PlayStation VR2

[DisturbedSwan]

Just some general impressions here of the unit itself really for those interested. For context, I've only ever used one VR headset before and that was original PSVR.

 

Super simple to unbox, very much like the PS5 in the no-frills aspect of it with all the cardboard and a cardboard/paper based cable tie, seeing the unit for the first time, picking it up, picking the Sense controllers up I was surprised how light everything is. You look at the PSVR2 sitting there in its little moulded cardboard box and for some reason think this is gonna be heavy, but it's not, it's surprisingly light, crazy light really for everything that's going on inside it. The Sense controllers are light too but maybe a little too light at times, I would maybe like a little more weight to them, they are very slippery too so the straps are needed to avoid making a hole in my TV lol. In the box is also another mini-box which contains the instructions, some different buds for the included ear buds and in some plastic (!!!) was the stereo ear buds themselves. 

 

The very first time I tried the headset it was with my own HyperX headphones I've had for donkeys years now, but it didn't quite feel right on my head, I felt like something was off. So I took it off, clipped in the stereo earbuds (which attach nicely onto the back of the headset so you don't even know they're on, and even have little holders for each of the buds on the sides of the backstrap of the headset itself) and it was so much better. Yes, I generally don't like earbuds and yes they did fall out my ear a few times before I got them fit in my ears properly but once that was done the immersion was much better and more importantly the comfort was much better than using my HyperX over-ear headphones.

 

If you've ever tried a PSVR1 on in GAME, at an event etc. then you'll immediately be familiar with the design of PSVR2, the two are incredibly similar in terms of their overall design, the way the strap does up, the general aesthetic of the whole unit and feel on your head and all the jazz. As mentioned previously though, it is much lighter than PSVR1, you don't feel the weight on your head at all and it has a huge amount of improvements from that headset whilst maintaining the same overall design philosophy. The biggest change is the quality of the screens, it's almost chalk and cheese compared to the OG PSVR, it's just immediately clearer and you don't get that 'screen door' effect on black screens. You also don't get that pixelated image as much, it is still there to a degree which I was surprised about as I assumed the OLED panels would eliminate this, but it is there slightly, just nowhere near as bad. You can also change the lens location in the headset to match up with your eyes and is much easier to find the 'sweet spot' when wearing glasses. It's just much more comfortable overall.

 

The eye tracking is impressive but aside from menus in Horizon that use it, I haven't really properly tried it out in a game in earnest yet but I believe it does help with the tracking in general that the headset does. The other new button on the headset is the 'function' button which allows you to see the outer world whilst in game and enables you to set up your play area before you play so you don't collide into things or damage anything. You can edit this play area with the Sense controllers to make things bigger or larger depending on your needs. Unfortunately, the living room isn't quite big enough for roomscale so I have to go with the 'standing' option after I've set up the play area. The Sense controllers feel intuitive to use and a million times better than the godawful Move controllers you had to content with in PSVR1, every button seems to be placed exactly where it should be and there isn't any awkwardness, the finger tracking works really well, seeing your hand open and close in Horizon is a really cool moment. 

 

Games-wise, I've only tried out GT7 and Horizon: CotM so far. I don't like to have too many games on the go at one time so I didn't want to start about 7 different PSVR2 games and then feel like I'm beholden to all of them if that makes sense. More impressions in the dedicated threads but both of these are amazing in VR for different reasons, showpieces for the headset in general. 

 

Overall, it's just a much comfier, easier headset to use than PSVR1 ever was. The 'sweet spot' is much easier to achieve and the picture nowhere near as blurry, less affected by fogging lenses or anything like that. I'm still finding my 'VR legs' so to speak, as a few titles on PSVR1 made me feel sick so I wanted to err on the safe side, but with this, aside from a few early moments at high speed with GT7 I haven't had any issues with that whatsoever thankfully. 

 

Not sure if anyone else is too interested in VR in general, but if anyone has any questions they want answered I'll do my best. 

 

Here's of video of me looking like a tit in my living room for everyone to enjoy lol.

