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Transcript
00:00Okay, this is awesome. GT7, in VR, with a steering wheel and pedals.
00:06Got my rear view mirror up there. I'm not on a PSP.
00:10Coming out on the inside, that's right! Not today!
00:13If you're gonna do this, do it properly and get a wheel. 100%.
00:19Woo! Give me a second.
00:23For the past week, I've been kind of shirking my real-world responsibilities in favour of diving into virtual reality.
00:29With this guy, the PSVR 2, and I have no regrets. This thing is incredible.
00:35Although, it can be hard to convince people this is my job.
00:43So, is the PSVR actually worth buying? Does it make you feel sick? Are there enough games? Is it too expensive?
00:48And if you do pick one up, will it end up in a cupboard after a few weeks, just like every other VR headset since the beginning of time?
00:55Well, let me address that last question first.
00:57Because while it is definitely still early days, I think the PSVR 2 is gonna be different.
01:02I am gonna keep this out and keep using it.
01:04Partly because there's quite a few games I'm looking forward to, but mainly because it's just so beautifully simple to set up.
01:11For the first time ever with a VR headset, and I've owned three or four in my time, I didn't even look at the manual setup guide.
01:18In the box, you get a USB cable for charging and connecting the controllers.
01:22You also get a pair of earphones, which support Sony's 3D audio, as well as the headset and two controllers.
01:30Simply plug it into the USB-C port on the front of your PS5, attach the earphones via the 3.5mm jack and then pop them in their little housing,
01:37and then follow the on-screen quick setup, which includes briefly connecting each controller to your PS5,
01:43then scanning the room, which is actually pretty cool to see as it scans the geometry and determines how big your play area is,
01:49which you can then tweak afterwards, and after a quick update, you're good to go.
01:54One cable, that's it. And yes, of course, wireless would be the dream.
01:57It's always a little bit in the back of my mind, am I gonna trip over it, do I have to kick it out a little bit,
02:01am I gonna walk too far and pull the PS5 off its shelf?
02:04Maybe, but I haven't done it so far, and the 4.5mm cable is quite generous.
02:09But the trade-off, being wired, is we get a much higher quality VR experience.
02:14I mean, where do we start? The lenses, the eye tracking, the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback.
02:19And then we have the specs, which impressively, given the price, are on par or in some ways exceed headsets that cost twice as much.
02:26We're talking 2000x2040 resolution per eye, it's OLED, it's up to 120Hz, and we get a 110 degree field of view.
02:34On paper, this gives the MetaQuest Pro, which costs about $1500, a proper run for its money,
02:41and it is a whopper of an upgrade over the original PSVR.
02:45Also, because we have eye tracking, devs can use what's called foveated rendering,
02:49so it prioritises the image quality where you're looking, and it's just another tool for developers to get the most out of the PS5.
02:55One thing I did notice straight away is, you know that pesky screen door effect,
03:00where it looks like you have a pixelated mesh over the screens?
03:03Well, it's almost gone.
03:05I say almost, because it is still there, and you can just make it out sometimes particularly on static menus,
03:10but it's much less obvious, it's far more subtle than pretty much any other VR headset I've tried,
03:15and that goes a long way with the whole immersive factor,
03:18and also makes me less likely to want to just take this off and just play on my actual TV.
03:22There's no distracting light leaking in, and it is pretty comfortable.
03:26I probably wouldn't want to spend more than, say, an hour at a time with this,
03:30but considering I'm wearing a proper headset, it is remarkably not uncomfortable.
03:37It really is hard to show off unless you're here yourself trying it,
03:41but I would say for anyone who's used VR before, none of this feels exactly revolutionary,
03:46but it's the most refined, the most accessible, the most comfortable,
03:49and also one of the best looking VR experiences I've ever had.
03:54Make sure the kids are doing okay in the back.
03:56The vibration in the wheel, any impact, you get your little rumble in your headset,
04:00this is as close to the real thing I think you could possibly get, to be honest.
04:08So, putting it on, and all you have to do is press and release the button at the back,
04:12and then pull the head strap back and pop it onto your head.
04:15Rotate the dial to tighten it until it's comfortable,
04:17then hold the button at the top right to adjust how far or close the lenses are to your face,
04:21and then on the other side at the top left, the wheel adjusts the width of the lenses.
