I regret buying PSVR 2

For months, I’ve been thinking about selling my PlayStation VR2. After a damning scoop, I’m finally ready to let it go.

Months ago, I hid the PSVR 2 in a closet. I hadn’t played it in a very long time, but I was hoping that Sony would release some new games that would make me want to pick it up again. Based on Android Central reporting, I should abandon those hopes: apparently Sony has cut funding for VR games and only has two more PSVR 2 titles in the works. Two!

The future of headphones has been bleak for some time. Earlier this year, Sony fired the developers at Firesprite, the studio that made Horizon Call of the Mountain. She closed her London studio, which allowed PlayStation VR Worlds, a game bundled with the original PSVR. Since its February 2023 launch, Sony has featured virtually no PSVR 2 games in its announcement showcases, and none of those games have been major first-party PSVR 2 titles. Sony doesn’t even offer a PSVR 2 mode for Astro Bot despite how much people loved Astro Bot Rescue Mission on PSVR.

Before its launch, I was really excited about the PSVR 2. I was looking forward to new games like Horizon and new VR modes for titles like Gran Turismo 7 and the Resident Evil 4 redo. The price stung me – I pre-ordered the $599 plan with Horizon – but I thought I’d get my money’s worth by finally tackling some VR classics like Pistol whip alongside new PSVR 2 titles. (I knew the PSVR 2 couldn’t play PSVR games, but I didn’t mind.)

I was also excited to finally be able to own and spend time with a VR headset. I had played with VR headsets before – I still remember being blown away by an Oculus Rift demo at a PAX conference – but I really thought the PSVR 2 was going to be particularly great. THE Edge The nerd in me was impressed by the technology: I couldn’t wait to enjoy 4K gaming on the PSVR 2’s dual OLED screens and see how developers could use eye tracking to create new ways to play.

Let’s just say I didn’t get my money’s worth. I tried : What is the bat? was delightfully silly, full of VR chaos. Runner Made me feel like an action hero in an old school anime. Gran Turismo 7 Almost made me a PSVR 2 believer. No Man’s Sky was an immersive yet life-changing journey through space. And Before your eyes Made me cry into my helmet.

But my play time consisted mostly of splashing around. Nothing was compelling enough for me to return to it in the long run. The only game I beat was Before your eyes, and that’s because it only took about an hour and a half. After reading The edge poor review of Horizon Call of the Mountainit went to the bottom of my backlog, and I never got there. Resident Evil 4 on PSVR 2 gave me a stomach ache. Looking at my gaming history, I’ve only put about 20 hours into PSVR 2 games.

Getting everything ready to play was also a chore. The PSVR2 has to plug into your PS5 to work. This meant that every time I wanted to play, I had to take the PSVR 2 out of its box, plug it in and, since the PSVR 2 also doesn’t have hand tracking, cross my fingers that the Sense controllers would be loaded. so I can actually play something.

Additionally, I didn’t like how PSVR 2 isolated me in my own home. Since I could only play while connected to the PS5, I didn’t have the option of going to another room, unlike Meta’s Quest headsets, which I can use wherever I want in the house. Since my partner and I live in a small condo, we usually both share the living room when one of us uses the entertainment center. Yes, if I used PSVR 2 she could see my game on our TV. But not being able to make easy eye contact when she’s right next to me made me feel like I was excluding her.

So my PSVR 2 is gathering dust and I see no reason to break it again. (I know Sony is releasing an adapter to connect the PSVR 2 to a PC, but I don’t have a beefy gaming PC, so that’s not important to me.)

I should have known this when I pre-ordered the headset. Sony has a history of standing on its own two feet when building platforms that aren’t its primary console. Sony’s support for the first PSVR was rather tepid, after all. The PlayStation Vita was popular despite Sony’s support, not because of it. The company took forever to put some flagship games on its PlayStation Now cloud service. He insists on forcing PC gamers to use PSN accounts for single player games even after abandoning this requirement planned for Helldiverse 2 following the backlash – to better guide you towards a future console purchase.

I think I’ll take the PSVR 2 out of the closet soon. But I’m only going to move it so I can sell it to someone else.