PS VR2: The Good, The Bad, The Indifferent

This past week, Sony announced the price and release date of the PS VR2 headset. Via their blog post, we got a look at everything included in the box along with 11 new games coming to the platform in 2023. We here at Lordsofgaming.net have been covering PSVR for nearly the platform’s entire lifespan, how do we feel about the upcoming hardware refresh?

The Good

On October 11th, Meta announced the Quest Pro. When the price of $1,499.99 was given, my initial reaction was that PS VR2 would cost more than we expected. For the past year, my best guess had been $500. Following the international price increase of the PS5, as well as the $199.99 DualSense Edge, I thought that $700 to $750 was a very grim PS3-era possibility when it came to the price of PS VR2.

The $549.99 price point is a fair middle ground. The HMD, two controllers, and headphones cost $50 more than the PS5. Yet given the rate of US inflation, PS VR2 costs 1% to 2% more than the launch PSVR bundle. Not to be forgotten, the inflation rate is far worse in other regions. When you look around at the competition, the two-year-old Meta Quest 2 is $400, the three-year-old Valve Index is $1000.00, and the HTC Vive Pro 2 is $800. Besides, it won’t take long for Sony to include a game at a discount, something they are already doing with the PS5.

On another positive note, Sony appears to have a distinguished exclusive. Horizon Call of the Mountain at first glance is in line with Half-Life Alyx in scope. It is going to take more than that to make PS VR2 a success but having regular exclusive VR hits will be paramount to the platform’s long-term success. Paired with Firewall Ultra and Resident Evil Village, PlayStation has put together a nice launch lineup.

The Bad

A lot of this stems from how poorly the headset has been communicated by Sony. There should have been a complete one-hour blowout to showcase all of the games and hardware. In addition to a live event. Just like the PS5, Sony is not going to be able to make enough of these headsets, and that factor seems to be diminishing their motivation to sell them. The push for PS VR2 has not been strong enough, blog posts and Tweets are not going to cut it long-term and frankly, they are underwhelming.

While Sony has acquired Firesprite, the developer of Horizon Call of the Mountain there are no indicators that Sony is investing significant first-party resources in PS VR2 titles. We know that Spider-Man developer Insomniac had released a handful of VR games before being acquired by Sony so there must be something there right? Gran Turismo 7 would make for a fantastic VR experience, does Sony know that? Astro Bot Rescue Mission was one of the best PSVR games, why not make another? Plus now we know their big VR team in London is making a PS5 Live Service Game. The whole thing is starting to feel like the Vita all over again. I am sure consumers would like to see more first-party support before becoming early adopters.

My biggest disappointment from this week has been the lack of a case or cover included with the PS VR2 headset. Dust fragments and sun rays are known to damage the lenses. Besides, I should be able to put my headset away unscathed. To me, this feels like a requirement and not an optional accessory. I do not know what is worse, the fact that a case not exist yet or the fact that one is not included.

The Indifferent

One thing that is not helping is Meta’s insistence on acquiring VR teams that are working on PS VR2 games. We already know a Ready at Dawn PS VR2 game is in peril and surely canceled. Now Iron Man VR developer Camouflaj has been acquired by Meta. Sony published Iron Man VR coming to the Quest is a sign of two things. A trade has been made, presumably in the form of Beat Saber, and there will be no Iron Man 2 on PS VR2. For sure the headline, “Number one selling PSVR game Beat Saber is not confirmed for PS VR2” is going under the radar.

While Sony has anywhere between 5 and 10 launch window games it’s hiding, and I assume for good reason, the current list does not scream next-gen VR to me. Of course, PSVR was many years behind, PS VR2 feels like the headset we should have gotten a year or two ago. Hopefully, With the games that Sony is holding back, there are some engaging titles like Horizon. Unfortunately, as of today, the PS VR2 game list is full of older Quest ports. Ultimately this is something Sony can get away with given that we are just talking about the 20 to 30 launch window games. 

Every Game Confirmed For PS VR2

• Affected The Asylum
• Afterlife VR 
• After the Fall
• Aliens
• Alvo
• Among Us
• Cities VR Enhanced Edition
• Cosmonious High
• Crossfire: Sierra Squad
• Demeo
• Distortion VR
• Do Not Open
• Engram
• Firewall Ultra
• Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord
• GOLF+
• Green Hell VR
• Hello Neighbor Seach and Rescue
• Hellsplit Arena
• Horizon Call of the Mountain
• Jurassic World Aftermath Collection
• LOW-FI
• Medieval Dynasty
• Moss: Book II
• NFL Pro Era
• No Man’s Sky
• Pavlov
• Pistol Whip VR
• Resident Evil 4 (some component)
• Resident Evil Village
• Requisition VR
• Runner
• Shadowgate VR
• Samurai Slaughter House
• Star Wars Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge
• Swordsman VR
• Tentacular
• The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR
• The Exorcist Legion VR Sin
• The Light Brigade
• The Walking Dead Saints and Sinners Chapter 2
• Ultrawings 2
• Zenith The Last City