the whole games sometimes for Killzone 3/Resistance 3.

I just don't think many want to work around a VR camera support. They don't even have to use the VR controllers just support the Dualsense it's not hard. They don't have to. I thought games had to support the Dualshock 4 but not all do some are Move only I think.

The chicken egg situation is always hilariously stupid with some things of wanting sales but won't make projects to offer people a reason to buy them. Or need more time to learn to make them better not push the motion controls too far and make a terrible game.

Or make better experience type stuff instead even.

Here They Lie I think had Santa Monica Studio support. A horror game. I always forget the name for then remember.

There is likely a few but it seems like PSP/Vita they try then go eh and put studios to work on other things or kill them.

Part 2:
Polyphony seem to be the only ones regardless of requests or not that go sure we will put VR or 3D TV support or motion controls or PSP support or triple monitor or otherwise. I always think oh they can't they have their mentality for how they pace their projects and like to do it themselves yet they impress me despite their time taken on projects still fit all that stuff in regardless of the content/progression being appealing or not in their games they still deliver in some way.

Sony just pushes products then goes, eh were bored or barely use them again. Portal could have had dual screen support but nope. The most basic form of remote play or anything yet.

While Playlink (Everybody 1-2 Switch phone support years later) with smartphones/tablets or even Vita support in Playroom PS4 camera app had DLC for smartphone & tablets/Vita to edit or draw (the phone DLC was way better). Vita was just drawing and it appears. Pretty pathetic honestly. Video making/editing is far more interesting in the phone DLC. Not played it but was still better.

PSVR in Playroom VR had 1 headset/multiple people type Nintendo Land approach of asymmetrical multiplayer. They make projects then give up too often Sony. Nintendo to a degree as well.

@V82MP

I agree that people are overlooking the nice library of games on PS, and are actively ignoring the fact that the headset can be used for PC.

I think potential new buyers are smart enough to know that PSVR 2 is actually a good choice that is usable on both PC and PS (I don't own other headsets, so I can't really say it is the best with authority, but I can say it is a good choice based on my own experience)

@cburg

Hahaha, this is me in the Forza-thread where you call me out😂

Guess what, I'mma call you out and you tell me how many things were right:

1. You have an Xbox
2. You have game pass
3. You don't have a PS5
4. You play Forza regularly
5. You're a traitorous Trump voter

If it had Half-Life Alyx and ports of more PSVR1 games (e.g. AstroBot, Skyrim) then I’d get one.

For me it’s well worth the price, such a great piece of hardware and loads of great games to play on it. I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants to play VR.

I only really play gran turismo these days and I have to say I am tempted and I’ll be even more tempted with this cheaper price point.

I just done think I’m ready to play gt in this view, from inside the car only for ever. Maybe gt8 also makes use of this vr headset but I quite like gaming in my oled with my fanatec wheel

But as I say so so tempted

@DrVenture69 I don't know man, I don't think it's worth dropping £400 to play 3 games a lot... How many others would you say you really enjoyed and why?

Personally I wouldn't mind getting the VR for the ps4 cheap exclusively to play the Neptunia VR game, but that is it.

Missing features: Backwards compatibility with original PSVR titles, 3D movies and blu-rays, playing normal non-3D games on the headset, playing normal movies on the headset. Get 2 of those in and you got a deal.

@rusty82 To each their own. A series S + gamepass privides will give You pretty much the same games You also can play on ps5 at lower quality. Maybe You save a few bucks maybe You wont. A switch will likely give You some great exclusives. But Neither would give You the very different experience You get with PSVR2.

@Cypher1942 You can play all normal games (and apps including movie streaming apps and blueray player) on the headset in cinematic mode.

@Brockybrock I am not particularly good in GT7, but it is fantastic in VR and I would not play it any other way. But that is just my opinion.

@Old-Red To increase the comfort there is globular cluster (a lot of people like it), or just a sweat / head band (what I am using)

@Rhaoulos If You haven't tried VR yet, try it. It is a very different experience.

@MasterChiefWiggum Sure, but sitting in front of a TV will not give You the incredible experiences You can have in VR. There are for example epic moments in resident evil village You don't have in the same way when just watching a TV.

@Korgon Quest3 does not have the haptics of psvr2 which in many games are very well utilised in the psvr2 version and add an extra dimension. Also in most games the graphics are significantly improved and provide a much more atmospheric experience. Then there are the few exclusives GT7, Re4, Re8, call of the mountain which You won't have anywhere else and which are fantastic. PSVR2 has some advantages over a quest.