 

https://imgur.com/a/e9d2Wgt

 

[one-armed dwarf]

My main question about PSVR would be about black levels, but I dunno if Horizon or GT are the best test case there (Resident Evil definitely would be tho, and this has a demo). I'd imagine that Horizon has some cave areas at least and I wonder if it does then do the dark areas of the cave go to 'true' black like on an OLED TV, or are they a slightly elevated blackish grey. This is really I think the only thing that interests me about Sony's VR cause none of the PC manufacturers are going for OLED these days, just LCD, even on top end 4 figure headsets.

 

Also lots of reviews talk about a thing called 'mura', which is a foggy static thing that I've never heard of before but is something which the OLED screens uniquely suffer with. I wonder does it actually matter much in principle tho, for me the black levels problem is so bad on quest that this 'mura' thing is something I could learn to deal with I guess.

 

 

 

Also just in general what is going to be your solution to the wire in your video? Looks like something you can trip over

[spatular]

Nice one on the impressions  im interested in one of these but waiting to see how it goes. Im guessing there isnt a god ray problem as ive not seen anyone mention it. The old rift is bad for that.

[DisturbedSwan]

21 hours ago, one-armed dwarf said:

My main question about PSVR would be about black levels, but I dunno if Horizon or GT are the best test case there (Resident Evil definitely would be tho, and this has a demo). I'd imagine that Horizon has some cave areas at least and I wonder if it does then do the dark areas of the cave go to 'true' black like on an OLED TV, or are they a slightly elevated blackish grey. This is really I think the only thing that interests me about Sony's VR cause none of the PC manufacturers are going for OLED these days, just LCD, even on top end 4 figure headsets.

 

Also lots of reviews talk about a thing called 'mura', which is a foggy static thing that I've never heard of before but is something which the OLED screens uniquely suffer with. I wonder does it actually matter much in principle tho, for me the black levels problem is so bad on quest that this 'mura' thing is something I could learn to deal with I guess.

 

Also just in general what is going to be your solution to the wire in your video? Looks like something you can trip over

 

Yeah, as you say Horizon and GT aren't too great test beds for the black levels unfortunately. There are indeed caves in Horizon CotM, but they're not dark at all really and filled with light shining through various nooks and crannies, similar with the tunnels in GT which have lights illuminating them. From what I can tell though, the black levels are very good, there's a screen when the headset boots up that is pure black with just the PS logo illuminated. In terms of games though I haven't really seen much that is meant to be properly dark yet if that makes sense. I unfortunately can't compare to any PCVR sets either unfortunately as I haven't used any of them. 

 

I haven't noticed this 'mura' effect either, I too have seen it mentioned before in the associated threads on Era but I can't say I've experienced it myself, but, again, I've got nothing to compare it to. Maybe some of the high end PCVR headsets with 'pancake lenses' that are LCD don't feature this, but yeah, my only comparison is PSVR1 which is night and day really. 

 

As I'm using this in our living room (have to stay all the way to the left so the Wife can see the TV whilst I'm playing lol) there isn't really any solution to the wire really, I have jokingly suggested to the missus that I could get one of those stand-up fishing rod type things or a hook in the ceiling to hold it up when I'm playing but I think she'd divorce me if I actually put either of those in the living room lol.

 

So it's just pretty much going to be as it is in that video really, which may look bad, but in game I've rarely ever noticed it to be honest, it brushes my left shoulder sometimes and I move it a bit so it's in a comfier position but it's not something that has ever got wrapped around my feet or I've felt like I'm treading on really, it's about 4.5m long and so there's plenty of slack in the cable, it hasn't ever gone taut yet. I was initially worried about the dog tripping over it but he's an old boy and not very active so he's gone to sleep in my spot on the couch when I'm in the headset most nights so far lol.

