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After years of anticipation, Sony’s PlayStation VR 2 headset is conscionable weeks distant from landing successful the hands of PS5 owners. I got a accidental to effort it retired astatine CES 2023 up of its Feb. 15 launch, and tin accidental that the aboriginal of console virtual world is looking bright.

The PlayStation VR 2’s improved controls, tracking and ocular fidelity marque a beardown content close retired of the gate, and Horizon Call of the Mountain is shaping up to beryllium a amusive and immersive motorboat title. But with a precocious asking terms and nary backwards compatibility, volition Sony’s long-anticipated headset beryllium worthy it? Here’s what I deliberation truthful acold aft a speedy 20-minute demo.

• Product: Sony PlayStation VR 2
• Price: From $550
• Launch date: Feb. 22 (available for preorder via Sony)
• Why it’s worthy your attention: The PlayStation VR 2 is looking similar a immense betterment implicit 1 of our best VR headset picks successful the PlayStation VR, offering overmuch amended show and a much streamlined setup process.

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Built exclusively for the PS5, the PlayStation VR 2 is simply a top-to-bottom betterment implicit the PS4-based PlayStation VR. The PSVR 2 has a overmuch slicker look that mimics the plan of the PlayStation 5 itself, with new, spherical Sense controllers that consciousness much ergonomic than the older Move controllers — portion besides offering the aforesaid advanced, elaborate haptics that we emotion connected the modular PS5 DualSense controller.

But possibly the biggest upgrade is the PSVR 2’s interior camera sensors, which should lick galore of the setup headaches we had with the archetypal model. Whereas the erstwhile PlayStation required you to person a PlayStation Camera attached to way your controller movements (not to notation a clunky processor container that powered the full thing), the caller headset promises a seamless plug-and-play acquisition with a azygous cable.

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The PlayStation VR 2 felt comfy and lightweight arsenic soon arsenic I got it connected my head, and I ne'er got the impulse to set it passim my astir 20-minute demo. As I did immoderate speedy calibration to get acceptable for my demo, I was impressed by however rapidly and accurately the headset tracked my oculus movements — thing that made it casual to navigate menus without having to determination the joystick around. After a fewer minutes of setup, it was clip to task into the wilds of Horizon Call of The Mountain, a first-person enactment crippled acceptable successful the aforesaid post-apocalyptic sci-fi beingness arsenic Sony’s fashionable Horizon games connected PS4 and PS5.

As soon arsenic I began my travel arsenic a disgraced worker being taken to his destination by boat, I was instantly struck by the improved ocular fidelity of the PlayStation VR. My crewmates looked arsenic lifelike and elaborate arsenic they would connected a PS5 game, and I couldn’t assistance but plaything my caput astir arsenic I marveled astatine the lush greenery each astir america — and the towering robotic beasts looming from above. This immersive acquisition is each made imaginable acknowledgment to the PSVR 2’s improved 2000 x 2040 OLED HDR display, which is simply a notable measurement up from the 960 x 1080 solution connected the archetypal model.

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Once things went awry and it was clip to spell into endurance mode, the headset’s caller Sense controllers proved impressive. Everything from the bump of my vessel to the tug of my bow and arrow was met with its ain chiseled level of feedback, which made it easier to get enveloped successful the action. Climbing up mountains felt particularly tense and thrilling, to the constituent wherever my real-life hands started to sweat arsenic I disquieted astir falling disconnected a steep cliff. Fortunately, the crippled and controller’s manus tracking was close capable that I lone made a fewer slips (and thankfully didn’t autumn down successful existent life).

Call of the Mountain is shaping up to beryllium a coagulated motorboat rubric for the caller headset, offering an intuitive premix of traversal and combat — and nary uncertainty plentifulness of communicative Easter eggs for superior Horizon fans. I walked the game’s treacherous trails by holding down 2 buttons and moving my existent arms (something that decidedly felt similar a tiny workout), though you’ll besides person the enactment to locomotion astir via modular controller inputs if you don’t consciousness similar breaking a sweat. I besides liked however interactive everything successful the situation was, arsenic I could prime up, play with and flip each woody box, portion of effect and random tambourine lying astir the wasteland.

My lone existent nitpick was the combat — portion drafting my bow and slinging arrows felt intuitive, it took a portion for maine to accurately onshore shots. This was particularly existent during a large brag conflict that required maine to dodge and sprout connected the fly, though I ideate it’s the benignant of happening I’ll get utilized to aft much crippled time.

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The PlayStation VR 2 makes a beardown archetypal impression, pumping retired immersive 4K gameplay wrong a plan that improves connected its predecessor successful conscionable astir each way. Horizon Call of the Mountain is shaping up to beryllium a bully showpiece for the headset, and I’m anxious to spot however different titles similar Resident Evil Village and Among Us VR tally connected it.

However, each of that powerfulness doesn’t travel cheap. The PSVR 2 starts astatine $550 (there’s besides a $600 bundle that includes Call of the Mountain) and requires you to ain a $400 to $500 PS5 — a console that’s inactive not precisely casual to travel by. The headset isn’t backwards compatible with PSVR 1 games, though immoderate titles volition connection escaped upgrades to the PSVR 2 version. And portion the motorboat lineup looks somewhat promising (we can’t hold to play Resident Evil Village and Gran Turismo 7 successful VR), it besides consists of tons of games that person been disposable connected different headsets for rather a while, specified arsenic Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge and Beat Saber.

Still, the PlayStation VR 2’s promising show and improved plan unsocial person maine excited to walk much clip with it. We’ll beryllium putting it done its afloat paces person to motorboat adjacent month, truthful enactment tuned for our in-depth review.