PlayStation VR

The media could not be loaded. 20 years ago, 12 year old me would dream about tech like this hitting our living rooms. What a time to be alive! It's here and it's real! I've been looking forward to Sony's PSVR ever since they announced it years ago as Project Morpheus. I hadn't tried any other sets except for the cheap cardboard versions and even with those I was impressed with where we were at with this technology. It took another week for my unit to get to me because I am stationed overseas, so through the last week I've only been reading reviews and most of them are pretty accurate from what I've played so far. Finally here are my thoughts on it. In my review I'm going to touch on build/design, set-up, graphics, tracking, games, motion-sickness, and fun factor.Build/DesignAs most reviews have pointed out this is the most attractive headset of the bunch. It looks good, feels good, and is comfortable as hell. The way they designed it even allows you to wear it with glasses on. It's also actually a lot lighter than I thought it would be. I like how it secures to your head by a halo type band that stretches and goes around the top of your head which can be tightened by a little wheel on the back. The biggest piece that covers the eyes can then slide back and forth. This helps when I need to quickly see outside the VR world to find controllers or see what's physically around me. All I have to do is push a button, slide the view piece back a little and I can see, then slide it back and I'm back in the game. The design is genius.Set-upSetting this thing up wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. The instructions were very simple; almost like Lego instructions. It took me about 10 minutes to install. Calibrating it wasn't an issue as well. It calibrates pretty quick for me every time I play. Just hold the option button to re-center the picture to where you're physically standing. Whenever I'm done playing I just disconnect the main VR cable from the headset, put the headset away and tuck the long main cable away. When I'm ready to play again I just plug the headset back in and go. Pretty simple.GraphicsI'll admit resolution is not that great, but for me it was expected. After all the reviews I read my expectations were set low. But after playing it myself it's not THAT BAD. I've seen some people say that it looks like PS2 games, I would say more like PS3 games. Also there are some games that look really good and some games that just look terrible so it depends what you play. In my opinion, the cartoony games hold up really well. Other games that are expected to have a more photorealistic look like Drive Club or Here They Lie suffer much more. Although Until Dawn actually doesn't look that bad at all. There are some cases where text does look blurry. The best fix for this is to adjust the headset around until your eyes hit that sweet spot in the lens where things look their sharpest. It's not going to be tack sharp but it won't be blurry. I don't know why things around the edges of the viewing lenses look super blurry, but just find that sweet spot and you'll be good.TrackingAt first tracking worked wonderfully for me. But one night when I was playing it suddenly became awful. The game kept jumping around or shifting slowly. During London Heist, by the end of the car chase level my character was facing completely left even though I was still facing the camera. Don't get me wrong I still believe the tracking works great but that depends on how you have it set up. I thought I was good because at the time I had all my lights off but then I realized I still had this small light on the table behind me switched on and there were two large picture frames hanging on the wall directly behind me which were clearly reflecting the rear lights of the headset off the glass. This was causing a lot of confusion for the PS camera. After I fixed the issue the tracking worked much better. Not perfect but it was competent enough not to ruin my experience. Every once in a while my in game hands might jerk suddenly or disappear if I turned around and blocked the view of the wands. Case in point: 360 shooters like Brookhaven Experiment. Great thing about that game is their solution was to have you press a button to turn your character around so you didn't have to do it IRL.Games/motion sickness/fun factorI think the PSVR started off with a great launch line up. Most of the title so far are short experiences, maybe 1-2 hours at the most. They showcase a lot about what is so awesome about VR. It leaves you wanting more and excited for what is to come in the future of PSVR. I think where VR games work best are cockpit games and games where you mostly stand in one spot. As cool as it is to move around freely it is a little jarring when your brain perceives you walking around and your legs aren't moving. It's definitely a recipe for mild to severe motion sickness. I never got it much but when it came to those kind of games where you move freely I can slightly feel it in which case I'd quit the game before it sets in completely. Most people say the best thing is to start slow until you get your "VR Legs" meaning you become used to it and motion sickness doesn't happen anymore. One thing I found that helped when playing the Drive Club Demo (notorious for getting people sick) was when I would make turns I would look into the turn, kinda like how I would in real life sometimes. Drive Club was actually pretty cool despite the crappy graphics, it was like driving a car in the sense that I could see my opponents in the mirrors or I could look over my shoulder and check to see if anyone was in my blind spot.So far from what I've played the PSVR is FUN. Games that seem simple and I normally wouldn't like are a blast in VR such as Thumper, Danger Ball (which is basically a VR pong set in a Tron like world), and Job Simulator. I think where VR is really going to shine are in its horror games. It's a crazy experience having the horror in your face. Games like Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and Brookhaven Experiment are such a rush and while they wouldn't scare me on a TV screen, being in the world itself through VR is a whole different level of scares. I can't wait for Resident Evil 7. HAVING MOTOIN CONTROLLERS IS A MUST!! It's way more immersive when you can actually use your VR hands like you would in real life grabbing things, throwing things, shooting guns, shining a flash light here and there, etc. In London Heist, shooting guns feels almost as good as real life. I could aim my weapon, close one eye and focus on the iron sights, and hit a target dead on just like IRL. The following games are the ones I've played so far listed from favorite to least favorite:1. