PSVR2 might be worth a flier for gamers who own a PS5 and a PC

As announced this morning, Sony outlined that the PSVR2 will be getting a 30% price cut down to $399.99 for the second-gen VR headset. While PlayStation's venture into VR has been somewhat lukewarm, there are quite a few reasons to take a chance on the headset if you're both a PC and PlayStation 5 owner.

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In August last year, Sony made the PSVR2 PC adapter available for $59.99, allowing players to connect their PSVR2 headsets to a PC and access SteamVR games. The ability to access popular PC titles like Half-Life: Alyx while engaging in Sony's first-party experiences in Horizon: Call of the Mountain and Gran Turismo 7 makes it a viable option for prospective VR gamers. While noting, the cumulative expense ($449.99) of these gadgets places it almost on par with a brand new PS5 console ($499.99 for the standard edition).

There are drawbacks, particularly for PC users. Key PSVR2 features like eye-tracking, HDR, and advanced haptics (beyond basic rumble) are restricted, meaning they won't function outside of the PlayStation ecosystem. Additionally, the PSVR2 Sense controllers rely on Bluetooth, which can be inconsistent depending on your PC's adapter setup.

Modders have been working to bypass these limitations. Developers have managed to enable a limited version of adaptive triggers on PC, and efforts are underway to bring HDR support into the mix. However, eye-tracking is unlikely to see third-party support, and Sony has given no indication that it plans to improve PC compatibility through official updates.

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Despite its cost, the PSVR2 offers compelling price-to-performance at $399.99, featuring OLED panels, a 110-degree field of view, eye tracking, and haptic feedback. In contrast, the Meta Quest 3, at $499.99, provides a slightly higher 2064 x 2208 per-eye resolution with LCD panels, a 96-degree horizontal field of view, but lacks built-in eye tracking and haptics.

The Quest 3's wireless design offers greater freedom and convenience, along with mixed reality and hand tracking for added versatility. It also features a broader game library, including exclusives like Asgard's Wrath 2 and backward compatibility with previous Quest titles. However, for gamers with both a PS5 and a PC, the PSVR2's PlayStation integration and PC support make it a compelling alternative - especially at its lower price.

With its recent price cut and cross-platform support, the PSVR2 is now a more accessible entry point into high-end VR. Given Sony's lukewarm stance on VR, a PSVR3 seems unlikely, but as seen during last year's holiday sales, the lower price may give it a short-term resurgence.