@gaston
None of those titles really speak to me personally for the most part. I'm not a GT fan and as for RE technically RE4 is also on Quest as well. It's just based on the original version, not the remake. Personally games like Batman, Assassins Creed, and Asgards Wrath 2 speak to me personally more, all of which are only on the Quest. And again the backwards compatibility gives Quest's library a massive leg up in terms of the library of games available.

As for the haptics, I'm sure it's nice but I still feel like being wireless is more important to me. Being able to turn a full 360 degrees and not tangle up with any wires is really great. And sure the graphics are better on PSVR2 since it's hooked up to a console but Quest 3 puts out some pretty impressive graphics itself anyway considering its all built into the headset itself.

It comes down to personal preference of course though. So if you are happy with PSVR2 then good for you. Have fun! 😄

@gaston I suffer a bit of motion sickness. Id be cautious on spending £400 on something that could make me sick anyway.

I

@gaston yeah, I have all that. It's fine, but I still feel like we're a while away from complete comfort.

@ItsAlwaysSunnyyy just had a look, I’ve got about 120 hours in Arizona Sunshine, and about 200 in GT7 (on top of about 500 before I got it), and a handful in Moss. For me, it’s almost like a steering wheel, I’ll probably only use it on a couple of games (I didn’t really get on with RE VR). It’s also not the kind of thing I’d want to play all day, I top out at about 2 hours. I was my first experience of VR, so I was willing to roll the dice and glad I did, but absolutely, your mileage may vary

Crazy I’ve been considering this as of late.. my wife will only allow it as an ‘investment’ type deal as long as I sell it as soon as I’m tired of it.. not a racing fan at all so idk about GT7.. I’m hoping we both like it and she herself wants to keep it 🤞.. either way, cheaper games and gaming experiences is always welcomed

@Deljo that’s what I don’t understand- It was way cheaper last year.

@gaston it really doesn't have any advantages over the quest tbf. The graphics can be slightly better but the awful lenses plus the mura effect negates these completely. Resi & gt7 are pretty much the only reason to have the psvr2 (and makes it almost worth it to me) but there's much more on the quest.

I want a killzone or resistance made for the psvr2. And some patches for cyberpunk, gta, robocop, etc., for psvr2 as well. And imagine some of the old school light gun games on psvr2. Some time crisis, house of the dead, point blank.

@JimmyRiddle yeah its weird how the article completely ignores that...

let's start with converting astrobot VR1 tot VR2...

They are decent, but my Quest 3 gets far more playtime than my PSVR 2.

On balance the image quality is better, such that playing native Quest 3 games with lower graphics settings can look better than playing on PSVR 2 at higher details settings, but sadly with inferior optics that completely neuter any of the "on paper" advantages of the OLED's.

I'd rather play those cross-platform titles on Quest 3, and sadly Sony didn't bring enough of the big exclusives to the table. Ironically not learning the lesson of how they defeated Xbox in the console space and applying it to the VR space. If anything, the best exclusives are on the Quest.

Plus a large chunk of my Quest 3 time isn't even in games, but watching all the 180VR/360 videos available on the platform. Actually even if PSVR2 had pancake lenses and the Quest 3 exclusives, I think the videos would still tip me in favour of Quest.

I enjoy mine, picked up during black friday in 2024, no regrets.

@EfYI I have an Xbox, I have Gamepass, I have a PS5, I do not play Forza regularly any longer, and I most certainly did not vote for Trump. I also have a Switch and gaming PC. There, fixed it for you.

@bestuardo

I have played Half Life Alyx thanks to PC adapter, you can play all PC steam games and almost all oculus rift shop too with revive software (Lone Echo I & II, Asgard's Wrath, Robo-Recall, The Climb...).

dropping the price AFTER psvr2 is dead? this sounds more like a last ditch effort to get rid of all that dusty, leftover stock sitting in warehouses. you can do better sony. make it a firesale!

Buying a PSVR2 at launch was the most magical moment I've had with gaming probably since the Sega Genesis. I've been gaming for 40 years now, and one eventually gets to a point where everything feels like "been there, done that". But VR came to the rescue and totally flipped gaming on its head to me.

I played VR exclusively for almost two years, and now I've been alternating with flat on and off. I still very much love VR, but these last couple years off flat-screen gaming have been great to refresh my love for gaming in general.

To sum it up: I strongly recommend it. It's not the new way to experience games, but it's an awesome alternative.

For you PC users, there is another added bonus. Some emulators support stereoscopic rendering. So far I've been able to play Gamecube (Dolphin), Wii (Dolphin), 3DS (Citra), and PS3 (RPC3) games in stereoscopic 3D. It is pretty awesome.