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood2. Arkham VR3. London Heist4. Job Simulator5. Brookhaven Experiment6. Thumper7. Danger Ball8. Wasn't a fan of Scavenger's Odyssey or VR Luge. I unplugged from them quickly because they seemed like they would get me motion sick.PSVR shows the mainstream consumer that VR is legit, although in its infancy, the tech is here and will be the future of gaming. This is not a fad, not a gimmick ladies and gents, VR is finally here!*The video I posted shows the exact moment when I knew that this purchase was well worth it. Entering the Batcave as Batman was a jaw dropping experience that you have to try to believe!*Quick word on cinema mode. It's like being in an IMAX movie theater when you have the screen size adjusted to it's largest setting. Hulu is also awesome in VR as well. The app takes you and puts you in a virtual living room (much nicer than my own)with a great view of a city and a giant (maybe 20ft) television screen in front of you that you can watch all your shows/movies on. It includes VR videos as well but the quality sucks. Hopefully they will have VR/360 videos soon with better resolution.*11/16/2016 PS4 Pro Update: Since aquiring my new PS4 Pro last night I've only been able to play a few games in the little time Ive had so far. I don't have a 4K TV yet and I mainly got it for PSVR (also I pretty much got a 1 for 1 swap deal with my PS4 for the PS4 Pro!). I've only been able to play London Heist, Batman Arkham, Until Dawn, and a little bit of Here They Lie. From what I'm seeing the games that weren't patched don't have much of a difference at all. Batman still looks the same (but still amazing) and Here They Lie still looks awful. London Heists improvements are a little subtle but you FEEL it. I can't explain it but it just feels better. With Until Dawn: Rush of Blood it looks like textures are improved and shadows/lighting is much better. I remember when I first played it I thought man the lighting is great but it's a shame they didn't have any shadow effects at all. Now everything I shine a flashlight on, from hanging pig carcasses to wire fences, casts a beautiful shadow across the background. I'm excited to receive Robinson in the mail in a few days and hoping I can afford to upgrade to a 4K HDR TV in the future. In the mean time I feel complete in my PSVR setup now smile emoticon:).Update Feb 2017: Just finished Resident Evil 7's 13 hour campaign and HOLY @$## was it amazing in PSVR! It's the first triple AAA title for the VR and first one of this length. Did not get sick at all as they programmed the VR mechanics perfectly. This title alone makes PSVR worth it. I'm working on a review right now for RE7 but this was probably the best gaming experience I've ever had.

This is probably the first VR experience for most of you reading this, so here are my thoughts on what to expect: the good, the bad, and ultimately whether it's worth giving VR and Sony a shot. There's a comparison to Oculus and HTC Vive below for those who are curious as well as a TLDR at the bottom.Pros:- Very easy to put on, works well with glasses and is comfortable on the head even for longer gaming sessions.- Tracks position easily when moving around a reasonably large area.- Easy to re-center with just the touch of the 'options' button so you can get in a nice comfy position to play.- Comes with a lot of different types of VR demos, games, videos, experiences to try out of the box.- Guaranteed to impress friends, family, and significant others.- Lets you play regular games and watch movies on a big virtual theater screen (up to about IMAX size).- Lets you play games privately when someone else wants to use the TV.- Using AMOLED screens means nice inky black levels with that fantastic contrast ratio.- Unlike buying that higher resolution display, this actually feels like you got something new and special.- Really is just 'plug and play' - no driver troubleshooting neededMixed:- Can use the cinematic mode on other devices (Xbox, PC), but you can't easily re-position it without having the dual-shock controller which can be a real bummer if you're not in a comfortable position already.- The playstation move controllers make games feel more interactive, but there are mixed results with tracking in certain games (80-90% of the time it works all the time.)- Video applications like VRideo are really cool, but require a good deal of bandwidth to run fluidly at higher resolutions. Sadly no Youtube VR support (yet).- 3D spatial audio not currently compatible with wireless headsets, but it's very easy to use a wired pair (and one comes in the box).- There are a lot of wires you need to plug in to get connected, but they include a very easy to follow instruction manual and a beefy connection cable that is quite durable and should last a long time.- Most games work great with the standard PS4 controller, but the move controllers really do make it more immersive so you should spend up if you get the 'core' version.Cons:- Visuals not as sharp as competitors, and frankly plenty of visible aliasing/jaggies in certain games/applications.