The dream of diving into virtual worlds is by no means new. It has roots all the way back to the stereoscope of the 1830s, in fact. Now the dream is so close and tangible that it is about to explode out of its narrow niche market for those particularly interested. During a couple of weeks with the Playstation VR2, I have sat in the cab of cool cars in “Gran Turismo 7”. It’s so close to actual driving that it borders on magic. GOOD CONTROLLERS: The two controllers combine the feeling from the usual DualSense controller with motion control in a great way, says news’s reviewer. Here from the game “Pistol Whip”.SONY I have been blown away by the uniquely beautiful natural experiences in “Horizon: Call of the Mountain”. I have wrapped the super cool visual environment of the rhythm game “Thumper” around me like a pulsating blanket. Kayaking around Bjørnøya I have returned to the brilliant “Tetris Effect: Connected” and felt the music vibrate through my whole body. And perhaps the most impressive of all: I have paddled around Bjørnøya in the fantastic “Kayak VR: Mirage”. It’s incredible to think that you can have nature experiences like this in games. NATURE EXPERIENCE: In “Kayak VR: Mirage” you can go on a paddling trip around Bjørnøya and paddle in a race with other players. For the record – several of these VR games are also available on other VR platforms. But bringing all this together for the launch of PS VR2 is seen as a good and useful picture of where VR stands today. We are approaching a revolution. A future where separating virtual worlds and reality can become an exercise in philosophy. “The Matrix”, only without the end of the world. One can hope. We’re not quite there yet, just to say the least. PS The VR2 headset fits well on the head, but it tightens and feels a little uncomfortable after a while. TEARS IN THE LENGTH: VR2 fits well and is comfortable, but becomes uncomfortable to wear for a long time. Photo: Screenshot / Sony Knotty movement The graphics are miles better than when VR had its commercial launch with the Oculus Rift 11 years ago. I don’t get nauseous and I don’t get headaches. But we need a few thousand more pixels before the experience is where it should be. And then we have a challenge when it comes to how we navigate these environments. VR clearly works best when you sit quietly in the driver’s seat of a car or with the levers in a spaceship. It is less successful when the movements become more complex, as in “Horizon: Call of the Mountain”. But PS VR2 goes to great lengths to minimize the inherent problems VR technology has today. SIT DOWN: You don’t need to stand upright to use VR2. In this clip, Sony has Ozzy Osbourne test the game “Horizon: Call of the Mountain”.SONY / GUERRILLA GAMES The headset is, in my eyes, the most comfortable on the market today, with easy size adjustment and a separate button that makes you can see “through” the front if, for example, you need to pick up the phone or find a controller. It’s even comfortable with glasses, although I’d probably recommend contact lenses for a full VR experience. Eye tracking The motion controls are extremely precise, making looking around by moving your head feel natural. The same can be said about the tracking of eye movements – it is unusual, but incredibly effective to, for example, aim at enemies just by moving your gaze. The included earplugs for 3D sound are also excellent. “MAGI”: Driving a car with VR2 is almost like driving a real car, even without a steering wheel like this, writes news’s reviewer. Here from the game “Gran Turismo 7”.SONY I have also come to love the two included controllers. They combine the feel of the regular PS5 Dualsense controller with motion control, and are perfectly suited to VR experiences. And then it’s wonderfully easy to set up PS VR2. It only requires one cable, which you connect to a PS5 console. The calibration is intuitive, and the overall experience is wonderfully plug-and-play. On top of all this, you also get a separate cinema mode, which in practice gives you access to a huge, virtual screen on which you can play normal games or watch movies. It’s only 1080p, unfortunately, but it’s huge. DEFEND YOURSELF: If you want to survive in the horror game “Resident Evil Village”, you have to grab the guns. The game launches in May. Facsimile: CAPCOM OK price If you already have a PS5 (which you must have in order to use PS VR2), the price is not too bad. It starts from NOK 6,700 here in Norway, which is in the lower tier compared to competitors with similar specifications. The most important thing about all gaming platforms is, of course, the gaming experiences it delivers. PS VR2 already has a good library there, with “Gran Turismo 7”, “Kayak VR: Mirage” and “Thumper” as personal favourites. The VR update to “No Man’s Sky” wasn’t ready for testing yet, but I’m really looking forward to it. The same applies to the opportunity to experience “Resident Evil Village” in VR, which I look forward to and dread in roughly equal doses. It is difficult to give dice to gaming platforms. That roll of the dice will become misleading over time, and it’s the game library that ultimately gives a platform like the PS VR2 value. So I choose not to. EXPLORE THE GALAXY: In “No Man’s Sky”, the player will fly spaceships and fight against robots on alien planets. Strong impressions But it is easy to recommend PS VR2 to anyone who is curious about what is possible in VR in 2023. There are already many good games available, and the experiences you get deliver strong impressions. However, I have to say that I personally still prefer flat screens for more complex gaming experiences. Unfortunately. Because that’s where I want VR to go. Immersive experiences where you leave reality behind and forget that you have a huge lump on your head. We’re not quite there yet. But PS VR2 is a great example of how close we actually are. PS: VR is not recommended for children under 12, and should also be used sparingly by children over 12. The technology is designed for fully developed eyes. APPROACHING “THE MATRIX”: – Playstation VR2 is a considerable improvement from its predecessor, but it is not flawless, says game reviewer Rune Fjeld Olsen. news reviewer Photo: Sony Title: Playstation VR2 Category: Virtual reality headsets, accessories for PlayStation 5 Age: 12+ Platform: PS5 Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment Publisher: Sony Date: 22 February 2023 Hello, gaming friends! I’m a freelance writer about games for news. On a daily basis, I work at Level Up Norway. There were many good games in the past year. Here you can read my list of the best games from 2022. You can find all my other game reviews here.
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Playstation VR2 – Reviews and recommendations
