It was about a year ago I bought one of those cheap Cardboard VR headsets for your smart phone. It was cheap, under $10 I think. All it was was cardboard and an elastic strap. While it was cheap, I was immediately hooked on VR. I couldn't believe something so simple made me crave something much bigger in the span of a few minutes.
I wanted an Oculus Rift bad after trying a Cardboard VR. I couldn't justify building a PC that could run Rift games without much compromise. Trying to resist that urge was difficult. I knew I wanted the technology, but the initial price, for me, just scared me away. Then, Sony announced their dreams for PlayStation VR. I was listening.
As time when on, and Sony began to talk more about the PSVR, I didn't think it would provide a believable VR experience. While the Cardboard VR was cool, and got me hooked, I wasn't sure how a sub HD, under powered console, compared to PCs that are needed to run Oculus Rift, would be able to get me to believe VR on a home console will be a possible in a way that wasn't a gimmick. I was hesitant.
At $499 for the PSVR and $299 for a PlayStation 4 Slim, or $399 for a PlayStation 4 Pro, you're looking at roughly the cost of a bottom spec PC that'll be capable of running Oculus Rift games. Then you need to add in the $600 cost for the Oculus Rift. There's a price difference and a spec difference. With that much of a price difference, a PSVR made sense for me. I'd get my VR fix and I didn't have to break the bank to get it. Would I regret that decision? Would it love up to the hype? Would my stomach survive a full VR immersion?
How is the PSVR hardware?
I'm going to get the negatives out of the way in the beginning. The resolution is sub-full HD and it's noticeable. Graphics are not as crisp as a 900/1080 resolution game on a TV. They're just not. You can see a bit of the screen pixels in certain scenes of each game and movie. There are jaggies which detract from the image quality. Lots of them in certain games. Those negatives are hard to ignore looking at it on paper. They're pretty big. For some they may be enough to warrant a pass. However, experience trumps all sometimes.
Taking the negatives above into account, I do not regret my PlayStation VR purchase in any way shape or form. The graphics may be less than optimal. It doesn't matter. The experience far, and I mean far, outweighs the negatives. The motion tracking of the headset is nearly perfect. There's almost no perceptual delay. The graphics may not be 1080p quality, but they're not awful either, in most games. They're just a bit less sharp than what we're used to.
The PSVR headset fits quite well for a variety of sizes. I tried it on, obviously, and also put it on my young niece. She had zero issues with fitting. Her reaction to Allumette was adorable. She was screaming with excitement. She couldn't believe what she was experiencing either. I digress... It only extends out and in and a dial in the back of the headset snugs it up. The extending of the front of the headset is great because it allows you to easily get back to reality with the press of a button and then get back into the VR world.
There is one adjustment missing with the headset, and should have been there instead of sliding the front in and out. The front display needed to be able to tilt from the top towards and away from the cheeks like it was a visor. As it is now, there's some light leaking from the bottom portion of the eye cups. It doesn't affect the picture, but it does affect your view when your eyes look way down. If it was able to be articulated in that way, all like could be eliminated. Also, there seems to be something shiny inside the top portion of the headset because there's some light bouncing around inside that creates a bloom at the top of the viewing ares in some instances. Nikon cameras had this. The fix Nikon did was put black tape inside the body to stop the light splashing.
The headset is light and I didn't feel any weight issues. The cord coming off doesn't get in the way too much. The sound is something to experience also. The headphones included are not great, but the 3D sound, when you turn your head the ear that points away from the screen will have it's volume lowered and the ear that points to the TV will have its volume raised, works very well. It's done seamlessly and added to the immersion.
How is the nausea?
For me, nausea was hit or miss. I feel an uneasy feeling in my stomach for a few hours after using the PSVR. That duration has subsided the more I use it. Here They Lie was an immediate nausea inducer. I mean, immediately. I almost ripped the headset off. The teleportation may be part to blame. The movement was also. It's a slow game, but that didn't matter. I felt quite a bit with RIGS. I thought I would be OK with it, but I wasn't. Drive Club VR, which many seem to be having an issue with, had very little nausea inducing instances. I did feel a little bit, but nothing to make me stop playing the game like Here They Lie and RIGS. On an aside, looking around in the car is simply amazing.
