Playstation VR 2 is a bargain despite its high price
Playstation VR 2 could fulfill the expectations that PC VR has disappointed in recent years at a comparatively fair price.
Simplicity prevails, and so I've mostly been playing with Meta Quest 2 in standalone mode since 2020. When I do bother to fire up Air Link, it's usually to play the odd VR game in higher resolution and nicer graphics.
That's enough to whet the appetite, the desire for more powerful technology. When I take a detour into the VR version of Sky's Edge or City 17, I realize the potential of a gaming medium that isn't hampered by mobile chips. It's an aha moment that is quickly forgotten in my everyday VR life.
PC VR is becoming more and more of a luxury
Speaking of performance, the last graphics card I bought was a GTX 970, which offered great value for money in 2016 and opened the door to the first wave of PC VR gaming. Thanks to a generous donation, I later got my hands on a GTX 1080 Ti, which extended the life of my aging machine.
Since then, the graphics card landscape has changed. With the crypto craze, the chip crisis and Nvidia's pricing policy, graphics cards have reached a permanently higher price level. I have the impression that you get less for your money today. And if you are a VR purist like me, who hardly ever plays or works on a normal PC monitor, you don't see the need to buy a graphics card far beyond $500.
Especially since PC VR is stagnating and exclusive titles have become a rarity. 2016 was different: Steam was the leading VR platform alongside Playstation VR and the ultimate in VR gaming.
Sony is now the torchbearer of high-end VR and hopefully lights its fire again
This is where Playstation VR 2 comes into play. Sony's VR system could fill the gap left by PC VR and offer high-end VR for comparatively little money - measured by the cost of a new PC and the hardware that Playstation VR 2 offers.
Which PC VR capable headset can offer features like eye-tracking, a high-contrast OLED display and high-quality haptic VR controllers for $550?
Software for Playstation VR 2 should not be ignored either: I mean VR games like Horizon Call of the Mountain, Firewall Ultra, Switchback VR and many more that will probably be reserved for the PSVR2.
Even if I have to buy a PS5 specifically for VR, I'm still better off than investing in an overpriced graphics card just to play years-old PC VR titles.
Of course, PC VR retains its unchanging strengths as a software experimentation platform, modding station, and multimedia platform. But given Sony's offering, I wonder how many frustrated PC VR fans will migrate to Playstation VR 2 and what that means for SteamVR eventually.
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