Sony PlayStation VR

Who can forget the resurgence of interest from the Lawnmower Man movie in 1992 leading to dodgy looking VR arcade machines? We may have been going mad for it back then, but until recently VR at home has remained out of reach for most people. Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR changed that, but not before the early adopters in the PC world got their hands on Vive and Rift, those rather expensive headsets that require equally expensive PC hardware to run them at their full potential. Sony’s PSVR aims to provide a middle ground to this market with a fuller VR experience than the mobile headsets but with a budget and hardware that isn’t as high end as the PC. It’s important to state this before going any further because it puts the PSVR into perspective, it’s around half the price of the PC VR sets but promises the same sort of experience, albeit with a little less detail. It might the price of a new console, but that’s still far more affordable than the price of a high end PC. But nobody was really sure it could live up to even these expectations, can a device like this really run from a console built in 2013? It seems it can, with some caveats. You’ll also need to ensure you either own or buy the PS4 camera. It came with early PS4 packs but can be bought separately, with a new version out to match the PSVR. Move controllers are optional, but improve the experience in some games. They can be found second hand or in the new dual packs designed for VR. First things first, though. For a fairly small headset, the box is absolutely massive. It’s actually designed really well, with a little piece of material that opens the triangular lid half way and reveals the neatly packed wealth of small boxes that could easily go to form a real life game of Sony’s VR title Tumble. The reason for all these boxes? Wires, tons of them. The box contains the headset itself, a breakout box, a full power supply in 2 pieces, a USB lead, 3 HDMI leads (1 to the Playstation and 2 for each eye of the VR headset). There’s a lead that then comes out of the headset and into the smaller box that takes the 2 HDMI cables and transfers the signal to the eyes. This contains an in-line remote to turn the headset on and off and also allows you to plug in headphones (a set of matching earphones is included, though I can never get in-ear earphones to stay in my ears, but that might just be me. The headset feels very comfortable in use, thanks in part to the high quality materials used. The headband is stretchable to fit any size head and is easy to adjust, while the actual lenses move in and out to fit your face, even if you wear glasses. Once connected, turning the headset on immediately takes you to the PS4’s menu inside the headset, with a picture on the TV mimicking what you see but in 2D. This is great for others who may be watching you make a fool of yourself while wearing the headset or for sharing your PSVR experiences. psvr-trying-on and this is how you look with the PSVR on. Very fetching. The actual experience differs based on the game or application you’re playing. Many games require just the Dualshock to control but have the option of using 2 Move controllers. These might be throwbacks to the previous generation, but they still work fairly well. There were a few instances, though, when the camera refused to pick them up as they were outside of the space, but most games will take advantage of the space and will compensate for this. The camera itself is used for face tracking. It’s possible to look 360 degrees around and see things behind you, the headset can cope with this, but tracking movement of things like the move controllers or targets won’t work. This is similar to the situation with Oculus Rift which is actually getting more cameras to support the forthcoming touch controllers, so this may be an option for Sony in the future. For now, though,it just requires games to realise the limitations and work around them. Thankfully, as Rift is similar, many titles have been ported over easily enough and will continue to share the larger catalogue of games as developers get a grip on the new tech. Sony have managed to get full HD (1920×1080) for the headset via screens that show 960×1080 per eye and up to 120Hz refresh. The Vive and Rift are both 90Hz as well, though they both have better resolutions of 2160×1200 overall. In practice, there is a little difference in picture quality, but in most games this isn’t really noticable when you’re in the thick of things. Motion Sickness is another big issue for VR. Gear VR, Rift and Vive owners have experienced some sort of VR Sickness in games that require fast paced movement without a centre point to keep them focused. It’s the same for PSVR. The 90Hz to 120Hz (depending on game) refresh rate does help to keep this to a minimum, as it does on Vive and Rift, but some games will affect people more than others. I found RIGS in particular to be a bit of a stomach churning experience, whereas games like Thumper and Battlezone were fine. Overall, though, it’s a hefty investment, though nowhere near that of its PC rivals and although there are plenty of launch games to keep you busy, if you’re worried about the outlay then it may well be worth waiting to see what else developers can do with the format. For those that can afford it, the Playstation VR hardware is impressive for the price point as an accessible console Virtual Reality solution that can run happily on a standard PS4.