The only hitch is the PS3 only does it for games that had that built in for 3D tv's. Just do a search for "ps3 3d list", the first result is sony's, and the second is an updated list. Another tip is to change vBlank Frequency to 120 in the Advanced tab. With default settings (60)it will only render at 30fps, since it uses 30 per eye. Setting it to 120 raises it to 60fps per eye.

You also need to buy Virtual Desktop on steam. It works with PSVR2. Just click full or half SBS, and you are all set.

There are a handful of Steam games that have Stereoscopic modes. It is a similar caveat like the PS3. It has to be titles that had that option built in for the Nvidia 3D Vision.
Do a search for "steam games with stereoscopic 3d".

Finally there is UEVR. This injects VR into Unreal Engine 5 games. Results may vary, but just look up videos on youtube to see the best games. The ones I've tried so far are Pinball FX, Gotham Knights, Octopath Traveller, and Dragon Quest XI. They work pretty good, they just require some trial and error tweaking.

Enjoy!!

@Medic_alert If you are interested BUY THE DAMN THING.

VR is a truly transformative experience like no other, but it doesn't appeal much to the sort of person that prefers to sit on their sofa playing the latest mainstream big-budget game that's a safe option because it's the same as so many other games or the same game from the previous year. These people often dismiss VR as a gimmick or declare it dead without even trying it. True gamers want different, fresh, cutting edge experiences and embrace VR properly.

@Art_Vandelay

RE Village's VR Cutscenes had my jaw hitting the floor. That was the only game thus far that made me feel that magic, basically the way that i felt experiencing the PSVR1 for the fist time with Ocean Descent(Shark Encounter), Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, Moss 1, Resident Evil 7 and Vacation Simulator. 'Kitchen' was also another short, yet spectacular VR theme park like attraction based on RE7 that anybody can enjoy.

If you haven't experienced Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, I'd suggest picking up a PSVR1 asap! The scripted Shark cage encounter from PSVR Worlds was and still is terrifyingly brilliant too, even with the dated lower pixelated resolution.

Console wise, the last few consoles that hit me with that level of wonderment, were the Dreamcast(One of the greatest console launches ever), Wii+Virtual Console, & the Aqua Blue launch 3DS. Prior to that, NES, Genesis, SNES, PS1 and maybe Saturn & N64 hit me with that epic level of excitability. And of course, PSVR1, PSVR2(RE8) and now Quest 3 with Ocean Rift + it's Mixed Reality Mode & Resident Evil 4 being the two main stars of the show, of Christmas 2023.

Unfortunately, video game consoles haven't made me feel much of anything since the Wii U. We've come so far graphically speaking, it's more or less about unique & innovative controller functionality and whatever else. Switch, docked, feels like an XBOX360 Plus, but with HD Rumble, and semi broken Gyro motion controls, since there's no reference/sensor bar. lol It has a lot of great New 2D action plaformer games and the like(Mega Man 11, Tanuke Justice, Curse of the Moon, Blazing Chrome etc etc), but at 40 years old, i don't feel quite as compelled, excited or 'locked in' with them compared to how i was in my 20's and maybe even 30's.

@Deljo
RE8 is THE reason to own a PSVR2, even if it were the only game you could experience. Although, if you have a really good PC and Quest 3, the Praydog RE8 PC Mod is available.

And agreed on PSVR2's awful fresnel lenses. Everything from the softer clarity, head movement motion clarity persistence blur, god rays, tiny awful sweet spot & Mura are jarring after being so accustomed to Quest 3. Where as Q3's clarity is tack sharp, it's almost like looking through a window, it has ZERO head movement motion blur, a much wider sweet spot, no mura and no god rays. It's also far more comfortable, wireless, slim, and the ring-less controllers feel more ergonomic and easy to use. Then you've got mixed reality, colour passthrough, an ipd dial with numbers, an awesome eco system, a size adjustable 2D/3D MR screen, and so much more.

Heck, playing Moss 1&2 on PSVR2, and then playing the stand alone Quest 3 Versions(Regardless of the core graphics being downgraded) strictly in terms of image clarity, is like going from composite to HDMI. LOL i'm nearly over the PSVR2. I would of tossed it already, if Quest 3 could wirelessly connect to lets say an XSX for PSVR2-like graphics. But alas. And I wont be getting a PC, so PSVR2 is the only way i can experience stuff like RE8, Bohemoth, Arken Age, Alien Rogue Incursion and Metro Awakening properly.