Drive Club VR
After I used the headset in a few more sessions, the nausea was less than it was originally. It wasn't completely gone, but it was substantially less than it was overall. The games that produced the nausea still produced it though. The nausea, overall, is now a slight uneasy feeling in my stomach. Nothing that would deter me from a PSVR and continuing to use it. I'll only be selective in what games I play.
The PlayStation VR Experience
The very first second I put the PSVR headset on, I knew I wouldn't regret my purchase. I'm not sure I can explain in words how profound the PSVR experience is, but I'll try. The PSVR is game changing as far as the world of video game peripherals go. This isn't Kinect. The PSVR isn't a light gun. The PSVR is the real deal. It's an amazing experience that is unmatched in my video game playing life.
The old adage of, 'You have to experience it for yourself,' could not be more fitting. I used a bunch of adjectives in this review, and I'll continue to do so, but they'll never compare to what you'd get first hand. You are put in the game like you've never been before. The world around you is immediately transformed into a fantasy world. You've never lost yourself in a video game like you'll lose yourself in a PSVR game.
Resident Evil 7 (Kitchen Demo)
I played almost ever demo on the disk. Some are boring and throw-aways, like Here They Lie while others are genre altering, Resident Evil 7 for example. Resident Evil being completely VR turns the horror game genre on its head. If you've ever been scared playing a video game, I've never been, you may be unable to play Resident Evil 7 or Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. I've never been scared to play a game, or even scared watching a horror movie, however, the PSVR and Resident Evil 7 and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood made me uncomfortable.
Everything is life size in Resident Evil 7 or Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. You're surrounded by the horror. You're right there in the kitchen in Resident Evil 7 and the clowns in Until Dawn: Rush of Blood are right there in your face. I had to look away from the clowns because it was all to real. You know there's no real threat. You just know it. It doesn't matter. You're affected on a surreal level. The threat becomes too real and I'm sure there will be many people who will not be able to play horror games in a VR world. It's that realistic. Just you wait until you're faced with the woman in Resident Evil 7's Kitchen demo.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
The Moment When PSVR Went From Great To Amazing
While playing games, and entering the worlds through VR, there was one moment, a defining moment, in my history of playing video games that stands apart from everything else. What's ironic is that the defining moment isn't a video game all. The world of entertainment, and video games, has been changed by a short animated fill called Allumette. I cannot overstate how amazing experiencing Allumette is and it is multiple industry (video games and movies) altering.
Allumette is a short, animated movie. You're observing a floating in the clouds city as you watch the tale of a girl and her mother. I didn't know what booted up when I picked the demo and was sitting there pressing buttons trying to figure out what was going on. I then began hearing footsteps. I couldn't see where they were coming from. By chance, I happened to lean right on my couch. It was then that the power of VR hit me. I was looking behind, and underneath, an arched bridge and was seeing where those footsteps came from.
Allumette
As I watched the girl walk, I moved closer to her until I was staring her in the face. I instinctively moved out of the way to let her walk by and not want to block her way. I turned my head 90 degrees to follow her up the stairs. She stopped at the top of the stairs and knelt down. My living room table was right next to me. I was able to put my elbow on the table and just watch the story unfold. I was completely lost in this girl's world.
The screen turned white and a floating boat appeared. I stood up and noticed there was an opening in the top of the boat. I thought, 'No way could this be possible, could it?' I looked into the opening. I was able to look around inside the boat and see all around it as if it was real life. I was a voyeur in their little world and I was going unnoticed.
There was another part of Allumette that made the real world and VR world collide. A man was walking with a cane and he tripped. His cane slipped out of his hand and fell over the edge of the stairs. When it did, I stuck my hand out to try and catch it. I paused the movie. I had to have a moment to take in what just happened. It was taking me a minute to take it all in.