I pre ordered my PSVR. I love new technology. It arrived Friday evening the day after release which was a bit disappointing from Amazon who usually deliver on release day. They had emailed a few weeks in advance so it was not a surprise. It took about 10 minutes to set up following the simple instructions. Lots of cables as everyone has said but you can leave the ties on most of them and you just move the TVs hdmi so pretty easy. Mine is all in a cupboard as the wife doesn't like the mess so all tidy. I have to keep the cupboard doors open when playing due to the heat but that was always the case with the PS3 and PS4. To give my review context I love gaming, I have three boys (11 and twins 8) and a daughter 4. We play a lot of games, mainly board and card games, together but my daughter can't really play. I started with VR worlds. As I am sore most did with this title first was the shark dive. This really shows what this thing can do, even the wife had a go and was impressed and that's saying something! The London Heist is amazing too, sitting in the old east end pub picking up and lighting a cigar, you can actually smoke it by sucking as the mic picks up the sucking noise! The game is mainly visual again showing off what the device can do. I banged my head because you can lean over and look over things, it's really cool. The game parts are shooting and these are fun though brief. Watch out for kids with this one though because the hard man character shouts the F word pretty much non stop throughout! The other game we enjoyed on there was the danger ball. It's a simple bat and ball type game like the old Atari thing you played with paddles, only you play it with your head. The 3D view makes this awesome. The free playroom app is a lot of fun and this let me and the four kids all play together as a few games are 2-5 player. One in the VR headset, the others either shouting out instructions or playing with controllers. They say the headset is for over 12s but my kids were fine with it. I kept it to short bursts of play, the PlayRoom game (free) helped here. Sunday morning 05:30 my daughter came in to wake me up to ask if she can be the cat again! So lovely that she can play a game with us that she can understand and be properly involved. This was one of the best two mini games where the VR person is a cat and the rest are mice collecting cheese. Lots of fun, basically the cat has to stick their head out of the curtains and catch the mice moving. The mice have to dash about collecting cheese but freeze when the cat sticks their head out. They hide under a can or milk carton. Lots of fun. There are fun visual rewards for the winner. The monster one is fun too but make sure the monster has plenty of space as they are dodging all over to get out of the way of the many things the other players throw at them. I have move controllers from my old PS3 but have not used them yet so can't comment on their use. I can't wait for some sort of tennis game in this. A final word about the graphics, they are not as good as a normal PS4 game but who would expect that, plenty good enough. We all think the experience in the headset is way better than what you see on the screen. No screenshot or video could ever do it justice so try it, lots of shops are doing demos now. I think you will be blown away. My kids and I really love this, it's expensive but what fun! Right my turn to be the cat!

I got the PSVR on day one after I tried it at one of Sony conferences (in Glasgow). I fell in love with it after playing Farpoint and Batman VR and pre-ordered it from my Amazon. Why I picked PSVR over Rift & Vive: I game both on PC (GTX980Ti/Intel core i7- 6700K) and PS4 and eventhough I was able to afford the VIVE and the rift (before their price drop), I still went ahead with PSVR due to many reasons including: 1. I already had a PS4, PS4 camera and motion controllers from my old PS3 2. All these headsets are 1st Gen VR headsets and they all won't be great graphically (which is still true) just like the first Playstation/Xbox 3. VR is very new and many people won't appreciate it and there is a good chance that it might end up just another gimmick e.g. like PS move. So no point getting the most expensive one when there is a more affordable alternative 4. I believed that Sony will fully support PSVR and I was right.. Sony's exclusive games are among the best in VR Anyways, lets get to it: PROS: 1. Price without any doubt at the time was very reasonable (Especially when Sony initially announced project Morpheus long time ago, they stated that the price would be around $1000) and also comparing that to the price of the VIVE & the Rift (which didn't even include controllers at the time). Moreover, even with the price cut in the highend VR headsets, you still need a fortune for a PC that can run them smoothly (we're talking about a minimum difference of £500-700). 2. Backward compatibility with Move controllers. I kept my PS3 move controllers (don't get me wrong I still have both my PS2 & PS3) as I reckoned that Sony will utilise them with Project Morpheus when it was first announced. 3. Comfortable headset in comparison to the Vive/Rift especially for those who wear glasses (which my wife does). However, I am basing that on the reviews rather than my personal experience. 