PSVR2 does certain things better than Q3, but it's all mostly irrelevant to me. The deep inky blacks & richer/vibrant colours are much better, Eye tracking & FR allows for better game performance, the controller haptics are much better, there's also head haptics and adaptive triggers support. But eh, The fresnel lenses(Soft clarity & tiny sweet spot) and OLED display(Motion blur & mura) pretty much kill it for me at this point.

I recently started playing Arken Age on PSVR2. I'm over an hour in, and i feel like dropping out. The clarity & motion just can't match Q3.

@NeonPizza That's the thing, PSVR2 was my entry point into VR, hence that "magic". Imagine loading up Thumper on the first day and going "wooaaah, what the hell is going on?!" (pardon the pun).

And frankly, VR still amazes me two years later. I still get that tickle at the "3, 2, 1... boom, GT7 switches from the virtual screen to VR mode" when entering a race. This game with a good racing rig on PSVR2 is my child's dream come true.

And regarding Astrobot, yeah... I mean, they've got to bring it over at some point, right? Right??

@Deljo Everybody has their preferences. I don't like the general glare You get from the background illuminated LCDs, I really enjoy the extra level of immersion You get from the haptics on PSVR2, I like the larger FOV, and not least the more atmospheric images (better lighting, shadows, more volumetric effects). Many quest games are just ported over to psvr2 with the minimum of work. But many make full use of the haptics, improve lighting, shadows sometimes even textures, better resolution thanks to DFR. And it seems that more and more games on psvr2 make better use of the ps5 than the early quest ports.In addition to Re4/8, Gt7, NMS, call of the mountain, also metro, behemoth, alien look significantly better, and are more immersive due to the haptics. Yes, quest has great games too. But the better lenses is only one part, not everything. What advantages do the much better lenses of a quest have if the resolution is much lower ?

Anyway, for me even the low resolution of psvr1 was never the issue (the limited tracking volume much more so). It was always more about the complexity of the images (detail, light, effects), and with quest3 you don't even get the image complexity of psvr1.
If You look closely than You can see in some games downgraded from the psvr1 version. Moss1 on psvr1 had a more complex image e.g. better water simulation. Same for red matter. Red matter 2 has a simpler images with less effects than red matter 1.
And this is true for a large fraction of the psvr2 library, that it is composed of many games designed around the limitations of the quest platform and only now we get more and more multiplatform games which make better use of ps5+psvr2. Anyway the quest clearly has advantages (better lenses, pass through as You mention), but psvr2 has many advantages over quest3 too (haptics, significantly more processing power + DFR, larger FOW, .more vibrant colors). And as I said before everybody has their preferences. Some prefer a very clear low resolution image, some people do not mind mura, and some god rays so much and prefer the more vibrant colors, the larger FOW, the higher resolution, the haptics and the overall higher quality, more detailed image.

@Old-Red Sure the real comfort You only have if the headset is at least as light as regular glasses, or maybe a skiing mask

@rusty82 That is certainly a problem and likely very different from person to person. Many people managed to train the motion sickness away by very short VR session to teach the brain that the weird missing correlation between motion suggested by the image and what the rest of the body senses is normal and not a sign of poisoning. The important bit is to stop immediately at the first sign of motion sickness. Otherwise You teach the brain the opposite. I don't know enough people who suffered motion sickness in VR to know how likely it is that it can be trained away. Then there are games which are less likely to trigger motion sickness i.e. stationary games in which You move a lot like beat saber, synth riders.

@Korgon I am neither a big fan of Resident evil nor of esport racing games, still in particular Resident evil 8 has some truly epic moments, and I think Gt7 in VR is a lot of fun, more fun than most of the flat arcade racers. I don't think one can compare the quest version of Re4 with the psvr2 version. Same will likely be true for hitman. Anyway if there are more games that speak to You on quest than there are on psvr2, and non of the advantages psvr2 has over quest (haptics, larger FOV, more vibrant colors, better image quality i.e. better lighting, shadows, more detail, more effects, higher resolution thanks to DFR) is relevant for You, than I guess You found the platform that is best for You. There are certainly some games which are likely better played on quest e.g. vendetta forever. I cannot say that I like the artistic direction of the game, and I suppose here the better quest lenses may shine and the LCD may even make the over saturated colors look better. Anyway I turn around too much physically and have to take care of the wire a bit too frequently. But then there are the haptics which add quite a bit to the experience as well. So not fully clear to me what I would prefer. In most cases I would take the better image quality and advanced haptics any time over a wireless solution. Also one device less to charge.

@Art_Vandelay
Haha. Ya, i remember playing a demo of thumper from a downloadable digital demo disc on PSVR1. But i imagine it's much easier on the eyes with PSVR2, thanks to having 2x the resolution, deeper blacks, 110d FOV and most likely locked at 120fps since the game itself isn't exactly visually demanding or graphically intensive.