I've flinched from a ball hitting the camera while watching a video. I've never done anything more than that. Physically trying to physically intervene in a virtual world never crossed my mind as being possible. With Allumette, I felt I was part of the movie's world. I was an all knowing spirit just watching their world unfold. I strongly feel that viewing movies with a VR headset will be part of the future of the movie industry. Imagine being in a Marvel, or DC, movie where you can walk around the world they're fighting in. The possibilities are endless. If VR takes off, like I hope, and believe it will, various industries will embrace it.
Closing Thoughts
My initial Cardboard reaction was spot on. I wanted VR and I wanted it bad. The PlayStation VR confirmed it. I love everything about VR. It's the direction I want to go in gaming. I love everything about it. I don't see VR completely replacing a TV simply because some people will not be able to tolerate it. Until that issue is resolved, going VR will have some drawbacks for some. For me, it's about choosing what games, and experiences, that jive with my comfort level using a VR headset.
The PlayStation VR is the perfect entry level VR device for the masses. The price seems steep upon first glance, but the cost is substantially less than an Oculus Rift and a PC to run it and even less than the Vive. The immersion difference between the PSVR and Cardboard headsets, that includes Gear VR, is like night and day and they cannot be compared.
If you want to get into VR, and don't have a computer to run an Oculus, PSVR is the undeniable choice. If you're on the fence, get out and try it. You won't be disappointed by it. I was on the fence and I'm completely happy with my purchase. You may end up loving it or hating it. One thing's for sure, if you've never tried VR outside of Cardboard, you'll be in for an experience you've never had before and don't realize how amazing it is. Words are difficult to convey they feeling you'll get when you give it a try.
Another downside the PlayStation VR has, for me, as far as VR in general goes, is I'm craving it even more than I was before. I want an Oculus, or Vive really bad. I want more resolution, and, most importantly, more content. The experience of VR is that game changing. If you're taken by VR, you'll want as much content as possible. It's simply amazing and unlike anything I've every experienced gaming, and technology wise, and I'm sure those sentiments will be echoed by many who give it a whirl.
There's so much more I can say about the PlayStation VR and VR in general and I will. I'll write more as the weeks pass about individual games, the hardware, etc., so that people who may not have a chance to play it can get a better idea about jumping into VR or waiting a little bit more. You'll eventually get there. It's just a matter of when.
If you have anymore questions @tag me and I'll answer them for you.
I wanted an Oculus Rift bad after trying a Cardboard VR. I couldn't justify building a PC that could run Rift games without much compromise. Trying to resist that urge was difficult. I knew I wanted the technology, but the initial price, for me, just scared me away. Then, Sony announced their dreams for PlayStation VR. I was listening.
As time when on, and Sony began to talk more about the PSVR, I didn't think it would provide a believable VR experience. While the Cardboard VR was cool, and got me hooked, I wasn't sure how a sub HD, under powered console, compared to PCs that are needed to run Oculus Rift, would be able to get me to believe VR on a home console will be a possible in a way that wasn't a gimmick. I was hesitant.
At $499 for the PSVR and $299 for a PlayStation 4 Slim, or $399 for a PlayStation 4 Pro, you're looking at roughly the cost of a bottom spec PC that'll be capable of running Oculus Rift games. Then you need to add in the $600 cost for the Oculus Rift. There's a price difference and a spec difference. With that much of a price difference, a PSVR made sense for me. I'd get my VR fix and I didn't have to break the bank to get it. Would I regret that decision? Would it love up to the hype? Would my stomach survive a full VR immersion?
How is the PSVR hardware?
I'm going to get the negatives out of the way in the beginning. The resolution is sub-full HD and it's noticeable. Graphics are not as crisp as a 900/1080 resolution game on a TV. They're just not. You can see a bit of the screen pixels in certain scenes of each game and movie. There are jaggies which detract from the image quality. Lots of them in certain games. Those negatives are hard to ignore looking at it on paper. They're pretty big. For some they may be enough to warrant a pass. However, experience trumps all sometimes.
Taking the negatives above into account, I do not regret my PlayStation VR purchase in any way shape or form. The graphics may be less than optimal. It doesn't matter. The experience far, and I mean far, outweighs the negatives. The motion tracking of the headset is nearly perfect. There's almost no perceptual delay. The graphics may not be 1080p quality, but they're not awful either, in most games. They're just a bit less sharp than what we're used to.
