PSVR2: The Hardware

So, yeah, against what I thought was my better judgment, I preordered a PSVR2 a few weeks before release and got it on Feb 22. 

Why was I resistant and why did I succumb? I was resistant because of the steep price point. $550 is a lot of dosh. Especially with the lack of backwards compatibility. I have a LOT of PSVR games. I have PSVR games I bought on sale and never started. I was really hoping to be able to play those on the new model and was very disappointed when that was going to be impossible.

So why did I succumb? A combination of reviews, a large launch library, four of my PSVR games having free upgrades, and a certain amount of FOMO and poor impulse control. My biggest worry was that it’d come out, create a sensation, and then, like the PS5, getting one would be a giant fucking hassle. 

That appears to not have happened, at least immediately, but the fear was there and also the aforementioned poor impulse control. So I got the system and the controller charging station, bypassing the Horizon Call of the Mountain demo because it has crafting in it and also it’ll go on sale someday.

What can I say about the headset that hasn’t already been said? Not much. It’s fantastic with a few small flaws. It builds on the design of the PSVR 1, but it’s lighter and (usually) more comfortable and, of course’, way more advanced from a feature standpoint. 

My favorite thing was the haptic vibration in the headset. This was a surprise to me. I knew about it and didn’t care and then I got shot in the face. It really adds to the experience in a way I thought my jaded brain would reject as hacky.

My least favorite thing is the fit. It doesn’t feel as secure as the PSVR1, partly because the rubber light blocker is much thinner and more flexible. Finding a spot where it stays on my long-haired head and doesn’t shift during movement is borderline impossible. Part of it is the lack of an over-the-head strap and part of it is just that at a lot of natural-feeling angles, it doesn’t clamp quite right. This isn’t a huge deal, but image clarity is contingent on good headset positioning, so whenever it slides or shifts, things get a little fuzzier. 

One good thing about the thinner face shield is that whatever they did to it, it now no longer fogs up.. The old one seemed to lift the moisture right off my eyes and deposit it on the lens. I don’t get that with the new one at all, which is very refreshing.

I do wish there was a volume control on the headset, but I also never really find myself wanting to adjust the volume the way I did on the PSVR1, so maybe that’s not such a big deal.’

The controllers are as excellent as described. The charging station is elegant to the point of obnoxiousness. Getting the controllers seated correctly in them, even three weeks later, is more difficult than it should be. But it is purty.

I ended up playing 10 different games for it, and I’ll talk about those soon. But there’s no denying that if you like VR games and have the disposable income, it’s a hell of a system.