4. Resolution is good for an entry level VR especially with AAA titles like Resident Evil, Rigs, Starwars VR, Batman VR..etc and even with Indie games like Don't knock twice (which I highly recommend) 5. VR experience: that as I mentioned what sold the PSVR for me.. I am an old gamer (I played the first Metal Gear Solid game that was released by Konami back in 1987 on MSX2 platform) and I have always dreamed of VR and I gotta say, you won't be disappointed (unless you're one of those few unfortunate people who suffer from motion sickness). Its a whole new level of gaming experience especially for those games that utilise the move controllers like Batman VR, don't knock twice and London Heist. It gives you an extra level of immersion and sense of scale which you won't experience on TV or monitor. The things that you can do with a one button click i.e. trigger button got holding stuff, pulling triggers..etc. I enjoyed PS3 move at the time but this is something else. Cons: 1. Not many decent or "proper" games out there and you mainly get a 2-3 hours "experiences"; however, more games are coming. So far, the main decent games out there are RE7, Skyrim VR, Farpoint, Robinson the journey, Here they lie (last 2 don't utilize move controllers), Until Dawn, Eve Valkyrie, Don't knock twice Batman VR, London Heist (last 2 are Experiences NOT games). You have a good number of shooter games which are pretty much the same e.g. Arizona sunshine, Brookhaven experience, pixel gear ..etc (just point and shoot while seated! which are good fun but get boring especially with the problematic tracking of the move controller owing to the old technology & one camera in comparison to Rift & Vive) 2. Blurry: yup! its a bit blurry which can be annoying and can give you sometimes a headache trying to focus. I even sometimes pull the screen away from my eyes which seems to improve the focus. I have tried everything including adjusting the pupils distance..etc but I gave up eventually. However, there is no "god rays" or "screen-door effect" or "god rays". 3. Poor tracking for move controllers: as I mentioned before this is expected when factoring in the old technology of the PS Move controllers (you can slightly improve that by playing in a dark room as camera tracks the light balls of the move controllers) and the single camera (in comparison to 2 sensors for RIft/Vive). It can be really tricky when you try to grab or shoot things that are behind you or even to your left/right. 4. No room scale VR: which I am not honestly bothered about and pretty sure most people aren't as well. Besides, in Britain you don't have the luxury of big rooms in most houses/flats. I am pretty sure that I missed few things but in a nutshell those are the main points that I wanted to highlight. I am planning to get the VIVE 2 (Oasis) if HTC are still planning to release it as I don't quite like the current huge controllers and I like the Oculus touch controllers better but I prefer the VIVE tracking/sensors. I am happy that I went with the PSVR as a first gen VR as there aren't many decent games out there but if you are a horror fan like me, you will enjoy horror games in VR.

I've been a dedicated Playstation fan since I was a young lad (I'm now 25). PS1, PS2, PS3 and now the PS4, I'm a loyal customer and genuinely think that Sony delivers not only the best gaming consoles out there, but some pretty amazing exclusives too. Decided to invest in a Playstation VR after a LOT of debating, and my god, what an experience! None of the reviews or endless gaming videos on Youtube of people wearing the VR do it any justice. It's one of those things you HAVE to play for yourself to fully get how fantastic and immersive it truly is. It is truly the future of gaming, and a very exciting time to be a gamer. Set-up is fairly easy and doesn't take too long. Just be prepared that there are quite a few wires that you'll be fiddling around with. The headset itself is comfortable and adjustable to fit all head sizes. Quality of the lens view itself is fantastic, though make sure you wipe the lens carefully each time you use it (cloth provided) and adjust the eye-distance and other little headset settings with the VR camera (which you will need to purchase separately). The VR headset/experience itself? Brilliant. Nothing I say will do it justice until you try it for yourself. There isn't a huge catalogue of games available currently, but Resident Evil 7, which I'm currently playing in VR, is worth the price alone! Absolutely immersive, terrifying and heart attack worthy. I'm very excited to see what future games developers have in store for PSVR. Another feature that you may be interested in is the recent implement of being able to play 3D Blu-rays (as well as standard) in a 'cinematic mode' on the headset. Oh yes, it's fantastic! It looks like you have your very own seat in Vue or Cineworld. Did you hear that right? Yes! It looks like you have your VERY OWN CINEMA SEAT. So go out and get one of these bad boys. Truly worth the money if you are looking for a little treat for yourself. Reminder: You must own a PS4/PS4 Pro, Dual-shock controller and PS4 camera to support VR. PSMove controller for certain games only/optional. All bought separately. Happy VR gaming!