The PSVR headset fits quite well for a variety of sizes. I tried it on, obviously, and also put it on my young niece. She had zero issues with fitting. Her reaction to Allumette was adorable. She was screaming with excitement. She couldn't believe what she was experiencing either. I digress... It only extends out and in and a dial in the back of the headset snugs it up. The extending of the front of the headset is great because it allows you to easily get back to reality with the press of a button and then get back into the VR world.
There is one adjustment missing with the headset, and should have been there instead of sliding the front in and out. The front display needed to be able to tilt from the top towards and away from the cheeks like it was a visor. As it is now, there's some light leaking from the bottom portion of the eye cups. It doesn't affect the picture, but it does affect your view when your eyes look way down. If it was able to be articulated in that way, all like could be eliminated. Also, there seems to be something shiny inside the top portion of the headset because there's some light bouncing around inside that creates a bloom at the top of the viewing ares in some instances. Nikon cameras had this. The fix Nikon did was put black tape inside the body to stop the light splashing.
The headset is light and I didn't feel any weight issues. The cord coming off doesn't get in the way too much. The sound is something to experience also. The headphones included are not great, but the 3D sound, when you turn your head the ear that points away from the screen will have it's volume lowered and the ear that points to the TV will have its volume raised, works very well. It's done seamlessly and added to the immersion.
How is the nausea?
For me, nausea was hit or miss. I feel an uneasy feeling in my stomach for a few hours after using the PSVR. That duration has subsided the more I use it. Here They Lie was an immediate nausea inducer. I mean, immediately. I almost ripped the headset off. The teleportation may be part to blame. The movement was also. It's a slow game, but that didn't matter. I felt quite a bit with RIGS. I thought I would be OK with it, but I wasn't. Drive Club VR, which many seem to be having an issue with, had very little nausea inducing instances. I did feel a little bit, but nothing to make me stop playing the game like Here They Lie and RIGS. On an aside, looking around in the car is simply amazing.
Drive Club VR
After I used the headset in a few more sessions, the nausea was less than it was originally. It wasn't completely gone, but it was substantially less than it was overall. The games that produced the nausea still produced it though. The nausea, overall, is now a slight uneasy feeling in my stomach. Nothing that would deter me from a PSVR and continuing to use it. I'll only be selective in what games I play.
The PlayStation VR Experience
The very first second I put the PSVR headset on, I knew I wouldn't regret my purchase. I'm not sure I can explain in words how profound the PSVR experience is, but I'll try. The PSVR is game changing as far as the world of video game peripherals go. This isn't Kinect. The PSVR isn't a light gun. The PSVR is the real deal. It's an amazing experience that is unmatched in my video game playing life.
The old adage of, 'You have to experience it for yourself,' could not be more fitting. I used a bunch of adjectives in this review, and I'll continue to do so, but they'll never compare to what you'd get first hand. You are put in the game like you've never been before. The world around you is immediately transformed into a fantasy world. You've never lost yourself in a video game like you'll lose yourself in a PSVR game.
Resident Evil 7 (Kitchen Demo)
I played almost ever demo on the disk. Some are boring and throw-aways, like Here They Lie while others are genre altering, Resident Evil 7 for example. Resident Evil being completely VR turns the horror game genre on its head. If you've ever been scared playing a video game, I've never been, you may be unable to play Resident Evil 7 or Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. I've never been scared to play a game, or even scared watching a horror movie, however, the PSVR and Resident Evil 7 and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood made me uncomfortable.
Everything is life size in Resident Evil 7 or Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. You're surrounded by the horror. You're right there in the kitchen in Resident Evil 7 and the clowns in Until Dawn: Rush of Blood are right there in your face. I had to look away from the clowns because it was all to real. You know there's no real threat. You just know it. It doesn't matter. You're affected on a surreal level. The threat becomes too real and I'm sure there will be many people who will not be able to play horror games in a VR world. It's that realistic. Just you wait until you're faced with the woman in Resident Evil 7's Kitchen demo.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
The Moment When PSVR Went From Great To Amazing
While playing games, and entering the worlds through VR, there was one moment, a defining moment, in my history of playing video games that stands apart from everything else. What's ironic is that the defining moment isn't a video game all. The world of entertainment, and video games, has been changed by a short animated fill called Allumette. I cannot overstate how amazing experiencing Allumette is and it is multiple industry (video games and movies) altering.
