Beat Saber is one of the best VR experiences you can play. The king of the VR rhythm scene and a constant presence on top-seller lists, Beat Saber finally makes its way over to the current generation with PSVR2. To read our initial thoughts on the PSVR game from 2018, you can view that here. To see how the port fares, read on.
One thing that sticks out with this port compared to a number of Beat Saber's peers is just how small the jump forward feels. Environments look much nicer, with crisper textures and better particles and lighting, but that's one of the most substantial improvements. This version of the game now supports the 360° mode, where notes come at you from all directions. Thanks to years of support, you'll have a much larger track list than the original launch. The music has a degree of homogeneity to it, though much of the DLC mixes things up. You still get the same experience that doubles as both a great game and a great workout.
The original PSVR version of Beat Saber was impeccably designed, able to skirt many of the tracking and hit-detection problems that plagued many other titles trying to make the most out of Sony's newfangled headset. While there were occasional issues, it wasn't a regular enough occurrence to pose any real problem. Such is not the case this time. Frame dips on songs are common, though mercifully not severe. Hit detection on slicing notes also randomly fails to register. But the most irksome problem involves the rumble feature on the PSVR2 Sense Controllers.
With shocking regularity, slicing through notes will fail to elicit the expected rumble from your controller. On the surface, this sounds like a trivial problem, but when you're conditioned to expect each and every note to provide some degree of feedback upon contact, the absence is massively disorienting. We missed out on multiple full combos because of this problem, and that's only from the first few days. Beat Games has confirmed it's working on a fix for these issues, but they remain present for now.
Even with these setbacks, you still get a brutally exhausting, immensely fulfilling gameplay loop with masterfully charted songs. However, until those issues are fixed, what you have is merely an adequate port.
Comments 46
I'm definitely getting this but I'll probably wait for a patch
Hit detection problems is a HUGE problem in games like this. Not sure how you could give it 7/10 based on "will be fixed soon" -promise.
I heard the same about "police-logic" in Cyberpunk, and I'm still waiting for that.
Hopefully this game will be patched before I uninstall it then.
@Zeke68 I'm pretty sure that's a 7 because of that, not despite it. The PC version has a 93 metascore.
Not having played Beat Saber before, but having played Synth Riders which seems similar just watching it, how is this different in play/feel from that title? I know this one's the more famous one, but I can't tell what sets the two apart.
Does anyone know if this can be played while seated? I know the the game says standing or room scale but just wondering if anyone played it while sitting and how it worked.
@Voltan Could be, but for me bad tracking / hitdetection is 3/10 initself.
@NEStalgia I haven't played BS yet either but the main difference seems to be that rather than hitting the notes directly with your hands, you wield virtual blades which means more work for your wrists but less arm swinging.
This also seems to allow for higher note density on the maps.
Other than that, the music library seems way more varied (although I will say I don't mind Synth Riders' focus on synthwave and adjacent genres as the selection is simply very good)
They are probably keeping the best version for meta quest 3
@Dobbos You technically can, but you would need to adjust your "height" in the game's settings menu.
@NEStalgia I thought they would be pretty similar but in fact I find myself more involved in BS as it not just slicing notes but the direction also matter.
Synth Rider feel more like dancing while BS is according to some like drumming/playing the Jedi. Soundtrack is also more mainstream when it comes to DLC so if more accessible music is important to you there’s that.
In the end they’re like Lasagna and Spaghetti, technically the same but at the same time very different.
Is this a free upgrade?
@Stormageddon. I have never had any issue with hit detection on the PSVR1.
The hit detection issues are downright shocking — and very disappointing. Beat Saber was one of the top 3 VR experiences I've ever had, and when you hit that zen-like state where you're slicing boxes in the right order without even thinking you need that tactile feedback to let you know. Taking your eyes off the path for even a split second to see if you missed a note can derail EVERYTHING.
@RunGMhx @Voltan Thanks, that's a good comparison. Still on the fense. Less arm swinging sounds good. Though the more mainstream soundtrack actually works against me I think, the synthwave stuff is on point.
@Stevemalkpus Yes, it is.
Small niggles that they’ve said they’ll patch out. In the current state I agree with the score, but seems a bit inconsistent when many day one games have actual game breaking bugs ignored because its review code, but then they release in the same state.
Seriously can’t believe you guys haven’t reviewed Red Matter 2 yet. Just finished it yesterday and it’s absolutely jaw dropping.
@Dobbos There are some minor movements, such as ducking or moving right/left to avoid walls, but you should be able to sit and lean.
It’s ridiculous that they don’t support mods on games like this. Pro Evo let me use downloaded files via a USB on the PS4 in 2016.
@Stormageddon Quest 2
@nessisonett Mods aren't supported for any version of Beat Saber. It is all done unofficially, but they do work well.
The fact that the PC/quest version allows the "hacking" of 1000's of songs will always make those the better version in my eyes.
@thefourfoldroot1 It's in the works.
@Dobbos my sister is in a wheelchair and plays the first one on PS4 without many issues, wall dodging and ducking gives her grief but doesn't make it unplayable and iirc there is an option to turn those off on custom difficulty settings.
@Quintumply @lacerz Thanks guys will probably get this game.
@Rgeneb1 Thanks for the reply.
when there are no issues it is 10/10 for me, bought it day after release on PSVR2 but couldnt hit any notes (spent hours and hours on Quest 2 without any issues) so currently waiting for the fix which should be coming "early this week" so hopefully soon
@Quintumply
That’s good to hear, the game definitely deserves more eyes on it. That this was made predominantly by two people is crazy!