- YMMV on nausea with more 'active' titles that have lots of change in direction.- Loses track of you if your camera isn't positioned well.- Wires suck and really limit how far you can move around. An unfortunate compromise to hit the lower pricepoint and reduce the latency.- Not safe to use with friends who get scared easily. Seriously, don't let 'jumpy' people play while standing or else you may end up with a hurt friend, or worse a damaged/broken VR headset.- PS VR worlds DOES NOT come with the core version - a real bummer. Basically, buy the launch bundle if you don't have a PS Camera and/or PS Move controllers already. Come on Sony, support your fans and throw it in for everyone.Comparison to Oculus: Oculus has the resolution, but lacks in the areas of positional tracking, cost, and widespread support for their $200 controllers. Ultimately if you want the highest visual fidelity seated VR experience go for the Oculus, or better yet wait for their recently announced wireless headset. For those who just want to have fun in VR and don't want to deal with drivers, PC hardware upgrades skip the Oculus.Comparison to HTC Vive: HTC Vive has superior spatial tracking, and frankly is probably the highest quality experience in VR today. But, its really lacking right now in terms of first and third party games. This is an area where I think Sony has a lot of room to shine in the VR space. Same issues with driver updates and hardware upgrades as the Oculus.Final thoughts: This is very much a first generation product, but Sony is off to a great start. The main negatives right now have to do with a lack of horsepower for that extra clean finish. Games like DriveClub VR have some pretty obvious visual compromises, but it's something you don't tend to notice once you start moving. Hopefully the PS4 Pro will help with providing the added graphical prowess to make for cleaner visuals - but even without getting the latest and greatest PS4 you'll be in for a treat.I remember playing a VR game back in a mall in the 90's, it was bulky, looked terrible and I knew at all times I was standing in a giant piece of plastic in the mall. With the PSVR on you lose sense of time, get literally transported to a different place, and truly enter a new world. Upcoming games like Robinson the Journey are going to give you the chance to explore new worlds like you're actually there, and that's what makes VR special. You aren't just sitting on a couch thinking about how gorgeous those vistas are on your TV screen - you get to literally take a step forward into a creepy house, explore a mysterious jungle, and take flight across a wide expanse.The way you interact with things is still a work in progress, but the experience is still absolutely one of a kind. Sure beats just getting nicer looking games every year that are ultimately still the same experiences (not that I dislike nicer graphics or anything). I'm sure we'll see some really exciting software from Sony because unlike Oculus (owned by Facebook) and HTC Vive (backed by Valve) they are more directly invested in making successful software themselves rather than relying only on third party support since they make the hardware and software. If you have the means, take a chance on Sony, I have a feeling they won't let you down.TLDR: If you want to know what it's like to plug in to the Matrix, face off against a shark, fly high above like Superman, stand tall with the powers of a god - this is the easiest way to get a taste of that. There are other options, and this is very much a generation 1 product - but man is it just really cool. Plus Sony is all in on making this a success - so I'm betting that means much better first and third party games coming over the next year.Are you ready to free your mind? Take the red pill and see how deep the rabbit hole goes.**UPDATE with PS4 Pro**So I've been using my PSVR with the PS4 Pro pretty much since it came out, and I still have my original PS4 that is soon going to be resold to compare the 2. I've tested the following titles: Robinson The Journey, PS VR Worlds, Batman Arkham VR, Eve Valkyrie, VR Playroom, PSVR demo disc, and Until Dawn Rush of Blood.Pros (pun unintended)- Overall "cleaner" appearance with less shimmering around the edges (aka better anti-aliasing/textures)- PS VR Worlds and Robinson in particular seem to have a little bit of extra polish that makes them feeling more realistic- Games will only continue to improve and take advantage of PS4 Pro, but even for 1st gen ones you can see some benefit- Frame-rate is locked for games, but subjectively I felt less motion sickness and as though there is less latencyCons- Hardly changes the fundamental gameplay, and though visually better it really is just mild-moderate benefit right now- Cannot get HDR currently when hooked up to VR through the connection box, but 4k does work just fineIf you're buying a PS4 Pro to get better VR, the honest answer is you won't notice a night-and-day difference today with the first generation titles. However, I am seeing bigger improvements relatively with games like Robinson that came out after launch and that bodes well for future titles to take advantage of more aggressive anti-aliasing and higher resolution textures. Games like Farpoint are being touted as being more optimized for PS4 Pro hardware and I'm sure future Sony first-party titles will give you even more of a benefit. This is true not just with PSVR games, but console games in general. Just look at the gap between Uncharted 1 and The Last of Us - both were running on the same hardware but with experience you had a lot of performance to be eeked out.TLDR on PS4 Pro w/ PSVR: Looks better, but not a big difference yet. Advantages will be seen as new titles come along that are optimized to take advantage of the extra power.