“Unbelievable sights, Indescribable feeling.”

Yes, these are lines lifted from the Aladdin song A Whole New World. To a certain extent, that’s what diving into VR or virtual reality feels like. And the PSVR 2 feels a lot like that – entering a whole new world and feeling almost completely transported.

Before we dive into the whole experience of it all. Let’s first take a quick look at the hardware. 

This is the PSVR 2 Headset. 

Using this space to thank Sony PlayStation Asia for providing the PSVR 2 unit and game codes for this review. 

Right under the headset, you’ll find these three buttons. 

The one in the middle is the power button, while the other two are the function buttons. You’ll use the button on the left in this image more to reset the orientation of what you see in the headset when necessary. 

When worn, that function button is on the right side. 

Clicking this also gives you access to passthrough mode. It lets you see your surroundings in black and white through the headsets lenses. 

On the top right of the headset is the button to loosen/tighten the headset. 

You can adjust it any time before and during playing. Naturally, you should first pause whatever game you’re playing.

At the back of the headset is this button, also for loosening/tightening.

Both the button and the dial around it share the same function. 

The dial offers a more precise tightening once you have the headset comfortably placed on your head.

On the top left is another dial. This one’s for aligning the lenses to your eyes. 

Here’s what the lenses inside look like. 

Surrounding the lens is an accordion-like flap that helps keep the lights out.

On the side, there’s a slot where you can park the included earbuds.

Controllers

The controllers have this cord to keep them secure. 

This is the left hand controller. 

It has the triangle and square buttons along with a PS button and the Share button. 

This is the right hand controller. 

It has the circle and ‘X’ or ‘cross’ buttons along with the function/start button and also a PS button. 

The shoulder buttons (R2 and L2) are up top, in white.

While the R1 and L1 buttons are closer to the grip, in black. 

The USB-C port to charge the controllers are on the lower back part. 

Set-up 

Setting up is quite easy. You only need to follow the instructions on-screen. The general calibration only happens once. However, you can re-adjust your play space every time through the settings. 

PlayStation recommends the following space requirements when playing: 

• Roomscale – minimum play space of 2m × 2m (6 ft 7 in × 6 ft 7 in)
• Sitting – minimum play space of 1m × 1m (3 ft 4 in × 3 ft 4 in)
• Standing – minimum play space of 1m × 1m (3 ft 4 in × 3 ft 4 in)

It doesn’t have to be a perfect square, but you just have to make sure there are no obstructions that can cause any undue accidents while you’re playing. 

You’ll get plenty of prompts guiding you through the whole process. 

It’s pretty painless and the PSVR 2 “holds your hand” the entire time. ‘VRgins’ should have little to no trouble setting it up. 

‘With new Horizons to pursue’

Horizon Call of the Mountain

The flagship game that came along with the PSVR 2 is Horizon Call of the Mountain. It’s based on the Horizon franchise with Aloy as its main character. However, in Call of the Mountain, you play not as Aloy but as Ryas. 

Ryas is a disgraced former soldier. In the game, you’ll journey the towering peaks of the Carja Sundom and unravel a new mystery surrounding the machines to redeem yourself and save your people. 

Horizon Call of the Mountain does for the PSVR 2 what Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart did for the PS5. The game is a great showcase of what the PSVR 2 can do. You’ll get thrown into the breathtaking world of Horizon, seeing landscapes that you can stare at for hours and encountering mechanical beasts that give you a sense of wonder.

The eye tracking feature is phenomenal. Going through the menu just by looking took some getting used to but it was great to experience. The game itself also encourages movement. This isn’t always the case with the few other VR games I tried. 

To get a more expansive view of both the PSVR 2 and Horizon Call of the Mountain, I asked a couple of VRgins to also play. 

‘It allowed me to use my motor skills’ – MJ

My foray into playing games through VR headsets stems back from my previous coverage at international tech shows. I didn’t have the chance to maximize the devices I’ve tried which is why the PSVR2 — when we got our hands on it — got me thrilled.

Playing Horizon Call of the Mountain on the PSVR2 felt magical. The gameplay was immersive, it seemed like I was in an entirely different world. The graphics and visual effects, which are already phenomenal, looked surreal.

What I loved the most about the action role-playing game is how it allowed me to use my motor skills. As an athlete, I’m used to throwing spears in my Spartan races so aiming and doing Archery inside the game came naturally to me.

