PlayStation VR: All the best game announcements so far

PlayStation VR: Everything you need to know

3 Ocotber

Sony is gearing up to release a shiny new gadget for the PlayStation 4 – its PlayStation VR (PSVR) virtual reality headset.

Unlike smartphone-based headsets such as the Samsung Gear VR, this is a high quality, dedicated VR headset to offer an alternative to the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Two years on from its official announcement, Sony will be launching the device on 13 October.

What comes in the box?

The core PSVR bundle includes the headset, an external processor unit and all the necessary cables to link the two together and to your PS4. There's also a pair of in-ear headphones, plus a demo disc.

Not everything you need is included in the box, though – you have to buy a PlayStation Camera separately.

The headset can also be used with PlayStation Move wands and again, you have to pick these up yourself.

How does the headset work?

A pair of lenses angled at a 5.7ins full-HD OLED display, with a resolution of 1920x1080, are aimed at two pictures on the screen, rendering a 3D effect. When coupled to a 100 degree field of view, it creates a virtual environment.

The PSVR's resolution isn't as impressive on paper as its PC counterparts – the Vive and the Rift have 2160x1800 displays, as well as larger 110 degree fields of view – but it is capable of an impressive 120 frames per second, so the VR environments should move and flow smoothly, making the experience feel natural and convincing.

The PlayStation Camera tracks the headset's sensors and LEDs, allowing the system to know where you're looking to adjust the picture accordingly.

On top of the visuals, 3D audio techniques make noises sound as if they are in front, behind and even in the distance.

What's it like?

TechRadar says the PlayStation VR is an "affordable introduction into quality VR" and that while it isn't quite as crisp as the experience with a Vive or Rift, the large selection of titles and experiences mean "there's something for everyone".

Sony has improved feelings of motion sickness with each hands on and overall, the final consumer version puts to rest any fears that VR is something only to be experienced on a PC, it adds.

Alphr feels much the same, adding that while the more expensive headsets live up to their price tags, the PSVR is "most likely to succeed in the world of consumer virtual reality devices". It's much lighter and easier to wear and comes with the "added clout of convenience", it adds, summing up by saying it's a "no brainer" for PlayStation 4 owners.

IT Pro is also pretty impressed, saying that while you'd expect the price tag to create a corresponding dip in quality, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference with the other headsets.

What about the future?

The powerful PS4 Pro will hit the shelves in November and the experience of PSVR with Sony's jumped up 4K PlayStation should be greater.

As standard, games on the PSVR will use a normal Dualshock controller, but getting hold of a pair of PlayStation Move wands might be a sound investment - many of the VR titles will support them and they'll make the experience even more immersive.

If you'd like to demo the headset before it launches, Sony is running a tour with UK retailer Game, details of which can be found [1] here.

What games can I play?

The headset will come with eight demo games on the disc bundled in the box. These are snippets of full titles and there are various titles to try out, such as racing games, virtual reality puzzles and action titles.

Sony claims the PlayStation VR will launch with around 50 titles and experiences and unveiled a handful of titles – among them a Star Wars: Battlefront VR experience, Batman: Arkham and Final Fantasy - during its E3 press conference in Los Angeles.

Ars Technica adds to that with the likes of Rez Infinite, a reboot of the original in 3D, plus puzzlers such Statik Institute of Retention and dedicated VR first-person shooters including Farpoint.

Wareable likes the look of Rigs Mechanised Combat League, which sees gamers control large mechanical robots in an arena battle, as well as EVE: Valkyrie, a multiplayer battle-based title centred around spaceship dogfights.

Elsewhere, games such as the VR Playroom – a virtual toybox which will be available to download from the PS Store – will act as a demo of the technology, alongside PlayStation VR Words, a collection of five mini-games intended to get you up to speed.

Some titles will be developed to work both on a TV and with the headset, including the next instalment in the Gran Turismo racing franchise, Gran Turismo Sport, which it arrives next year.

For a full look, Alphr lists every game confirmed to be heading to the system.

What else can I do?

The PSVR features a cinematic mode, generating a large virtual screen for you to enjoy non-VR games, films, and TV. You can alter the simulated screen size to 117ins, 163ins or cinema-rivalling 226ins.

How much will it cost?

If you bought a PlayStation 4 at launch, you'll be spending the exact same amount of money to get a PlayStation VR – £349.

However, added on top of that is the price of the required PlayStation Camera and if you decide to buy Move controllers and a handful of games, you could see the price go past the £400 mark.

Business Insider has noted a trend among many reviews too – that the PSVR's motion tracking can't stack up against the accuracy of its two PC-powered rivals. If it's a problem that's encountered regularly, it could have a "pretty substantial impact on what you experience", it says.

The PSVR is tracked by older technology – the PlayStation Eye Camera looks out for the light sensors on the headset and Move controllers. It's an effective way to make an affordable system, especially if gamers already own these items and only need to buy the headset, but is clearly lacking when compared to Sony's rivals.

Not everyone has come across tracking issues, though, and a lot of it will depend on the room you use PSVR in.

Still, it's noticeably cheaper than its two PC-based rivals – the Oculus Rift comes in at £549 and the HTC Vive is priced from £689.