04:25And yes, you can wear glasses comfortably.
04:27After an hour of Horizons and Star Wars, I did get a little bit sweaty.
04:31I know you didn't want to see that, but if you are active using it,
04:33or you're sharing this among lots of people,
04:35wiping down the headband and maybe the rubber around the eyes is definitely recommended.
04:40Quick tip, if your PSVR 2 suddenly stops working,
04:43and you write an email to Sony saying,
04:45oh no, I've broken my review sample, because you can't turn it on anymore,
04:48and this power button no longer turns it on,
04:51I was panicking for a second,
04:53turns out, this little connector here can come out.
04:57It's just the USB-C.
04:59And so, just check that before you lose your mind and start the return process.
05:05That fixed it.
05:07Also, these controllers are fantastic,
05:09and actually they have an invisible IR light band around the rim for the headset to track it.
05:13Picking them up though, and after you fumble around for 30 seconds,
05:16because I never remember which way is up,
05:18it all feels very familiar to a regular PS5 controller,
05:21albeit with a smaller analogue stick.
05:23My only criticism is the battery lasts about 4 hours,
05:26which I guess is okay,
05:28I mean VR sessions are rarely going to be as long as regular gaming sessions,
05:31but pretty much every other day I've had to plug these in to top them up.
05:34Where the hell am I?
05:37Now if you're watching this thinking,
05:39oh yeah, that looks pretty cool, but I'm not going to move my coffee table,
05:41I haven't got the room for that,
05:43well, remember that you can use this in three ways.
05:45Sitting down,
05:47or standing still, or standing and moving.
05:50However, full motion requires a 2x2 metre playspace,
05:54and even my good sized studio here didn't quite hit that with my furniture getting in the way.
05:58But to be honest, beyond taking a few steps,
06:00or ducking and leaning,
06:02you'll be quickly reminded that you're tethered to your PS5 anyway.
06:04This is not a free-roaming holodeck, sadly,
06:06we're not there yet,
06:08although you are greeted by a holodeck-style grid
06:10as you find the border of your play area.
06:12Also, initially, I kept pulling the headset up
06:14to check where I am and find the controllers,
06:16and see if I was still in shot with my cameras,
06:18or if I was about to smash into my TV,
06:20but then I started using the incredible
06:22pass-through camera.
06:24Just press the little button bottom right of the headset
06:26and you see straight through into the real world in black and white.
06:28There's no noticeable latency,
06:30didn't make me feel sick,
06:32and it is incredibly useful.
06:34But, speaking of feeling sick,
06:36there were a couple of moments where I felt a little something
06:38going on in my stomach,
06:40and it's always to do with movement.
06:42Any time a game gives me the option to move around
06:44using the analogue sticks, like you would in a regular game,
06:46I feel a bit motion sick.
06:48Teleporting works for me,
06:50and actually in Horizon,
06:52the option of using your arms to run,
06:54so holding square and X and then moving your arms up and down,
06:56which is absolutely hilarious by the way,
06:58surprisingly didn't make me feel queasy,
07:00and I didn't have any problem with the climbing,
07:02which is a genuinely incredible experience.
07:04Usually with VR, it's stuttering
07:06and latency in games, or going back to menus,
07:08or glitches, or even switching to the pass-through camera
07:10that can throw my brain off
07:12and make me feel a bit queasy,
07:14but I didn't have a problem with any of that here.
07:16And actually, that is quite a big deal,
07:18because the problem with PC VR,
07:20as much as I do enjoy it,
07:22and it does have its advantages,
07:24it's fragmented.
07:26And that's the beauty of this system.
07:28A bit like, say, the iPhone,
07:30there's no fragmentation, there's no jank.
07:32Everything here has been designed or updated
07:34for the PS5 and the PSVR 2.
07:36You don't have to worry about drivers,
07:38or different game stores,
07:40or is the game optimised for my headset,
07:42does my PC run it well?
07:44All problems PC VR headsets have to deal with.
07:46Although, the flip side of that
07:48is the game library for PSVR 2
07:50is much, much smaller.
07:52I mean, there's no Beat Saber or Superhot,
07:54there's no Paintbrush or Half-Life Alyx,
07:56and there's no Flying Through the World in Google Earth.