I entered this experience as a Virtual Reality virgin having followed the various VR headsets on the market without actually trying any out. I originally went for the PSVR purely on the basis that I already owned a PS4 and that it was relatively inexpensive compared to the other market leaders (i understood that i would be making some technical compromises but Sony usually put out a quality product and i had faith that that pattern would continue). My decision to purchase this was reinforced by the positive reviews concerning its design and comfort when compared with the Vive and Occulus. If im going to be wearing something on my head/face, possibly for hours at a time, it had better be comfortable otherwise it's a pointless purchase. I've been playing with it for the past five hours (and no, I haven't gone blind!) and i have absolutely no regrets about shelling out 350 quid for what is turning out to be an amazing bit of kit. Out of the box it was simple to set up and although there are a plethora of cables you can tidy things up by removing the headset and (lengthy) cable from the front of the processor unit for storage elsewhere if you're not planning on using it for a while. Calibration was also a simple task and I have yet to experience any tracking issues that have been mentioned in various reveiws, however i did make a point of closing all the blinds in my living room to make it as dark as possible. I had to get up a few times initially to make minor angle adjustments to my (original) PS4 camera so that my head would fit in a virtual square, but never had to touch it again after that (although i was seated for my entire 5 hour playing time because of an achilles injury, so don't know if any adjustment would need to be made when standing up). I am happy to report that I experienced zero discomfort issues although not being able to see whilst trying to reach for various controllers around me took some getting used to, but being able to extend the visor to allow a little external vision certainly helped. It also can get a little warm around your eyes but again, extending the visor periodically helps keep it ventilated. I played Tumble vr, london heist, ocean descent and vr luge and whilst they all offered great experiences, London Heist was by far the most immersive. I actually felt the need to duck during an interrogation scene when a punch was thrown at me! Motion sickness has not been an issue so far, however the visuals are a little blurred at times and could benefit from being a bit sharper but that's a minor quibble for me when assessing the overall experience. I'm building up to playing Batman Arkham VR, Rush of blood and Driveclub with a little PLayroom VR in between. Time will no doubt tell if there are any technical issues but so far I have at times been left in awe of the feeling of 'being there' especially when using a good pair of over the ear headphones. Looking forward to playing an atmospheric horror game such as (hopefully) resident evil and I love the fact that the UK playstation store already allows you to download the demos that formed part of the US demo disc which were not available on the UK one that comes packaged with the headset: here they lie, until dawn, job simulator, rez infinite and thumper (to name the main ones in my opinion). Well done Sony! UPDATE (2300 - 13.10.16) Just had my first taste of a VR Horror demo (Kitchen: Resident Evil 7 demo) OMG! Talk about a brief but extremely intense experience! Turn the lights off, throw your headset/headphones on, crank up the volume and feel your heart rate increase. I'll admit it, I closed my eyes at one point and got goosebumps! I need some virtual fluffy bunnies.....RIGHT NOW!!

VR isn't new to me - I bought the Samsung Gear VR and have used it on and off with my Note 4 and enjoyed it very much, despite suffering really badly from fogging and overheating my phone within 20 minutes. The PSVR is truly on another level though - it's astonishingly good when compared to the Gear VR. The screen door effect is far less noticeable, only really suffering when what you are viewing is dark. The general display is far clearer than the Gear VR manages and I don't get any of the strange focusing issues I get with the Samsung, where the center is in focus but the periphery is blurred. Content so far is excellent. The demos/freebies available are very generous and impressive and there is already a reasonably strong line-up of games to buy - many of them for £14 or so which is fairly priced given many of them are time limited. I'm a bit confused by some of the 'negatives' in other people's reviews and even here on Amazon: 1) I've not had a single fogging issue in the 12 hours or so I've used it 2) I've not had a problem finding the focus sweet spot - it fits well despite wearing glasses 3) Yes there are a few leads, but it seriously only takes 3 minutes to set up if you have a slightest clue what an HDMI lead looks like - I really don't know why reviews are highlighting this so much! Neatness wise, when the helmet is not in use then the obvious large lead that joins the processor unit to the helmet simply coils up and sits on top of the PS4 - no mess. 4) I have zero issues with tracking of either the dual shock or the move controllers; no shudder, no shaking, it is rock solid - and this was without tweaking my camera setup one bit from what was there pre-PSVR. There are a few cons I've noted, none of which are especially negative: 1) Light can bleed in from the bottom of the visor even at the closest setting (solution, if you're gaming alone: turn off the lights) 2) I'd rather have the option of NOT wearing my glasses and using a focus wheel like the Gear VR does - appreciate this doesn't suit everyone as many people require different focal lengths per eye, but the unit does press on my glasses slightly. 3) Having used the GearVR for so long, I do find the lead awkward - especially where the connection box naturally falls and the headphones getting in the way. Overall very pleased, it has surpassed all my expectations and hence I consider it money well spent. Highly recommended.

