Sony’s PSVR 2 Adapter for PC Makes It a Good PC VR Headset, but Not Better Than Quest [CNET]

A lot of Sony’s VR headset design works well with Steam, but some features are left out — and the clunky setup isn’t as easy as the Quest’s is.

A lot of Sony’s VR headset design works well with Steam, but some features are left out — and the clunky setup isn’t as easy as the Quest’s is.

Sony’s PlayStation VR 2 headset can finally play PC games, thanks to a new Steam VR PC adapter — if you have a gaming PC to connect it to. For anyone frustrated that Sony hasn’t released enough groundbreaking games for PSVR 2 on PS5 to justify its high price, the PC adapter is a small consolation prize. It does mean, at least, that Sony’s headset can live a second life as a Steam VR PC headset. 

Its $60 price tag isn’t a lot to pay to unlock extra compatibility for a headset for which you likely paid at least $350 and typically closer to $500. But the little adapter box feels clunky compared with the single-cable USB-C solution for connecting a Meta Quest 2 or Quest 3 to a PC for VR. The Quest can also work wirelessly with PCs, while Sony’s adapter requires both DisplayPort and USB 3 ports on your PC, and a DisplayPort cable isn’t included. You also need to power the adapter itself with an included power supply that has a proprietary connector rather than USB-C. It’s reminiscent of the breakout box the original PlayStation VR needed years ago but smaller.

Sony also leaves some key PSVR 2 features off the list when used with PCs. Eye tracking doesn’t work and neither does foveated rendering — an eye tracking-enabled feature that optimizes graphics for just the area you’re looking at, squeezing more performance out of the PS5. The innovative force-feedback adaptive triggers on the PSVR 2 Sense controllers are also disabled; instead, the controllers just have basic rumbling haptics. The in-headset vibration doesn’t work either. 

What you’re left with is a set of good but straightforward VR features. Sony’s OLED display on PSVR 2 is very good and particularly bright and vivid, although the 2,000×2,040 pixels per eye is lower than the Quest 3’s 2,064×2,208. I’m a big fan of how the PSVR 2 headset easily rests on top of my glasses, something that’s harder to do with the Quest 2 and 3. But the PSVR 2’s visor-type design also means a bulkier, less portable-feeling headset.

Hands-on thoughts and setup

I connected my PSVR 2 with the adapter to an Alienware gaming laptop and played some Half-Life Alyx, a game I wish had made it over to the PS5 for PSVR 2. While initially skeptical about how good Sony’s headset would be with a few key features left out, I found the PSVR 2 is the same good-looking and comfortable-to-wear piece of hardware for PC gaming, at least when I’d likely be staying in one room. The PSVR 2’s cable is long enough to stay mobile when tethered, and I like the headset’s looser feel on my head compared with some others.

The PSVR 2’s audio solution is less desirable, though. The included earbuds dangle weirdly from the sides, and the headset has no ambient audio — sound projected near your ears without headphones, a feature available on the Quest 2 and 3. There’s no separate headphone jack, either, so you’re stuck with those buds.

Finding compatible cables to connect to your PC may be an issue as well. My Alienware laptop had the USB ports but only a mini DisplayPort, which meant I needed an adapter.   

To use PSVR 2 with a PC, you need to install a Steam app for PSVR 2 that acts as the bridge to play Steam games. The PSVR 2 is exclusively a Steam VR-compatible headset on PC, which is fine because there are plenty of great SteamVR games and apps to try.

Following the connection guide was relatively straightforward, although firmware updates were needed for the controllers and headset. Steam VR uses the PSVR 2 in-headset cameras to do room setup and room tracking, and it worked fine.

The Sense PSVR 2 controllers are great, but the way they pair to a PC using Bluetooth feels a little odd. (I had a problem getting my laptop to recognize them at first, and then everything worked fine after a reboot.)   

Totally fine and even welcome, but not a PSVR 2 savior

Again: I’m glad Sony found another use for the PSVR 2 beyond being exclusively a PS5 accessory, but the move feels more like a low-effort way to try to make money from an unpopular and expensive product than an expansion of what PSVR 2 can be. 

Working with Steam VR is a welcome move, but it’s a little frustrating that the PS5’s own VR game library still remains so limited. Sony hasn’t brought many of its own console exclusives into VR formats and hasn’t even ported over many of the best first-gen PSVR games that still don’t work with PSVR 2. Anyone who already bought a PSVR 2 for PS5 probably feels let down by how few big games have emerged in the past year — I know I am. Working with a PC doesn’t solve how to make the PSVR 2 an even better PS5 headset. It just provides another use for what’s otherwise good, and underutilized, hardware.