I still have my PSVR1 and refuse to it let go solely because of Astro Bot: RM & the brilliant Shark Encounter from PSVR1. The latter was hands down my favourite thing so far in VR period, because it's such a wonderful showcase to show off to friends and family. It's something that anybody can enjoy. And for the late 2010's, it was pretty mind blowing! It was like experiencing 3D polygon gaming for the first time all over again, like with PS1.

If those two ever got ported to PSVR2, and maybe Resident Evil 7, it's bye bye PSVR1. But ya, the main issue i have with VR1, is that it's such a pain to hook up. It's an octopus-wired nightmare, that VR has moved on from since then. PSVR2 is just one cable. PSVR1 has like 5 or 6, plugged into a separate box that hook into your TV & PS4 Pro/PS5(Which also needs a camera adapter), and then you have that goofy PS camera resting at the top middle of your TV. It's an absolute mess.

Oh, and you should absolutely check out Compound on PSVR2, or better yet Quest 3. It's the most fun I've had with a boomer shooter in ages. It makes all of the current optimized boomer shooter PS5 ports feel like nothing. Be it DOOM 1+2, Power Slave, Killing Time: Resurrected etc.

And as far as getting an opitimized PSVR2 port for Astro Bot RM. Is the demand even there? I thought Sony themselves dropped out of supporting PSVR2, and that includes paying Team Asobi to get the port up and ready, if that's the case. It just blows me away, that a VR platformer, of that caliber has been left for dead on PSVR1. it was hands down one of the most transformative INcredible experiences I've had in gaming within the last 20 years.

If PSVR2 doesn't get a port, than PVSR3 most likely will by 2029-ish if Sony decides to jump back in with the technology, which I'm sure they will. They'll finally get it right this time too. PVSR2, has a handful of caveats compared to Q3. It's in desperate need of a revision. Once you experience the tack sharp/clear 'almost looking through a window' clarity with Q3's pancake lenses, going back to the PSVR2's fresnel can be pretty rough, among other things. It feels like it's a solid 1 generation or so behind in most ways.

@gaston I'm a snob for quality. If it's not clear and crisp at at least 2k per eye I'll just stick to Meta Quest 3. I've read loads of comments from people on r/psvr saying it's equivalent to 1080p and blurry around the edges. Check out the post "For those who use it. How is cinematic mode on the vr 2?" on reddit to see what I mean.

@DrVenture69 why didn't you get on with RE VR? That and GT7 honestly would be the biggest draw for me

@gaston If you're offering to pay for it, I'll gladly try VR. But I'm not paying the price of a console for an accessory that only has a couple games worth playing.

@ItsAlwaysSunnyyy i think it was just the aiming. Arizona Sunshine spoilt me because its so good in those games

@Rhaoulos it is very difficult to evaluate whether something is or isn't worth paying for if You haven't tried it. Maybe You get Your money's worth from a switch, maybe there are more excellent games on psvr2 than You were thinking. All I can say, is experiencing VR is very different from watching 2D videos of people playing VR games, and VR adds an incredible extra layer of immersion in particular when coupled with 3D audio and haptics.

Some people just buy a ps5pro and racing wheel + seat just to play gt7 without regret. Some people buy a switch just to play one game without regret. But it is of course possible if You bought a psvr2, You just would realise after trying the best of the best psvr2 games that this extra level of immersion is not for You.

Anyway if You have a chance, try it. And if it is a quest keep in mind that the graphical fidelity of ps5+psvr2 is significantly higher in a large fraction of the catalogue, the field of view is significantly larger and psvr2 offers far superior haptics.

@Cypher1942 What is the advantage of the better lenses of a quest3 if the render resolution of the games drops to half of the theoretical resolution ?

There are certainly games on quest which look significantly better thanks to the better lenses if the psvr2 version is exactly the same as the quest version, and then there are many games which appear significantly better on psvr2 because of the higher render resolution, better colors, higher level of detail, more visual effects, larger FOV, better haptics. Crisp visuals is only one part and a crisp upscaled low resolution, low detail image is still just a low resolution, low detail image.

For video playback I would say, it also depends very much on the actual content, whether more vibrant colors or higher resolution are more important. In particular white text on dark gray background will (at the same resolution) look significantly better on a quest3 (there will be some ghosting on quest as well, but the high contrast image will be sharper and there won't be god rays), a video of a coral reef will look much better on psvr2 (more vibrant colours thanks to hdr oled, no general glare from the background illumination, the resolution is likely less significant unless You do A/B comparisons). Singling out one parameter is just that.