The first thing I’d say is that this initial iteration of PS VR (I’m confident we’ll see a PS VR 2 in a few years) isn’t for everyone. It’s very much an “early adopter” piece of kit and anyone buying it just now needs to be aware of that. In saying that, though, if you accept it at that level, this does offer some amazingly immersive experiences already. “The London Heist” is a short but brilliant showcase for the potential of VR. From picking up a cigar in one hand, a lighter in the other and blowing smoke into the face of a gang boss (yep, you actually do make blowing noises to blow the smoke), to using the move controller guns to mow down your enemies, this makes interacting in VR oh so natural. Another immersive experience is Batman VR. After all, who doesn’t want to be the bat? A murder mystery, this sees you putting on the suit, the gauntlets, the cowl (literally) and puzzling your way through autopsies, murder scenes and traps. The environments do such a fantastic job of sucking you in, at one point I went to lean on a desk to get a better angle to through a batarang. Almost landed on my face coz the desk only existed in the game. And minutes later, trapped in a cage, I went to lean against the virtual bars while I puzzled a way out. Near disaster again! But a disaster that my partner found hilarious, and she nearly fell off the couch with laughter. It's not without its faults, mind. When compared to VR like HTC Vive and Occulus, the headset is, by all accounts, the most comfortable to wear but is a little lacking in the resolution department. And while I found the head tracking to be buttery smooth, tracking of the controllers isn’t quite as great. It really is almost impossible to convey VR to someone who’s not experienced it. Exhilarating, awe-inspiring, immersive in ways that not even reality can compete with. If you’re willing to overlook its faults PS VR proves it’s not just a gimmick and while it won’t replace the way we play games at the moment, it does gives us an alternative way to play.

One day consumer VR will be a sleek, wireless, high fidelity experience – rather than like lowering yourself into a 3DS game inside a rubber diving bell with an air leak while an invisible octopus tries to mate with your arms and neck. One day it will be worth it. Today is not that day. Sadly, PSVR is perhaps the least consumer friendly entertainment product I have ever encountered. Setting up all its cables is like wrestling with an octopus or giant squid. And that's when you can actually set it up at all. The processor unit and HDMI output back into my TV does not work on my launch PS4, nor apparently on many other people's launch PS4s. This actually makes the unit completely inoperable unless you can turn it on, quickly unplug the PS4 HDMI, plug it into the TV and update the VR unit firmware - all before it turns off again. (A process I discovered by accident, following two hours of troubleshooting.) Thereafter, the experience is occasionally wonderful, but most often mediocre or infuriating (and it still won't display on the TV): - The lenses endlessly fog up; you have to keep pulling off the headset and wiping them with the included cloth. - The field of vision feels limited; all your peripheral view is dominated by the rubber mask. It's not like being in another world. At its best it's like being in a diving bell inside another world. - The tracking is maddening: jerking, jumping, shuddering ever few minutes – or subtly drifting to the left or right the whole time so that you find yourself shifting your chair round to follow it, and after half an hour are almost 90 degrees from where you started. I have followed all the guidance on setting up the camera, using it in a dark room, etc. To no avail. - The image is often dull or pixelated and cheap looking. When displaying pitch black or dark solid colours an obvious screen texture is visible. - The headset is exceedingly difficult to get focused properly. One wobble or jog or minor adjustment and it falls out of focus. - The games are very brief and lightweight. You will not believe how soon Batman VR or PlayStation Worlds is over. - The cable attaching the headset to the processor unit is bulky and not very long; it's a constant distraction in games, and you'll often catch your arm on it and jerk the headset violently - a horrible experience. Having to have wired audio adds to this entanglement. - Sony big cheese Shuhei Yoshida recommended the use of the Gold PS4 headphones in conjunction with PSVR, but they only just fit over the top if you have the VR headset in pretty much one rather awkward position (even then it is a serious squeeze). I finally got the VR headset focused and comfortable and it turned out I had to shift it an inch or two just to have audio, thereby losing the focus and comfort. - My unit also had several dead/flickering pixels on the right hand side of the screen. - Watching 360 video is a big letdown. I thought it would be immersive; it left me totally indifferent. This is obviously not PSVR's fault - it's just the first time I've seen video in that format. It's really not that immersive or exciting. I still believe in the potential of VR. There is a fleeting magic in some games of feeling like you're inside another world - especially with motion controls, where your 'hands' are visible in that space with you - but this is such a compromised version of it that it has put me off it for another 5-10 years.