Allumette is a short, animated movie. You're observing a floating in the clouds city as you watch the tale of a girl and her mother. I didn't know what booted up when I picked the demo and was sitting there pressing buttons trying to figure out what was going on. I then began hearing footsteps. I couldn't see where they were coming from. By chance, I happened to lean right on my couch. It was then that the power of VR hit me. I was looking behind, and underneath, an arched bridge and was seeing where those footsteps came from.
Allumette
As I watched the girl walk, I moved closer to her until I was staring her in the face. I instinctively moved out of the way to let her walk by and not want to block her way. I turned my head 90 degrees to follow her up the stairs. She stopped at the top of the stairs and knelt down. My living room table was right next to me. I was able to put my elbow on the table and just watch the story unfold. I was completely lost in this girl's world.
The screen turned white and a floating boat appeared. I stood up and noticed there was an opening in the top of the boat. I thought, 'No way could this be possible, could it?' I looked into the opening. I was able to look around inside the boat and see all around it as if it was real life. I was a voyeur in their little world and I was going unnoticed.
There was another part of Allumette that made the real world and VR world collide. A man was walking with a cane and he tripped. His cane slipped out of his hand and fell over the edge of the stairs. When it did, I stuck my hand out to try and catch it. I paused the movie. I had to have a moment to take in what just happened. It was taking me a minute to take it all in.
I've flinched from a ball hitting the camera while watching a video. I've never done anything more than that. Physically trying to physically intervene in a virtual world never crossed my mind as being possible. With Allumette, I felt I was part of the movie's world. I was an all knowing spirit just watching their world unfold. I strongly feel that viewing movies with a VR headset will be part of the future of the movie industry. Imagine being in a Marvel, or DC, movie where you can walk around the world they're fighting in. The possibilities are endless. If VR takes off, like I hope, and believe it will, various industries will embrace it.
Closing Thoughts
My initial Cardboard reaction was spot on. I wanted VR and I wanted it bad. The PlayStation VR confirmed it. I love everything about VR. It's the direction I want to go in gaming. I love everything about it. I don't see VR completely replacing a TV simply because some people will not be able to tolerate it. Until that issue is resolved, going VR will have some drawbacks for some. For me, it's about choosing what games, and experiences, that jive with my comfort level using a VR headset.
The PlayStation VR is the perfect entry level VR device for the masses. The price seems steep upon first glance, but the cost is substantially less than an Oculus Rift and a PC to run it and even less than the Vive. The immersion difference between the PSVR and Cardboard headsets, that includes Gear VR, is like night and day and they cannot be compared.
If you want to get into VR, and don't have a computer to run an Oculus, PSVR is the undeniable choice. If you're on the fence, get out and try it. You won't be disappointed by it. I was on the fence and I'm completely happy with my purchase. You may end up loving it or hating it. One thing's for sure, if you've never tried VR outside of Cardboard, you'll be in for an experience you've never had before and don't realize how amazing it is. Words are difficult to convey they feeling you'll get when you give it a try.
Another downside the PlayStation VR has, for me, as far as VR in general goes, is I'm craving it even more than I was before. I want an Oculus, or Vive really bad. I want more resolution, and, most importantly, more content. The experience of VR is that game changing. If you're taken by VR, you'll want as much content as possible. It's simply amazing and unlike anything I've every experienced gaming, and technology wise, and I'm sure those sentiments will be echoed by many who give it a whirl.
There's so much more I can say about the PlayStation VR and VR in general and I will. I'll write more as the weeks pass about individual games, the hardware, etc., so that people who may not have a chance to play it can get a better idea about jumping into VR or waiting a little bit more. You'll eventually get there. It's just a matter of when.
If you have anymore questions @tag me and I'll answer them for you.