Since the AVP came out I’ve been yearning for a path back into VR. Quest 3 is the obvious answer and I’ve even had it in my amazon cart, hovering over the “purchase” button at least twice now. However, I just can’t bring myself to pull the trigger and now I’m starting to take a closer look at the PSVR2.
So about me:
- I already have a PS5.
- I used to have a PSVR 1 back in the day, with an Oculus Go for “multimedia” purposes. (Giggity)
- I don’t have a gaming PC. (I use a Mac.)
- I actually convinced my dad to get a Quest 2, so he’s in there somewhere.
- I wear glasses, if that matters.
- I will probably be moving back to my forever country with whatever I end up buying.
Quest 3 gives me…
- No cables, lightweight, pancake lenses, colored pass-through AR, hand tracking (cool!), slightly higher resolution.
- A LOT of games and new games entering the store regularly. (I’m keen on whatever that assassin’s creed game is).
- Could play golf or “go fishing” with the old man.
- Would definitely watch multimedia. (wife might even use it from time to time) (also, giggity)
- I can see myself playing around with productivity and virtual monitors for my Mac.
- UI improvements are getting exciting now that Meta has some competition in Apple.
- Side-loading, mods, alt stores, huzzah! (PS5 remote play?)
- I might be able to put the old, horrendous Lenovo Mirage VR180 camera I bought to use with my Oculus Go back into use with this thing somehow. (I am skeptical, though)
- Controller can be stowed when traveling with batteries removed, Headset is small enough to slip into a carry-on.
PSVR2 gives me…
- OLED, HDR, eye-tracking. tracked foveated rendering, cabled fidelity, comfortable out-of-the-box, haptic triggers, headset rumble. (omg these hardware features! Ugnh!)
- More than €100 cheaper than a 512gb Quest 3 (which is the one I’d buy).
- I already have some PSVR2 compatible games in my PS library. (I really want to replay No Man’s Sky in VR, too)
- Games on PSVR are more graphically impressive and haptics make them more immersive.
- No concern for headset battery life, peripherals, battery packs, or other hidden costs (which makes that €100 price difference mentioned before more like a €200+ difference).
- I won’t have to feel weird about Meta being meta about everything I do in and out of the headset
- I could use this for games and hold out for a something like a Vision “Air” or a Quest “Light” later on to use exclusively for media consumption. (Giggity)
- Cable is probably long enough to reach my bed, meaning late night, big screen Flat PS5 gaming in HDR, OLED glory!
- No battery in the headset Means it can be stowed in traveling. Controllers can be kept in the carry-on
So yeah. My biggest gripe with the Quest 3 is that gobsmackingly absurd 1-2hr battery life, the comfort complaints, and the hidden costs/bulk associated with all of that. On the other hand, my biggest gripe with the PSVR2 is what looks to be a concerning lack of interest from Sony and the implications for the future of the platform. That said, there are already more than enough games for me on either platform, so maybe that wouldn’t matter.
Anyway, I’d like some outside perspective on the matter. Thank you to anyone willing to oblige.
On a Mac, I’m keeping my expectations in check on that.