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Build/Design
As most reviews have pointed out this is the most attractive headset of the bunch. It looks good, feels good, and is comfortable as hell. The way they designed it even allows you to wear it with glasses on. It's also actually a lot lighter than I thought it would be. I like how it secures to your head by a halo type band that stretches and goes around the top of your head which can be tightened by a little wheel on the back. The biggest piece that covers the eyes can then slide back and forth. This helps when I need to quickly see outside the VR world to find controllers or see what's physically around me. All I have to do is push a button, slide the view piece back a little and I can see, then slide it back and I'm back in the game. The design is genius.
Set-up
Setting this thing up wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. The instructions were very simple; almost like Lego instructions. It took me about 10 minutes to install. Calibrating it wasn't an issue as well. It calibrates pretty quick for me every time I play. Just hold the option button to re-center the picture to where you're physically standing. Whenever I'm done playing I just disconnect the main VR cable from the headset, put the headset away and tuck the long main cable away. When I'm ready to play again I just plug the headset back in and go. Pretty simple.
Graphics
I'll admit resolution is not that great, but for me it was expected. After all the reviews I read my expectations were set low. But after playing it myself it's not THAT BAD. I've seen some people say that it looks like PS2 games, I would say more like PS3 games. Also there are some games that look really good and some games that just look terrible so it depends what you play. In my opinion, the cartoony games hold up really well. Other games that are expected to have a more photorealistic look like Drive Club or Here They Lie suffer much more. Although Until Dawn actually doesn't look that bad at all. There are some cases where text does look blurry. The best fix for this is to adjust the headset around until your eyes hit that sweet spot in the lens where things look their sharpest. It's not going to be tack sharp but it won't be blurry. I don't know why things around the edges of the viewing lenses look super blurry, but just find that sweet spot and you'll be good.
Tracking
At first tracking worked wonderfully for me. But one night when I was playing it suddenly became awful. The game kept jumping around or shifting slowly. During London Heist, by the end of the car chase level my character was facing completely left even though I was still facing the camera. Don't get me wrong I still believe the tracking works great but that depends on how you have it set up. I thought I was good because at the time I had all my lights off but then I realized I still had this small light on the table behind me switched on and there were two large picture frames hanging on the wall directly behind me which were clearly reflecting the rear lights of the headset off the glass. This was causing a lot of confusion for the PS camera. After I fixed the issue the tracking worked much better. Not perfect but it was competent enough not to ruin my experience. Every once in a while my in game hands might jerk suddenly or disappear if I turned around and blocked the view of the wands. Case in point: 360 shooters like Brookhaven Experiment. Great thing about that game is their solution was to have you press a button to turn your character around so you didn't have to do it IRL.
Games/motion sickness/fun factor
I think the PSVR started off with a great launch line up. Most of the title so far are short experiences, maybe 1-2 hours at the most. They showcase a lot about what is so awesome about VR. It leaves you wanting more and excited for what is to come in the future of PSVR. I think where VR games work best are cockpit games and games where you mostly stand in one spot. As cool as it is to move around freely it is a little jarring when your brain perceives you walking around and your legs aren't moving. It's definitely a recipe for mild to severe motion sickness. I never got it much but when it came to those kind of games where you move freely I can slightly feel it in which case I'd quit the game before it sets in completely. Most people say the best thing is to start slow until you get your "VR Legs" meaning you become used to it and motion sickness doesn't happen anymore. One thing I found that helped when playing the Drive Club Demo (notorious for getting people sick) was when I would make turns I would look into the turn, kinda like how I would in real life sometimes. Drive Club was actually pretty cool despite the crappy graphics, it was like driving a car in the sense that I could see my opponents in the mirrors or I could look over my shoulder and check to see if anyone was in my blind spot.
So far from what I've played the PSVR is FUN. Games that seem simple and I normally wouldn't like are a blast in VR such as Thumper, Danger Ball (which is basically a VR pong set in a Tron like world), and Job Simulator. I think where VR is really going to shine are in its horror games. It's a crazy experience having the horror in your face. Games like Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and Brookhaven Experiment are such a rush and while they wouldn't scare me on a TV screen, being in the world itself through VR is a whole different level of scares. I can't wait for Resident Evil 7. HAVING MOTOIN CONTROLLERS IS A MUST!! It's way more immersive when you can actually use your VR hands like you would in real life grabbing things, throwing things, shooting guns, shining a flash light here and there, etc. In London Heist, shooting guns feels almost as good as real life. I could aim my weapon, close one eye and focus on the iron sights, and hit a target dead on just like IRL. The following games are the ones I've played so far listed from favorite to least favorite:
1. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
2. Arkham VR
3. London Heist
4. Job Simulator
5. Brookhaven Experiment
6. Thumper
7. Danger Ball
8. Wasn't a fan of Scavenger's Odyssey or VR Luge. I unplugged from them quickly because they seemed like they would get me motion sick.
PSVR shows the mainstream consumer that VR is legit, although in its infancy, the tech is here and will be the future of gaming. This is not a fad, not a gimmick ladies and gents, VR is finally here!
*The video I posted shows the exact moment when I knew that this purchase was well worth it. Entering the Batcave as Batman was a jaw dropping experience that you have to try to believe!
*Quick word on cinema mode. It's like being in an IMAX movie theater when you have the screen size adjusted to it's largest setting. Hulu is also awesome in VR as well. The app takes you and puts you in a virtual living room (much nicer than my own)with a great view of a city and a giant (maybe 20ft) television screen in front of you that you can watch all your shows/movies on. It includes VR videos as well but the quality sucks. Hopefully they will have VR/360 videos soon with better resolution.
*11/16/2016 PS4 Pro Update: Since aquiring my new PS4 Pro last night I've only been able to play a few games in the little time Ive had so far. I don't have a 4K TV yet and I mainly got it for PSVR (also I pretty much got a 1 for 1 swap deal with my PS4 for the PS4 Pro!). I've only been able to play London Heist, Batman Arkham, Until Dawn, and a little bit of Here They Lie. From what I'm seeing the games that weren't patched don't have much of a difference at all. Batman still looks the same (but still amazing) and Here They Lie still looks awful. London Heists improvements are a little subtle but you FEEL it. I can't explain it but it just feels better. With Until Dawn: Rush of Blood it looks like textures are improved and shadows/lighting is much better. I remember when I first played it I thought man the lighting is great but it's a shame they didn't have any shadow effects at all. Now everything I shine a flashlight on, from hanging pig carcasses to wire fences, casts a beautiful shadow across the background. I'm excited to receive Robinson in the mail in a few days and hoping I can afford to upgrade to a 4K HDR TV in the future. In the mean time I feel complete in my PSVR setup now smile emoticon:).
Update Feb 2017: Just finished Resident Evil 7's 13 hour campaign and HOLY @$## was it amazing in PSVR! It's the first triple AAA title for the VR and first one of this length. Did not get sick at all as they programmed the VR mechanics perfectly. This title alone makes PSVR worth it. I'm working on a review right now for RE7 but this was probably the best gaming experience I've ever had.
