PlayStation VR is pretty impressive. Sony's virtual reality headset – previously known as Project Morpheus – can stimulate some profound emotions, as proven by our Kitchen write-up. Capcom's survival horror demo lacks any real interaction, but the sense of place that it provides is unparalleled; we stepped away from the tech in cold sweats having been assaulted by a Grudge-like murderous tween.
But while the technology's neat, there's been a question mark hanging over its comfort levels: is this something that you'll be able to wear for hours on end? Having only used the headset in five minute chunks it's something that we can't answer right now, but we can tell you that it's an alarmingly light and ergonomic appliance – and it's clear that the Japanese giant's concentrated an enormous amount of effort into that aspect alone.
So, how does the headset fit your head? We weren't allowed to put it on ourselves – apparently there are only a handful of units in Europe right now, and it's clear that the company's cautious of them getting broken – but it has one retractable band which allows you to tighten the promising peripheral around the back of your head. Once it's secured, the most alarming thing about the accessory is just how light it is – an unforgettable Ned Flanders quote springs to mind.
There's a mechanical button on the front which allows you to pull the screen tighter to your eyes. This is an important addition as it not only ensures that your vision is filled, but it also means that those of you that wear spectacles will be able to keep your glasses on. There is a gap at the bottom of the unit which lets a crack of light through, but it's possible that this will be filled for the final version. If not, it's easy to ignore once you're focusing on the screen.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that it's wired, which is required for the technology to work without lag. There's simply too much data being sent to and from the peripheral for it to operate effectively wirelessly, but Sony does need to ensure that the setup in the consumer product is as effortless as possible. Right now there are multiple cables running from the unit, but we were informed that the manufacturer's aiming to reduce this to just one in time for launch.
But the hard work's more or less done. PlayStation VR is a surprisingly comfortable peripheral that appears to work well – in a demo environment at least. We'd need to spend more time with it to determine whether it could feasibly be used for hours at a time, but the signs are promising at this early stage. One thing that's becoming clear is that Sony's putting an enormous amount of effort into this – it's certainly not being treated as a passing whim like the PlayStation Move.
Are you happy to hear that PlayStation VR fits nice and snug, or are you still not overly interested in the peripheral anyway? Enter a different dimension in the comments section below.
Comments 27
but those of us with glasses can adjust it to use without glasses, right?
@chiptoon Not entirely sure what you're asking, but yes, you can use it with or without glasses - however you prefer!
Comfortable to wear is important so it's good they nailed that.
Goddamnit I want one. My only concern is it'll be a flavour of the week thing that gets a zero support after 12 months.
@AhabSpampurse It's a legit worry. I think it's all going to depend on price - if it's affordable, then it should get a decent enough install base to support it. If it's too expensive, though...
One thing of concern, if you have this on and it's an underwater game.. How do you breathe? I can't hold my breath for long. Also, should I have a towel ready?
I just don't see this being successful. I bet the average gamer doesn't even know it's coming out. It's going to take some strong word of mouth going around for this to catch on.
Didn't Andrew House suggest the price point as being comparable to a new console? If so, I'm willing to consider it down the road, but without serious amounts of software support it is not looking good.
The one thing I'm concerned about is it being wired. What if someone gets to enveloped in a game, trips over the cord, and gets hurt badly? I guess you won't be running around your room with it on but things happen
@Splat To be fair, they haven't really ramped up the marketing yet. I'm confident they'll make sure people know about it once it's got a release date and software lineup.
Cant wait for this. I expect around 400 dollar price range packaged with some software and maybe some move controllers. I am sure they have plenty of old move controllers lying around lol. Fingers crossed NMS is a package game upon release. 100% day one if that is the case.
Samsungs vr headset is launching at £99.....
I don't want one personally, and I fear that people are ignoring practicality (sitting around your living room for 3 hours with a headset and move controllers) as well as demo / gimmicky software (a made for show 10 minute demo does not equate to a good full fledged game).
Does anyone know if people like nasa are still getting involved in this? I remember reading that as well as games there was going to be virtual tours of Mars and the moon. I love that idea, I was hooked the moment I first tried Google Cardboard so more of that too please.
@SonyInfinity
I agree, 2 move controllers, ps camera and headset with Demo disc £330, seems about right. Unlike some I don't think you need 20hr AAA games, just putting yourself in a VR world will be exhilarating in itself, walking on the the ocean floor or Mars, visitng Cities, Musuems, Cathedrals, damn! the list is endless, all as though you are actually there. Oh' and games, Rapture, Don't starve, Journey, Flower etc... games i am sure would have had far more impact had I played them in VR. No doubt AAA games will come to Psvr
but I certainly don't think it will sink or swim if they are few and far between.. Virtual reality is for everyone not just gamers
Great to see an article bout this, since it's hardly ever mentioned. But I think that PSVR's design will be a huge selling point in the end and not just because it's ergonomically the best of all VR units, but because it actually looks cool.
Just compare a pic of someone with Morpheus on with one of the same person wearing Occulus and then tell me how you'd want to be seen in public; PSVR has this Star Trekesque design whereas OR still manages to look like ski goggles after all these years. Sure, the price will be the deciding factor in the end, even more than quality, but it must be good to know for Sony that their headset is by far the easiest to launch marketing wise.
@kenswif Couldn't agree more. If they could create a streaming service that showed you various famous settings around the world for a small fee, that would be bankable. Imagine paying 5 bucks for a tour of the Taj Mahal or the Pyramids. Lotta money to be made in a service like that I believe. They definitely need to have an option that packages the move controllers, headset, and camera. Hopefully they sell it separately as well as I already have a camera. For me though, compatibility with No Mans Sky is a must.
@Cowboysfan-22 hopefully they'll be sensible and copy Apple's magnetic charging system, so if you do trip / yank the cable too hard, it will simply disconnect rather than trip you up and send your PS4 crashing to the floor!
@themcnoisy but requires a 600-700 dollar phone to run.
my concern is that i'll become even more addicted!! GCSE year destroyed -_-
Give the kiddies minecraft, skylanders and hey day cutesy long never ending type games. Give teens youtube VR, social world to run rampant ... bring back home, ride unicorns over funky world's, chat in Warcraft style taverns. Then teen to adult .... mmorpg final fantasy, guild wars, crusade, gta, bioshock (heck scary), P.T. vr, star wars battlefront vr... New resistance VR ! ! woot next game revolution !!! lol and a star trek game.
People that are worried about software should bare in mind that a lot of indie developers are already making VR games and by all accounts, a lot of them don't exactly break the bank the make. Sony will presumably have at least two studios working on VR games as well. What will really help is if Sony can patch already released titles to work on VR, I also expect a lot of early VR gamez to be short because no one really knows just how comfortable playing for long hours will have an effect.
@Neolit I'm sure Sony confirmed that other people will be able to watch you play on the TV to make it a more "social" experience
My question is do games have to be specific for psvr or will a normal game work?
@Neolit Ah, got you
I hope it sells well. I wonder if no mans sky is going to support it how amazing will that be its the perfect game to get people hyped for vr
@get2sammyb - sorry, very badly asked question! I guess what was in my head is that I was wondering if its adjustable for different eyesight. So it doesn't rely on your focal distance being in a specific range, but can accommodate both near and far sighted folks.
Or something like that that would mean that if you wear glasses, you should wear glasses
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