 

With the new ability to press the function button and see the outside world, even on my own it's much easier to look out for things like Pets and obstacles in general really, Char was getting her nails done on Sunday and I went on the VR for an hour, was worried about the dog so kept pressing the function button to check where he is and he never went from the same spot on the couch the whole time, I can even let him out whilst keeping the headset on which is a bonus, as once you've found the sweet spot I don't like taking it off willy nilly. 

 

Biggest negative so far though is not being able to drink without taking the headset off lol, need to invest in a metal straw or something I think as my mouth is super dry after a 1.5-2 hour session.

[spatular]

been reading about any possibility of this working on pc, and it's still far too early to say either way, but it's interesting that it needs a special usbc port (virtuallink) that is only on certain (older) graphics cards and has already been ditched on the pc, while i have one of those usb ports i still think it's bad news as i think there will be less interest from hackers/modders to get it working. possibly there will be work arounds we'll see i guess. 

[one-armed dwarf]

I read this too, it seems like it's also only certain types of older graphics cards. I saw it said rtx 2000 and took a look to see if the 2060 I still have has it, nope. 

 

There's an adapter that can manage it, but the possibility of all that stuff working seems a bit faint and unlikely for now. 

 

VR being so fragmented is such a bummer, especially given how backwards compat is such an unknown from generation to generation. I'm sort of loathe to invest in VR at this point unless it has a good chance of long term support, I'm not even sure if I'd get a meta headset again cause I don't trust facebook for that either

[shinymcshine]

I think, somewhat as above, it always feels like VR is buying into someone's tech dev project - there never seems to be a full plan for software support - a guy I know is hoping for an upgraded Skyrim for his PSVR2, and when you're pinning you're hopes on an 12 yr old RPG, then there's something not quite right.....

[one-armed dwarf]

But I think those are the kinds of titles that make VR work, and are viable and which we might need more of tbh. Turning a flatscreen game like Skyrim into a VR game can be like going from 2D to 3D, in terms of the new ways it can offer to play the game and how having your hands and head move independently can improve interactivity. Problem is Skyrim VR is kind of a shit port, and Bethesda are unlikely to put in the work with the PSVR 2 version. But you look at RE4 VR and GT7 and you can see how VR ports work extremely well, that is when they actually try to reimagine how the game works for a completely different medium of gaming.

 

If you ask me, RE4VR was a better recent RE entry than RE3 or Village

[DisturbedSwan]

Can only really speak for myself, but the thought of possibly playing Skyrim VR on this in the future isn't too enticing as I've played so much of that game donkeys years ago already. I'd try it for sure to see what it's like but it's not something I'd want to go through and spend 60-180 hours on again, I can't imagine I'd want to spend that amount of time in any game in VR for that matter.

 

RE4 (OG) VR would be a different prospect though as I never finished it back on the GCN, so would be cool to go back and experience it now. I think the biggest limitation to this so far is my own body lol, I just get so aching standing for so long in something like Horizon, I know I can sit down but it feels like a bit of a cop out if that makes sense, the immersion is greater if standing too in my view. 

 

I'm swimming in games at the moment, only played two in GT7 and Horizon and got loads more that I've bought with quite a few demos I want to try as well lol. I hope Blood & Truth and Astro Bot get ported to this at some point, seems a no brainer really, as I never bothered with them on the PSVR1.

[DisturbedSwan]

 

[spatular]

On 05/03/2023 at 18:25, one-armed dwarf said:

 

VR being so fragmented is such a bummer, especially given how backwards compat is such an unknown from generation to generation. I'm sort of loathe to invest in VR at this point unless it has a good chance of long term support, I'm not even sure if I'd get a meta headset again cause I don't trust facebook for that either

yeah its annoying, got games on 3 different vr formats, only steam ones might be compatible with a new headset, want to buy beat saber dlc but waiting on a new headset first, no point getting them on rift.

[one-armed dwarf]

I don't know if this is a recent update, but VR Optician are making lens for these now

 

https://vroptician.com/prescription-lens-inserts/playstation-vr2

 

I got lens for the Quest 2, it was rather expensive, 175 euro I think. You are after all literally buying a new pair of glasses. So if you know your prescription or can get it from your most recent optomerist visit you can send them off.