07:58I mean, just look how many games there are
08:00for the original PSVR,
08:02and none of those work with the PSVR 2,
08:04unless the developer really updates and remasters it.
08:06I don't know if this VR showroom
08:08is particularly exciting.
08:11So we have 40 games at launch,
08:13and Sony are promising over 100 more
08:15are in development,
08:17which are a mix of brand new games,
08:19as well as VR updates for some regular games,
08:21and also some older VR games ported over,
08:23like we have Job Simulator.
08:25I mean, what VR headset launch
08:27is complete without this?
08:29One of the first questions I had was,
08:31can I play regular, non-VR games on this?
08:33And the answer is, yes.
08:35When you put the headset on, you are greeted
08:37with your regular PS5 dashboard in 2D,
08:39but floating in front of your face,
08:41like a big cinema screen.
08:43So if you have a small or older TV,
08:45or you don't want to distract your partner at night
08:47and fancy a quick gaming sesh or to watch a bit of Netflix,
08:49then you can pop this on, put the earphones in,
08:51grab your controllers, and then crack on
08:53in your own private world.
08:55The downside, really, of any VR
08:57is it's all a bit antisocial.
08:59It's you in a headset, playing by yourself,
09:01and blocking as much of the outside world out
09:03as possible.
09:05Although I do appreciate it outputs to your TV as well,
09:07it can be fun to watch others play and their reactions.
09:09And I was very pleasantly surprised that
09:11despite standing just a couple of feet in front of my
09:13Sonos Arc, I couldn't hear it at all
09:15with the earphones in.
09:17The sound quality is decent.
09:19It blocks outside noise well,
09:21it supports PS5's 3D audio,
09:23which definitely adds to the immersive factor,
09:25and the integration into the headset
09:27works really well.
09:29You could always switch it out for your own pair of headphones,
09:31or maybe even Sony's Pulse 3D headset,
09:33but it might make the whole setup feel a bit more clunky.
09:35My only criticism is you can't
09:37quickly change the volume.
09:39You have to go all the way into the PS5's audio settings,
09:41which is a bit of a chore.
09:43Okay, let's wrap this up.
09:45My experience of VR has always been putting the headset on,
09:47having a few cool experiences,
09:49and going, ooh, a few times,
09:51and then taking it off and usually spending the rest of the time
09:53giving demos to other people before finally putting it in cover.
09:55With the PSVR 2,
09:57so far, and I do stress so far,
09:59I've jumped in for an hour every day this week.
10:01Some standing, some sitting,
10:03always looking like a huge nerd,
10:05and then wrapping it up, popping it on the side,
10:07and switching back to a regular PS5 controller
10:09to sit back on the sofa with Mrs. TechJap
10:11and play some good old-fashioned 2D games
10:13like Hogwarts and Last of Us 2.
10:15You're not always going to be using it,
10:17but it's there, it is easy to set up,
10:19and it plays really well.
10:21Now, £530 is obviously a lot of money,
10:23but, and you know this was coming,
10:25compared to any other high-end PC system
10:27where the headset alone is probably £1,500,
10:29plus you then have to deal with all the fuss
10:31and jankiness that comes with it.
10:33The PSVR 2 is a fun,
10:35accessible, and genuinely awesome
10:37bit of kit.
10:39Is it essential?
10:41No.
10:43Will you use it every day? Probably not,
10:45but I love having it as part of my gaming setup,
10:47and I'm excited to jump in every now and then
10:49as new games come out, and for the money,
10:51I think it's actually pretty good value.
10:53Also, remember, just because the PSVR 2
10:55is very good, it doesn't take away
10:57anything from the Metacrest Pro and the like.
10:59They are still very impressive and more
11:01versatile VR setups, wired or wireless,
11:03and with a much bigger library of games.
11:05But at that price, it really is
11:07just in a different category altogether.
11:09But what do you reckon? Have you ordered one?
11:11Are you tempted, or are you going to give this a miss?
11:13Let me know what you make of PSVR 2 in the comments below,
11:15and also if you've got any questions or anything you'd like me to test.
11:17Thank you so much for watching, guys.
11:19Don't forget to hit that subscribe button if you enjoyed this video,
11:21and I'll see you next time, right here, on The Tech Chat.