Ah, the “metaverse”. Will a fantasy where our office meetings and social gatherings are mostly held in virtual reality ever come true?
As a tech critic who has worn nearly every pair of VR headset released in the past seven years, I’ve been holding my breath for a long time. And based on my testing of this year’s first big hardware launch in the metaverse category, Sony’s PlayStation VR2, which comes out Wednesday, I’ve come to the conclusion that VR still has a ways to go before it becomes a Main staple for work and play.
To be clear, the PlayStation VR2, priced at $550, is one of the best pieces of VR hardware you can buy. The curvy white ear cups connect to the PlayStation 5 console, which is equipped with a powerful computer to run high-resolution games smoothly; By contrast, metaverse VR headsets, including the $1,500 Oculus Quest 2 and $1,500 Quest Pro, work wirelessly and rely on slower computer chips built into the headset.
Also unlike the metaverse, Sony leans towards using VR headsets only for gaming – a good choice because gaming is by far the most popular VR technology. Apps and productivity apps for making video calls via headset have not gained traction.
Still, none of this is enough to make VR more than niche, even as more brands, including Apple, prepare to enter the industry. That’s because many of the issues people have had with VR headsets from the get-go, including their ugly aesthetics and high price tag, remain for the PlayStation VR2 headset. That being the case, I can recommend them to enthusiasts, but not to the occasional gamer.
This is how I felt about VR and the metaverse after a week of testing the PlayStation VR2.
#PlayStation #glasses #win #gamers #Metaverse