Many gamers were excited when Sony launched the PlayStation VR 2 (PSVR 2) in February 2023 because this new virtual reality headset promised amazing experiences. But now, over a year later, things aren’t looking good for PSVR 2 and its future seems uncertain.
Many of the gamers who have bought the PSVR 2 have had several complaints and many just have it at home collecting dust as they no longer use it. So, why does the future look bleak for this virtual reality headset?
No Exciting Exclusive Games
One big problem with PSVR 2 is that it doesn’t have many exclusive games. When the first PSVR came out, it had cool games, like Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Blood & Truth, that made people want to buy the headset. But PSVR 2 doesn’t have as many of these special games.
Sure, there are some good games like Horizon: Call of the Mountain, but most games on PSVR 2 can also be played on other VR headsets. Before its release, many gamers were expecting the PSVR 2 to have sequels to popular PSVR 1 games. For example, many fans want a new Astro Bot game, but there’s no news about one coming.
Tough Competition From Meta Quest
The biggest challenge for PSVR 2 comes from the Meta Quest 3, which has many benefits over PSVR 2. Here’s why the Meta Quest 3 is such strong competition:
- It’s cheaper ($500)
- It works on its own – you don’t need to connect it to anything else
- It can also connect to a PC, so you can play PC VR games too
- It has more games and apps to choose from
- It has mixed reality features, which means it can do a lot more than PSVR 2. It can be used for work, to access UK bingo casinos, play LoL and gain access to many other online entertainment platforms
Too Expensive
Another big issue is that PSVR 2 costs a lot of money. It costs $550, which is more than a PlayStation 5 console. But that’s not all; you need to own a PS5 to use PSVR 2. So, if someone doesn’t already have a PS5, they’d need to spend over $1000 to play PSVR 2 games. That’s a lot of money, especially when there are cheaper options available.
This high cost makes it hard for many people to buy PSVR 2. It’s not something you can just pick up and try easily. You need to make a big investment, which is risky when there aren’t many exciting games.
No Mixed Reality Features
PSVR 2 doesn’t have some new features that other VR headsets have, including mixed reality (also known as augmented reality). Mixed reality devices, like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3, let you see virtual objects in the real world around you. Mixed reality devices can help with work and other activities aside from playing games.
The PSVR 2 might not be compatible with new apps and games in the future because of this missing feature. It’s another reason why people might choose a different headset instead.
What Could Happen Next?
There are some ways Sony can turn things around to help PSVR 2. Let’s look at some of them below:
- They could lower the price to make it more competitive with Quest 3
- They could start making more exclusive games that you can only play on PSVR
- They could add new features to make it more useful, like mixed reality
But these changes might be hard to make since Sony has already spent a lot of money making PSVR 2, and they’ve cut jobs in their VR teams. This makes it less likely that they’ll invest more in big improvements.