It felt easier, thanks to my athletic abilities. However, if I played Horizon Forbidden West using a gaming console, I might struggle a bit in aiming and shooting since my fingers aren’t trained into playing games unlike a few years ago. (Total gaming nerd here from a few lifetimes ago!)

Somehow, the PSVR2 helped in connecting my athletic skills together with my gaming knowledge to provide an alluring and stellar experience. I’d probably do it again, perhaps, when playing Just Dance.

‘I love how I can explore the world of this game’ – Vincenz

When I played the VR2-exclusive Horizon Call of the Mountain, I felt foolish at first. 

I had to do all sorts of motions and gestures when climbing rocks, mountains, stairs, unlocking dusty and rusty doors, and most of all, using arrows to kill those robotic dinosaurs. Using the PSVR 2 controller is a steeper learning curve than using the regular Dual Sense controllers.

Being a real sucker for “open-world” games, I love how I can explore Horizon Call of the Mountain’s world, stop whenever I needed to, and just look at the majestic views of the luscious tropical rainforests along with falls, rivers, and even those high mountain alps.

Overall, as a first-timer, my mind was blown. 

‘Over, sideways, and under’ — Gran Turismo 7 on VR

We also played Gran Turismo 7 on VR. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an actual steering wheel-like controller. So, while the visuals were impressive, the experience still felt antiquated having used only the DualSense Controller. 

Why the DualSense? This was actually a hiccup that we haven’t figured out as of writing. The PSVR 2 controllers just stopped working once we fired up GT7. Hence why we were forced to use the DualSense. 

Personally, I’m terrible at driving (both in real life and virtually), but I still found enjoyment in the VR version of GT7. If I ever move into a larger living space, I might consider getting one of those steering wheels. 

Vincenz also played GT7 and said it felt like it’s more of an open-world game even if most tracks are restricted with barriers. The digital steering wheel is in front of you while tilting your head left or right feels like you’re in a real driving simulator.

He also added that the experience would have been a lot better if we used a racing wheel set like Logitech’s G920/G29 instead of the typical DualSense controller.

A few more PSVR 2 play time observations

It’ll vary for most users, but personally, I couldn’t play for more than an hour on the PSVR 2. During each playthrough, the headset started to weigh on me at around the 45 to 50-minute mark. 

It also doesn’t help that my head sweats profusely. Ideally, you should play this in a room with air conditioning.

In case you’re wondering, you can play non-VR titles while wearing the headset. But due to the things mentioned above, I personally don’t recommend it. 

The included earphones aren’t bad, but I hope there’s a way to integrate an even more immersive audio experience some time down the line. Adjusting the volume is also a bit cumbersome as you have to step out of the game and dive into settings to do so. Hopefully, PlayStation addresses this in a future software update. 

In terms of games, I hope we get more games that involve using motor skills. Also, as noted by my colleagues MJ and Vincenz after playing, we hope to also get more relaxed ones where you can just take your time in exploring a vast, immersive, open-world environment. 

Isekai’d

The PSVR 2 is about the closest thing you can get to getting Isekai’d from the comfort of your own home. 

For the unfamiliar, Isekai is an anime sub genre where the main character is transported into another world. The arguably most popular example is Sword Art Online which is actually set in a Virtual Reality world accessed through a VR Headset. Not into anime? The closest mainstream examples are probably Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz.

If done right, the blend of the PSVR 2 hardware and the right kind of game can outright feel magical. 

Is the PSVR 2 your GadgetMatch?

As of writing, Horizon Call of the Mountain is easily one of the best games you can play on the PSVR 2. GT7, if paired with a racing wheel set, and Resident Evil Village are close seconds. 

That’s not a lot, but that’s a good start. The aforementioned games do enough to showcase what the PSVR 2 can do. But as a recent report from Bloomberg noted, the PSVR 2 isn’t exactly flying off the shelves.

PlayStation is gonna have to do more to get the PSVR 2 in more homes. At US$ 549.99/ PhP 34,790/ SG$ 869, the price is actually competitive relative to other VR options. But it’s still a generally high price, especially for more traditional gamers. 

Make no mistake about it, the PSVR 2 is a fantastic VR experience. Set-up is quick and easy, the overall gaming experience is incredible, and there’s a decent selection of games a little over a month into release. However, PlayStation does need either a few more games or a bonafide system seller to get people hooked.

It’s a tough sell, but if you have the interest and the means, this is a hardware worth adding to your gaming collection.