The PS VR2 is a huge step up for Sony's virtual reality efforts. It is immersive, gorgeous, and genuinely fun to use, as Sony's first attempts at VR often struggled to do. If you see it as an upgrade to the aging PS VR kit, there is no room for contention. Dare I say it, the PS VR2 could even give the most popular PC VR headsets a shot in the arm. That said, it will be hard to get PC VR enthusiasts to abandon SteamVR anytime soon.

No doubt, it goes without saying how much Sony has evolved PS VR2, which offers a very targeted and impressive feature set for 2023. Features like Intelligent Eye Tracking make it easy to flick through in-game menus with a quick glance, and the 2000 x 2040 dual OLED display on the PlayStation 5 hardware offloads Forbated rendering is also achieved (opens in new tab).

These are the latest features in the latest high-end virtual reality headsets and are only about to be included in less expensive devices on the PC.

Compared to the latest headsets like the Meta Quest 2 (opens in new tab) and the Valve Index (opens in new tab), the PS VR2 offers comparable levels of visual fidelity. Not surprisingly, the PS VR2's twin OLED displays have a higher resolution than the Quest 2 and a 90Hz-120Hz refresh rate to match.

The PS VR2's viewing angle is 110 degrees, which isn't shocking, as it's the standard viewing angle nowadays, but it's wide enough to cover most of your field of view. Furthermore, it is dark enough to keep you immersed in the game, interrupted by the headset's soft-touch surround sound.

The design of the headset is truly stunning. Slightly different from most PC VR headsets, a firm headband holds the cranium in place and the headset seems to float in front of you. From there, it can be moved closer or further away from the bridge of the nose for an optimal fit. This design keeps most of the weight of the headset off the front of the face, which greatly helps with long-term comfort. And if you need to take a little breather, you can easily push the headset out of the way without having to adjust the headband.

This design is also quite convenient if you want to quickly put the headset on a friend. Compared to other headsets, there is less fine-tuning required to properly adjust the headband, even when wearing it on someone else's head; compared to the rather poor and uncomfortable strap on the Quest 2, it's like a night and day.

But before you get too excited about what will happen when you connect it to your PC, you might be disappointed: the PS VR2 is officially not compatible with PCs and is not recognized by SteamVR.

Even if you connect it with a long USB Type-C cable, it won't work for gaming in VR; if your GPU has a USB Type-C port (which is rarely the case), you can connect the headset to the graphics card's USB Type-C port and use the PS VR2 as a desktop It can be used as a window on the desktop. It's more like looking at a second monitor through the headset. For now, and perhaps forever, the PS VR2 is essentially a PS5 exclusive.

The PS VR2 is not only a big ticket item, but also a huge improvement in quality of life. First of all, it comes bundled with two controllers designed for VR. This is a big step forward from the first generation PS VR, which was just an old Move controller gathering dust in a box somewhere that would have been nice to have.

The new Sense controller, which I affectionately refer to as the Sony Orb, is the equivalent of the controllers that are currently bundled with popular standalone headsets. Reminiscent of the MetaQuest 2 controller, it has finger detection, easy-to-use grip buttons, and genuinely excellent tracking.

It's hard to fault the Sense controller: it's accurate enough to hit the target with an arrow in the depths of the Horizon:Call map, accurate enough to swing with the hope of hanging on across a crevasse, and Fast tracking.

Another major quality of life improvement is how easy it is to set up the play area once the headset is on; borrowing one of Quest 2's best features, Sony has deployed a pass-through feature using the headset's front-facing camera. This allows the user to look around in reality while wearing the headset, making it easy to draw out the boundaries of the play area. However, Sony took this a step further and allowed the PS VR2 to scan the surrounding environment via pass-through. It then automatically draws out where the play area begins and ends. When I tried it, it showed up almost exactly right every time.

The pass-through can also be turned on and off by pressing a button during the game.

The PS VR2, in all of its shiny new features, is a fantastic way to game in virtual reality. It shows where VR is now, not only as a technology, but also in terms of how sophisticated many games are becoming for this platform. I spent over three hours one day in "Horizon: Call of the Mountain" and didn't feel so bad coming out the other side. This is thanks in part to the high-resolution display, fast refresh rate, and accurate tracking, but also to the smart game design that makes it easy to play.

Now, that's not to say that the PS VR2 will be a huge success like the original PS VR. That's not so much a fault of the PS VR2 as it is where we are right now in the affordable VR market.

The first generation of headsets brought affordable VR to many PlayStation 4 owners, but many people I personally know who used the headsets were usually new to VR. I took the headset out with a friend and spent several nights playing "Until Dawn: Rush of Blood" and "Resident Evil 7: Resident Evil," among others.

But the PS VR's Move controller and low-fidelity panel had me looking longingly at more expensive PC alternatives. And it wasn't long before something less expensive changed the game dramatically, with Oculus coming out with Quest and then Quest 2, and affordable VR suddenly got really, really good.

The PS VR2 has a lot to offer, but even affordable VR faces a much tougher market than the first generation console: at $550, it's more expensive than either PlayStation 5 model; at $350, it's more expensive than the PS VR2; and at $350, it's more expensive than the PS VR2. To be fair, the PS VR is priced about the same as the PS4, but $150 more than the Quest 2 (price after price increase (open in new tab)), making the PS VR2 not a cheap option.

As a PC gamer, I can't help but feel that we should wait to see what Meta will create with the next generation Quest (opens in new tab) before deciding to put our money into Sony's option. And there is one thing the PS VR2 can't match Quest 2 or any other PC VR headset.

There are some really good games on the PS VR2, including Horizon: Call of the Mountain, which is very good both as a tech demo for the headset itself and as a flagship title in its own right. There's also Gran Turismo, Star Wars: A Galaxy's Edge Story, Moss, and Dark Pictures: Switchback VR". But I'm staring at a pile of hundreds of games and virtual reality software on my PC and wondering if there is enough in the PS VR2 to justify the headset from the perspective of a gamer who owns both a PlayStation 5 and a PC.

I don't think it's the headset I would buy under those circumstances. I would stick with the slightly cheaper Quest 2.

However, kudos to Sony for developing the PS VR2, an admittedly superior virtual reality headset. It offers a full-fledged VR experience that was not available on the first-generation machines and shows how serious Sony is about virtual reality. I am utterly impressed. If you are a PS5 gamer and wondering what VR is all about, the PS VR2 is a fantastic way to find out.