VR has become more and more of a real way to game with more and more innovation. I have tested quite a few Virtual Reality systems and now it is time for me to tackle Sony's version for the console gamer. So my question is can it compete with the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive? I will answer that question shortly, lets get started with my thoughts
Setup
The setup required is pretty straight forward it is just a lot of plugging things in but it is super easy to figure out. PSVR is way easier to setup than an HTC Vive and an Oculus Rift because you don't need as much space. There are less cameras to setup and you can use it in more of a confined area which is a good and bad thing depending how you look at it. The headset itself feels very high quality and is super comfortable to wear. Overall the setup is not difficult you may have to watch a video but it is simpler than most expensive Virtual Reality units.
Gameplay
Gaming with this headset was a delight, the graphics on games aren't going to be as good as VR games that require a computer but some games look dam impressive. The Playstation Motion controllers with the stupid bubbles on top work pretty well and all the buttons are easy to hit and remember. The motion controls are very intuitive and feel almost as real as any other VR system.
One experience that really stood out to me on the PSVR was playing London Heist in the PlaystationVR Worlds game. This game had a really cool interactive story which include moments where your sitting at a table and you can smoke a virtual cigar and the VR camera actually reads your breath so smoke comes out of your mouth on screen. I also enjoyed just throwing and playing with little things you find in the environment. In the car chase portion of the game I had fun throwing the cups around and opening and closing my door while shooting bad guys on motorcycles. This game was graphically impressive and also impressive in showing the PSVR's capabilities.
Overall
After all that I have said where does the Playstation VR stand compared to the Oculus and HTC Vive. This may come to a shock to you but both of those systems are better than the Playstation VR, WUUUUT ? Those Virtual Reality systems are amazing but you get what you pay for.
To use an HTC Vive you need an expensive high powered computer which could cost anywhere from 600 to 1000 dollars depending where you get the parts or if its pre-built there are a lot of factors on price of computers. On top of the computer you are going to have to spend another 500 to 600 dollars to get an Oculus or a Vive. So these systems better dam well be better than the Playstation VR.
The PSVR is the perfect middle man between the shitty phone VR and super high powered PC VR. For Playstation VR you need a PS4 which you can get for 200 dollars and the VR headset which is 400 dollars. This is a way cheaper option than the Vive and the Oculus so I am not suprised those are better. But for the 600 dollar price tag the PSVR is really fucking good. There are great games and they do look impressive especially for being on a console and you can do a lot of what those more expensive systems do. Honestly if you have a Ps4 or you want to get into good high quality Virtual Reality gaming for a little less money, then the Playstation VR is the best way to go.