 

One thing I'll say about using the ones with the quest is they cause a kind of lens flaring with light in dark areas. Still better than wearing actual glasses in the set tho as you don't have to worry about scratching the lens, which is a real risk when you wear regular glasses in there

[DisturbedSwan]

I almost bought some of those the other day, got my prescription from my Optician, put it all the details and everything and it came to £68 or so which was more than I wanted to spend at the moment really unfortunately, particularly as I have no issues wearing glasses in it. I did buy some 3D printed Lens protectors from ebay but haven't fitted them yet. 

 

My prescription is due for renewal in July anyway so I might just wait until then before pulling the pin on them.

[one-armed dwarf]

Yeah I used some big rubber ring things on quest 2 for a long while, and they were fine. It's obviously not as good but they keep medium/large frames away from the lens well enough so you would actually need to put effort into fucking the lens up if you wanted that to happen for some reason.

[DisturbedSwan]

Ordered some from HonsVR, they were only £57 compared to the £98 VR Optician wanted plus free shipping which is always nice.

 

HonsVR link for those interested

 

Won't be here for another 2 weeks at a guess, but yeah, not too long to wait. 

 

[mfnick]

I may have managed to nab one of these quite cheap! Anyone got some string recommendations? I’m thinking GT7, RE4 & possibly Village. Rez Infinite? Now that I’m writing them out they’re all games I’ve already played normally…. Anyway, what else? 
I really want to play Best Sabre too, but ultimately think this is going to be a stop gap before selling and eventually getting a Quest 3 - the variety & breadth of games is so much higher on that. Plus no console required. So may wait until then for Beat Sabre. 
 

Edit - wow the ps store is terrible at surfacing what is compatible with the VR2. You filter for that & it only shows 18 games. Even games which have been updated to work like Moss Book 2 doesn’t mention VR2 compatibility anywhere. Have to rely on external websites. 

[spatular]

My go to suggestions for vr are beat saber and pistol whip but like you say if youre eventually getting a quest 3 maybe better to get them on that.

[one-armed dwarf]

Yeah for games like that the wireless would be a huge upgrade (imo, wireless is a huge upgrade for most VR games though)

 

Rez Infinite will depend on how you feel about Rez itself, the extra VR level is very brief and imo not even as good as any of the original levels. It's still a great game though.

 

Try The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, the original, not the sequel. I made a thread about it on here so won't get too into it here.

 

Apparently GT7 is amazing, Horizon I'd give a miss personally based on what I've seen of it (very on rails combat, kinda just seems like a graphics showcase). Synapse is the other PS exclusive that looks super cool though, maybe the one PSVR game I wish was on PC. 

[Jimboxy]

The "I Expect You To Die" games are fun lateral thinking puzzle solving VR games, I enjoyed the two I played a lot, not a whole lot of replay value though. Red Matter was also a fun space horror puzzle game, not too scary as I would never have played it, not sure if that is on the PSVR store. Cubism was a good 3D block puzzle game. I can't remember what else I played now on my Quest 2

[mfnick]

It’s slimmer pickings than I thought. A lot of very similar shooting gallery type games too. Wish I’d done more research before agreeing just because it was a good price… ah well.
 

Anyway picked up Rez as the PS5/VR2 version was £9 and I love that game. Got my eye on Synapse, thanks @one-armed dwarf. That’s got a shit load of positive buzz around it. Same with Saints & Sinners. Horizon has a demo, not really bothered about it but meant to be a graphical showpiece on it so I’ll give it a try but no way am I paying £60 for it though even if I do enjoy it. Car Mechanic Simulator Vr looks like something I’d love because I’m a saddo so want to try that. Haven’t seen any reviews yet though. 

Had another stark reminder why Digital games suck today though. GT7 is by far the game I want to play most on it. Went to buy on PS Store, £70!!! It’s almost 2 years old you robbing cunts. Anyway managed to find a brand new physical copy for £43 so that’s on its way now.