There's your reason for psvr2 folks.
Eating good👍🙄
7/10 seems a bit harsh. Noted the issues raised are real and do take you out of the experience. But looks like the patch to fix had just landed. Not tried it out yet, but it seems they are working and fine tweaking it.
@Stevemalkpus Yes
@nessisonett I would think the millions of dollars in fines and court fees for enabling piracy would have something to do with that decision. They could certainly add the ability to use mods that let you use pirated songs, but the game would probably get pulled off the market by the courts soon after.
@misak192 I hadn't played it since PSVR2 came out, since I gave away my PSVR1. I started on a normal song. Hit every note, moved up to hard, and missed two or three notes and they were ones I thought I hit. For me, it's the angle the saber comes out of the controller as. On PSVR1 it was perfect. The Move controllers are shaped just like a lightsaber handle, and the blade came straight up out of it. On the sense controllers, it seems to come out at a forward angle. Makes me miss hits where you pivot your wrist. Looking forward to the upgrade. It looks fantastic.
Ok, that's bizarre. I just played it for an hour and had no issues. I got perfect scores over and over again (on easy, of course). The Move controllers didn't work that well which sometimes made playing it on PSVR1 frustrating.
Had I not gotten a bit tired, I'd still be playing it.
There is a hot fix patch out already. Time for another review?
For me from day 1 it run great without problems
If only the music packs were crossbuy with quest. That'd be enough to get me to buy a psvr2 too. I've bought them all on quest though, and there's no way I'm buying them all again.
@Dobbos You could definitely spoof the camera to make it work. Long as there's enough room on the chair for your arms (no arm rests being the biggest issue). But if you held the headset super high or super low and resynced or manually adjusted the height, I think it could work pretty well!
@NEStalgia Synth Riders is dancier, and the gameplay is a bit less frenetic. Beat Saber is more about using a lightsaber to play the drums, whereas Synth Riders tries to approximate dancing a little more. Synth Riders has a broader tracklist too (definitely for the base tracklist "out of the box" and arguably including the DLC too. For what it's worth, I think Synth Riders has the best soundtrack of all the VR rhythm games. So much music in that game I listened to before I played the game. Can't say that as much with the other titles.
@Zeke68 It's less problematic than hit detection and frame stuff like that normally is, BUT it's still very much present and the core of the game is so good, that it still warrants a 7 there!. Less an extreme problem and more just a very noticeable annoyance if that makes sense
@thefourfoldroot1 The score is a little different by nature of those issues are far less severe than they tend to be when they crop up on other games. But they're still present nonetheless!
As for Red Matter 2, I'm actually currently also working on the review for that! Should be up soon!
@EvenStephen7 Right?! I was completely shocked by it! Especially because of how flawless the game was when it launched on PSVR1! Completely unexpected to run into as many issues as I did!
@Stormageddon The Meta Quests should be able to have no problems with it! Plus you can play custom songs that way!
@Stevemalkpus Yep free upgrade!
@SgtTruth It's still excellent in its current form, but yeah, honestly surprised at how many issues there were compared to the last time it launched on a PlayStation headset. Plenty of time for them to fix it, and the new patch already made some progress, but there's a ways to go!
@naruball It's less noticeable on Easy just by nature of there being fewer notes, though on Expert...oof. One of the hit detection or rumble problems can lead to a cascade of misses that result in a song fail if you're not careful!
@Critonic The saber location was one of the things they addressed with this latest patch! Try it again, you should find it a bit better now. THe sabers sit at a more organic spot now!
@Muttt Still present for me, though hit detection is definitely better. Frame drops and the rumble issues are just as prevalent though
@misak192 The patch definitely made it better, though the issues are still present, just less so!
@gbanas92 thanks! I have a feeling synth riders is the one I end up liking more, that one really hooked me, and more frenetic sounds like a recipe for disaster for me 😂
@gbanas92 Ok, I see how you mean.
Unfortunate the patch didn't fix it 100%. But hopefully they can tweak that last bit to perfection in the coming week or so.
I'm just a little confused how they had a better launch on the OG PS4 than on the PS5. That don't make sense to me tbh?!
@NEStalgia as someone who has played VR games extensively, I can say Beat Saber has been one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. Not sure why, but it's extremely satisfying it when you actually play it. I say give it a try. I'm sure you won't regret it.
Having heard the continued hype for this, I had expected better? It's fine. I don't regret it but I find myself thinking Synth Riders is a far better experience. I play a few songs on Beat Saber (Queen ANNNNND Linkin Park?) amd then just want to play something on Synth Riders instead. Just more engaging and I find the included songs far better. Even songs that they share, like Pop Stars, are way better on Synth Riders.
I'm glad the rumble was pointed out and the random missed notes. I thought I was going crazy
This is def one of the few VR games I'll play if I ever get a PSVR2.
@Jayvir Hahah, yeah, that rumble issue is maddening. It's so distracting! Hope that gets fixed soon
@Zeke68 Right?! It's wild how polished the PSVR1 version was in relation to this one, even if the experience on offer is still mostly what it was back then.
@NEStalgia Very possible haha. They both have better qualities to them for sure. There's no wrong answer, they're both incredible!
@gbanas92 The sabers are a lot better now. Totally feel fine and natural.
Late reply LOL.
@Critonic Hahahaha, very much late! But yes! Yeah the wand control has felt pretty good for a while now mercifully. They got it right eventually!
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