KNOWLEDGE PSVR2

How does the launch PlayStation VR2 hardware and software measure up?

At 560 grams, PSVR2 is seven per cent lighter than its predecessor – no mean feat given how much more is built into the headset. That weight doesn’t include the cable, though, which still tugs at your shoulder as you move around

When thinking about PSVR2, it’seasy to get caught up in the question of its success – or indeed, lack thereof. After all, there’s been no obvious buzz in the lead up to its launch, and in recent weeks Sony has had to deny reports that soft preorders led to it halving production numbers of the hardware. But we can save all that tealeaf-reading until after launch, when the picture starts to become a little clearer. For now, let’s focus on whether it deser ves that success in the first place. Having now played over a dozen games on PSVR2, is this a hardware upgrade worth getting excited about?

For anyone who got serious use out of their PSVR1, this is admittedly something of a moot point. Sony has more or less ensured that its followup is a mandatory purchase for these players, first with PS5’s begrudging support for the format, and now with PSVR2’s outright refusal to play its predecessor’s games. Since it’s hard to imagine anyone keeping both headsets plugged into their console, if you want to play new console VR games then this feels like the only sensible choice.

Perhaps this truly was a technical necessity, but – after weaning ourselves through the early months of this console generation on backwards-compatible titles – it seems an odd strategy to launch new hardware with anything less than the largest possible number of games. And one that only puts added pressure on the games that are available on day one.

PSVR2 boasts 36 launch titles, narrowly more than PSVR1 arrived with, and Sony has announced that there are “currently more than 100 titles in development” for the hardware. Yet we can’t help but note how few of this first wave of games are actually new. Three of them, to be precise: firstparty centrepiece Horizon Call Of The Mountain, multiformat shooter The Light Bridge, and Fantavision 202X, an unexpected sequel to the Sonypublished PS2 puzzle game. If you’re willing to be more generous with your definition of ‘new’, there are also VR updates for Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village, both of which are exclusive to the hardware.