Playstation VR One Year Review PS4 PlayStation 4 1

Happy birthday, PlayStation VR. It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since we published our review of Sony’s innovative virtual reality headset, describing it as an imperfect but promising peripheral. A whole 12 months later, we figured that it’s probably the right time to consider how the futuristic facemask is faring – in terms of install base, software support, and much more. So pull up a pew, tighten up your PlayStation Move straps, and let’s get down to business.

Play Day: How Has PlayStation VR’s Software Support Fared?

There was a period early in the year where PlayStation VR software support seemed to dry up, and early adopters were getting a little bit antsy about it. In the end, this turned out to be little more than a New Year blip, as the product has been pretty well supported throughout the course of its first year on the market.

In terms of first-party software, it hasn’t been great – only StarBlood Arena and Farpoint really spring to mind – but what Sony’s done well is ensure that it’s getting virtually every indie and third-party title on its hardware. This has resulted in a regular release slate, which has seen new software dropping on a weekly basis via the PlayStation Store.

The quality’s been pretty good, too, although critics may argue that the hardware’s still lacking big names. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard proved that major AAA titles can be compatible with the headset if the publisher intent is there, but we’ve mostly seen big brands relegate support to optional extras – like the lousy functionality in Tekken 7, for example.

Smaller games have generally been the order of the day: puzzlers like Statik and arcade games such as SUPERHOT VR have been among the best games released for PlayStation VR, and while they may lack the longevity of big-name console blockbusters, we’d counter that these intense mini-campaigns excel best in the fledgling medium – assuming they’re priced appropriately, of course.

Brilliant or Bleak: How Does PlayStation VR’s Future Look?

Despite fears to the contrary, E3 2017 was a great showing for PlayStation VR – prompting us to comment as much during the ill-tempered show itself. Sony really doubled down on support for its virtual reality headset, despite concerns that it may end up overlooking it similar to the way the PlayStation Vita quickly became a black sheep.

The first-party front is still quiet, but we know that Media Molecule’s ambitious imagination simulation Dreams will take advantage of the technology, while London Studio and the recently founded Manchester Studio are both busy beavering away on new titles. Sony’s XDev Europe division also appears to have been tasked with rallying support, signing new Supermassive titles like Bravo Team.

Once again, it’s the indie scene that seems to be best supporting the headset, though. One thing that’s been quite refreshing to see is how standards have been determined between Oculus, Vive, and Sony itself – meaning that it’s quite easy for developers to reach the combined install base of all three headsets. Some online games like Star Trek: Bridge Crew have even shared player pools, too.

The best show of faith that Sony’s shown in recent weeks, however, is revising the hardware with a new Processor Unit and a better, more manageable cabling system. While this has irritated some early adopters, it goes to show that the platform holder is very much committed to improving its virtual reality product – and it sees it as part of its product portfolio for the foreseeable future.

Tech Talk: How Is PlayStation VR’s Technology Holding Up?

PlayStation VR is, without doubt, the least powerful of the high-end virtual reality experiences – and at times that has showed. In our original review we pointed to the slightly foggy image quality of the headset, and that has partly been addressed by the introduction of the PS4 Pro, which significantly increases image quality in properly supported games.

Perhaps the bigger concern these days is the motion control tech. While it was probably the right decision to repurpose the ageing PlayStation Move tech, some games like SUPERHOT VR are really starting to expose the weaknesses of the technology – particularly in the face of superior solutions like the excellent Oculus Touch controllers.

It’s not that the PlayStation Move controllers don’t work at all – firmware updates have actually improved their accuracy since launch – but the platform holder will need to be looking for a new solution if it plans to continue supporting virtual reality into a new generation, as the fact is that they’re starting to reveal their limitations now.

Sales Age: Are People Buying PlayStation VR?

Virtual reality in general is proving to be something of a slow burn, but PlayStation VR is faraway the market leader right now. This is a double-edged sword: it means that developers can’t afford to ignore the headset, which is good news for ongoing support. But departing group president Andrew House noted recently that for the technology to remain relevant, all of the headsets need to do well.

It’s still early days, but it’s clear that PlayStation VR exceeded expectations early on, as Sony had real difficulty getting stock out into stores. Those issues have, fortunately, been mostly addressed now – and with an install base of over one million units, we can say with some authority that the peripheral has been a success.

The challenges facing the platform holder remain the same, though: it needs to ensure consumers try the technology in order to sell them on it. It’s taking steps in the right direction by setting up demos in stores around the United States yet again this Christmas, and the headset remains an ever-presence at consumer conventions around the world – but these things take time.

Good Game: What Are the Best PlayStation VR Games?

Funny you should ask, as we’ve just published our list of the Top Ten Best PlayStation VR Games So Far. Our favourites so far include the likes of SUPERHOT VR, Batman: Arkham VR, and Farpoint; there’s quite an eclectic mix of software on the headset these days, and we’re also enjoying the growing number of educational experiences launching for the format, such as the recently released Chernobyl VR Project.

What are your thoughts on PlayStation VR? Have you picked up the headset yet, and what are your thoughts on it? How often do you use it? And if you haven’t bought into virtual reality at this stage, why do you think that is? Enter a different dimension in the comments section below.