PlayStation VR Review Roundup: What's Good And What's Bad About Sony's Virtual Reality Headset

Tech and gaming reviewers who had the chance to try out the PlayStation VR ahead of its official release on Oct. 13 are now voicing out their thoughts on what Sony’s virtual reality headset has to offer. Find out what’s good and what’s bad about the PS VR below.

What’s Good

USA Today’s Brett Molina says Sony’s VR headset does not only look sleek, it also feels comfortable. While it takes time to set up the device and get the view right during the initial setup, Molina notes that the buttons that extend and adjust the headset to fit the head and the face are really helpful. He also says the PS VR’s cinematic mode is an interesting perk, since it lets players really enjoy supported PS4 titles and content that's viewable via entertainment apps like Amazon Video.

CNET’s Jeff Bakalar points out that the PlayStation VR is currently the most accessible and affordable full VR headset on the market, adding that aside from the VR-ready games that launched alongside the headset, it’s also good to know that Sony has promised that it is encouraging developers to make their games VR-ready for the headset.

TechCrunch’s Lucas Matney thinks it isn’t bad that Sony’s PS VR’s display resolution is not as top-of-the-line as Rift’s or Vive’s because it did not feel too far from the resolution the VR headsets for the gaming PCs come with. Also, the cheaper price tag of the PS VR compared to the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive is another advantage of the virtual reality headset from Sony over its rivals.

What’s Bad

IGN’s Dan Stapleton complains about the misleading price of the PlayStation VR, saying that while it is advertised as a device valued at $399.99 only, the headset consumers will be getting with this price is mostly useless without the PlayStation Camera that is available for $59.99. The motion-tracking Move controllers are also sold separately for around $20 and $30 each. Thus, Stapleton says it is more advantageous to just purchase the $499.99 bundle that already comes with the peripherals

Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar opines that the biggest letdown about the PlayStation VR is its 100-degree field of view that makes the viewing experience less immersive and limits the view of players when watching a virtual environment. Hardawar points out that while most players will unlikely take notice of the issue, those who have tried or used powerful VR platforms will notice the shortcomings of the PS VR.

Gizmodo’s Alex Cranz maintains that PS VR’s motion-tracking Move controllers aren’t as smooth as what its rivals have to offer. She says this is because the balls of light of the motion-tracking controllers are not as precise as the infrared lasers used by its competitors.