Virtual reality is one of the most exciting industries in the market today.  From education to health care, many industries have been applying the applications of VR into their processes. However in the entertainment industry-especially the gaming world, Virtual reality has really revolutionized the gaming experience.

It is considered the frontier in gaming, offering immersion   and a totally surreal experience to the gaming society. The technology has been there for a while though, with some recognizable VR effort seen as early as the 90s. Manufacturers have continuously been trying to build and perfect VR headsets since then but the prices were extremely high and many people merely shrugged at the technology.

However, a few years ago Oculus Rift came to the rescue promising a latency-free virtual reality at affordable price. Since then, manufacturers and game developers have been working day and night trying to outdo each other to come up with the ultimate virtual reality gaming system.

Today, there are a whole lot of  virtual reality systems in the market, ranging from the  powerful high-end ones like HTC VIVE and Oculus Rift to mobile based VR such as Samsung VR, Google Daydream and the easy do it yourself Google cardboard.

The Play station Virtual reality

PROS

• Cheaper than other VR systems
• Works with PS4 consoles
• Smooth Visuals 120HZ refresh rate
• Works with non VR games
• Motion Control support

CONS

• Slightly less powerful than the competitors
• Motion tracking hiccups to be expected
• Requires additional devices such as move controllers and motion camera sometimes not included on purchase.
• Lower resolutions

Sony is the one of the many companies that has joined the virtual reality world with the PlayStation VR.   Sony’s, virtual reality system, the PlayStation VR is designed for play with PlayStation   or PlayStation Pro. It is a powerful system and is ranked among the top four gaming virtual reality gaming systems since rolling out.

This gaming console appeals to many gamers because it can use Sony’s PlayStation 4 which is a cheaper alternative to personal computer ready virtual reality.  The expensive PC VR systems require a lot of power to run them and a lot of expertise to set up unlike the PlayStation VR where you only need a PlayStation console.

Price wise, it is actually one of the cheapest options out of the three big virtual reality consoles in the market today. Priced at 349.99 Euros it’s cheaper than Oculus rift priced at 549 euros and HTC vive at 759 Euros. The significant price drop in PlayStation VR can be attributed to the VR price wars that saw the HTC Vive price drop to an all-time low in history.

Its graphic capabilities and motion tracking sensors are way more advanced than those found in the smartphone based VR systems as well.  The display on the PSVR   is lower than the competitors since it uses a single 1080p 5.7-inch OLED screen. However to the naked eye, when placed side by side, it’s barely noticeable.

What makes the PlayStation even more appealing is its wide berth of PlayStation games already available. Once you setup the console you can have a growing library of PlayStation VR games to play. Sony recently announced that they will release more than 30 games by mid June 2018

Requirements

All you need to set up the PlayStation VR is a PlayStation 4, move controllers and PlayStation camera.  Initially retailers have been selling the accessories apart but with the new PSVR bundle which comes with a camera and move controllers it’s easier to find the components to set up. With just those three items, you are good to go. There is no need to upgrade any of the components to set it up.

Setting it up

Just like the other big three virtual reality systems, PlayStation VR is also a tethered headset.  There is a long cable that runs from the headset into the back of the PlayStation. Since most of the time you might be sitting while using it, you don’t have to worry about your legs getting tangled up with the cables.

You will find two long joined up cables that trail from the back of the headset to the back of the PlayStation. One is the HDMI cable and another proprietary cable that can either plug into the extension lead or the main control box referred to the “processing Unit”

At the back of the processing unit, there is a power socket, a micro-usb port and two HDMI outputs-one plugs into the TV and one plugs into the PS4. All the cables are usually included in the box. The Micro USB port is to be connected to one of your PS4 ports. This can be annoying  because it can  mess up a neat set up because they usually connected at the front leaving one cable running lose on the front.

The PlayStation VR camera is however not plugged into the processing unit. It is to be plugged into the PS4 rear aux port and placed in front, where the gamer is likely to sit. It is vital equipment that has to be strategically placed because it tracks the head movement via the blue lights found on the camera.

Our Opinion

PlayStation VR may not have as advanced as the experiences found in the other big three but, this is the best virtual reality system for the frequent PlayStation gamer. It’s easy to use, easy to setup and fairly affordable without compromising the performance and quality. And what’s more, there already games available including the worlds current best VR game- Resident evil 7. Oh the prospects of experiencing the carnage in virtual reality-Exhilarating!

 

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