I've been using the wrong gaming VR headset for years
As a long-time VR gamer, I've always found myself in an awkward position. I'm certainly not a casual player at this point, but I'm also not quite a full-blown techie. I don't spend my time studying the ins and outs of lens shapes or obsessing over resolution. I'm just happy to use whatever headset lets me play games comfortably and conveniently. That's meant that for the past few years, my Meta Quest 3 (and Quest 3S) have been my go-to choice for gaming.
That said, they haven't always been a perfect fit for my needs. I've struggled to get the comfort level exactly where I need it and I often find that its visual barriers butt into my experiences more than I'd like. I've learned to live with those quirks over the years because it felt like there wasn't any other option. That is, until I dusted off my PlayStation VR2 for the first time in over a year. After sitting down to play The Midnight Walk on my forgotten headset, I'm now wondering why I ever stopped using it in the first place. It's a reminder that just because something is the shiny new toy doesn't mean that it's inherently the best choice for your needs.
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The right choice
Allow me to explain how I got in this mess first. Ever since I became interested in VR games, I've decided to stick to two ecosystems: Meta and PSVR. There was a simple logistical reason for that, as my PC is a little too outdated to properly power PC headsets. The plug and play nature of the PSVR and the wireless freedom of the Quest both fit my specific needs. I figured I'd keep up with Sony's device to play its exclusives and use Meta's devices for more general use. The reality, though, was that I started falling into the habit of just using whatever was newest for everything. That's the sort of pitfall you can easily run into when you review tech for a living.
At the end of 2022, I was happily using the Meta Quest 2. When the PlayStation VR2 rolled around in early 2023, I instinctively jumped ship — and for good reason. Sony's second generation headset was impressive at the time, offering high resolution visuals and excellent eye-tracking. I was happy with that as my primary platform even if the promise of first-party support fell apart immediately after Horizon: Call of the Mountain. Then came the Meta Quest 3 later that year. I switched over to it in an instant, welcoming back a life of wireless play. Only one year later, I'd switch again to the Meta Quest 3S, which I use to this day because I appreciate its passthrough tech. My PSVR2 hadn't been used in over a year as of last weekend.
That's not because the Quest is a better headset that solves all of my problems. In fact, I've had two major gripes with it over the past few years. The first is that I've struggled with its virtual boundaries. I live in a fairly compact apartment, so I don't have a full room I can freely move around when I play. When I'm standing, I have to use a sliver of floor space in my bedroom. I've found that I'm constantly hitting the barrier grid when I try to play, as it triggers if I so much as brush up against it. The same is true for seated play, where I always find myself breaking out.
My bigger gripe is with comfort. To this day, I can not get a Meta headset to fit my head right. It always squeezes my skull tighter than I'd like, which means that I need to play in shorter bursts. Loosening it to the point of comfort generally means that I have to live withy a blurrier image. I'm willing to make those compromises on both ends for a great game, but it makes it hard for me to get too invested in long games like Asgard's Wrath 2. And hey, what is my other option?
It turns out that I had one all along and just didn't realize it. I received a review code for The Midnight Walk on PSVR2, which was incentive enough to bring it out of storage for another ride. As soon as I put it on, I couldn't believe I had ever ditched it in the first place. For one, I find it far more comfortable that I'd remembered. Perhaps it's just because I'd grown so accustomed to the Quest, but it rests so well on my head that I could sit for over two hours without even thinking about it. I also never found my game interrupted by the virtual boundaries I constantly see on Quest. PSVR2 feels less sensitive overall, allowing me to more easily immerse myself in its digital worlds (and I only punched a wall once while doing it!).
In my head, I had convinced myself that the reason I dropped it was due to the Quest 3 being more technically impressive, but now I'm even questioning that. Yes, the Quest 3 is better on paper with higher resolution per eye, but the PSVR2 bridges that gap with its OLED display that creates a higher contrast image. As part of the tradeoff, I also get access to some incredibly impressive eye tracking, something I'd almost forgotten about entirely in the switch to Quest. In The Midnight Walk, I was able to close my eyes to control parts of the game, which the headset tracked with pinpoint accuracy.
Going back to the PSVR2 felt like using it for the first time. I had taken so many of its great qualities for granted because I had convinced myself that new always meant better. It doesn't, though that's not to throw shade at the Quest 3 or 3S. Both are great gaming headsets and their wireless play can't be beat. I still imagine that I'll play a chunk of my VR games there so I have the freedom to move. But I've also come away having learned a valuable lesson about tech: Sometimes the device that suits you best is the one you already own.
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