Review: PlayStation VR2 delivers on its gaming promises, but is the world ready for it?

Back in 2016, when modern virtual reality gaming was hitting its stride, Sony released the PlayStation VR. An add-on to the PlayStation 4, PS VR was the most affordable and newcomer-friendly headset on the market, expanding VR’s reach far beyond the tech enthusiast audience that had been spending thousands of dollars on computers and hardware.

Sony hopes to repeat its success with the aptly-named PlayStation VR2, which will hit stores on Feb. 22. The new headset boasts better hardware, better games (running off of the more powerful PlayStation 5 console) and a better overall experience. However, this all comes at a higher price, and the world of VR has changed significantly in the seven years since its last headset. Did the Japanese hardware giant do enough to move the needle again, or is its hopeful reality just a mirage?

PS VR2 has made massive improvements to its setup and tracking. The original headset required a mess of cables that you needed a diagram to assemble properly, as well as a camera and special controllers that were sold separately (and that rarely worked perfectly). PS VR 2 uses just one single USB-C cable that connects to the front of your PS5, comes with fantastic controllers that do their job well, and uses the same “inside out” tracking made popular by Facebook’s Meta Quest 2 headset, negating the need for additional cameras or tracking equipment. While this type of headset and controller tracking is a bit less reliable than systems that use external “lighthouse” sensors, it makes the setup much easier and cleaner.

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The PS VR2 is also packed with little tricks meant to further immerse you in your games, such as adaptive triggers on the controllers that adjust how easy or hard they are to pull (just like the PS5′s standard controller), rumble feedback on the headset itself, and a big one: eye tracking, which allows you to control in-game elements simply by moving your eyes instead of your entire head.

It also retains Sony’s crown when it comes to having one of the most comfortable VR headsets around. Putting the PS VR2 on your head and adjusting it to your liking is extremely easy, with buttons and dials dedicated to adjusting the tightness of the headband as well as the distance of the lenses. The PS VR2 is pleasurable to wear even for hours at a time – though you will still have the temporary but distinct red marks of “VR face” when you take it off.

All of this comes with a price, though.

The PS VR2 is launching at $549 — $150 more than its predecessor cost. And it only works when connected to a PS5 system, which will run you an additional $400 to $500 if you don’t already have one.

While the technology packed into the headset might justify that price (indeed, it is actually still much cheaper than most headsets targeted at hardcore PC gamers), it is a far cry from Facebook’s Meta Quest 2, which you can grab for a “mere” $400, even after a price increase last year. You get what you pay for, of course, but the Quest 2 certainly stole the crown for best beginner-friendly and budget-friendly headset from Sony, and Meta is likely to keep that title for awhile.

That’s not to say that the PS VR2 should be ignored, even if it would be your first foray into VR. Looking at the system’s current game library in a vacuum, it’s already quite strong and promises to get stronger. Many of the medium’s best games will be available on Day One. This list includes Moss and Moss Book II, a pair of charming fantasy action adventures starring a mouse; The Last Clockwinder, a deviously clever puzzle game in which you create automatons that mimic your movements; Rez HD, a trippy action shooter with a retro style; and Puzzling Places, a relaxing three-dimensional jigsaw experience in which you put together real-world locations like a puzzle.

The downside?

All of those great games I just mentioned, as well as most of the rest of the library, are also available on other VR platforms, including PC headsets, the Meta Quest, and even Sony’s original PlayStation VR.

Are these games better on PS VR2? Actually, in many cases, yes.

Especially if you’re comparing the PS VR2 versions to what you’d find on the Quest or the original PS VR. You will find better graphics, smoother gameplay and better controls. In some cases, you will also get to take advantage of the new headset’s more unique features, like eye tracking. Rez HD is a wonderful example of this, allowing you to aim your targeting reticle simply by moving your eyes — an interaction that feels downright futuristic.

But if you already own the games elsewhere, the improvements likely aren’t enough to make you invest in them again.

This is an even bigger shame since the PS VR2 is not backward compatible, meaning if you do already have a robust library of PS VR games from years past, those games will sadly not work here. In select cases, publishers are offering upgrades to the new PS VR2 versions of their games, but the implementation is inconsistent. Some upgrades are free, some come with a fee (usually around $10), and others don’t exist at all.

There is one major exception to the non-exclusive nature of the PS VR2 library, though: Horizon: Call of the Mountain, a game that is likely to stay exclusive to PS VR2 forever. This game, a spin-off of the popular Horizon series of post-apocalyptic adventures, has been the star of the show in most of Sony’s marketing, and for good reason. It has the big-budget, “AAA” feel of a tentpole VR game that hasn’t been seen since the PC-exclusive Half-Life Alyx.

Call of the Mountain is clearly not a throwaway experience or technical demo meant to impress you in short bursts. It’s a fully featured, well-rounded game that takes full advantage of the system that it’s on. I played it for hours at a time, sometimes only stopping because my controllers needed to be recharged.

Then there’s the elephant in the room: The future of virtual reality gaming as a whole.

Great strides have been made in this space, and more improvements can come. But while the Meta Quest 2 made the technology much more mainstream, Meta’s VR department has also lost massive amounts of money in thus far failed attempts to make “the metaverse” a thing that people care about. Whether this will scare away future investment and development of VR products is a risk that comes with a VR purchase in 2022.

My take: I think the future of VR is still bright, but it’s concerning that some of the best VR games of today are the same games we were talking about three to five years ago.

All of this makes it tricky to recommend either buying or passing on the PS VR 2. The hardware engineers at Sony did their job. The PlayStation VR2 headset is better than its predecessor in every conceivable way, and outside of not finding a way to make old games backward compatible, there’s little you can point to and say they got “wrong.”

It’s a wonderful device with wonderful games that I have had a wonderful time with. But it’s a luxury item on top of a luxury item, and in a world where families are worried about inflation, it’s hard not to wonder if the audience is going to show up this time.

PlayStation VR2 launches Feb. 22.