PlayStation VR PS4 PlayStation 4 Fit Comfort 1

PlayStation VR is pretty impressive. Sony's virtual reality headset – previously known as Project Morpheus – can stimulate some profound emotions, as proven by our Kitchen write-up. Capcom's survival horror demo lacks any real interaction, but the sense of place that it provides is unparalleled; we stepped away from the tech in cold sweats having been assaulted by a Grudge-like murderous tween.

But while the technology's neat, there's been a question mark hanging over its comfort levels: is this something that you'll be able to wear for hours on end? Having only used the headset in five minute chunks it's something that we can't answer right now, but we can tell you that it's an alarmingly light and ergonomic appliance – and it's clear that the Japanese giant's concentrated an enormous amount of effort into that aspect alone.

So, how does the headset fit your head? We weren't allowed to put it on ourselves – apparently there are only a handful of units in Europe right now, and it's clear that the company's cautious of them getting broken – but it has one retractable band which allows you to tighten the promising peripheral around the back of your head. Once it's secured, the most alarming thing about the accessory is just how light it is – an unforgettable Ned Flanders quote springs to mind.

The current model has more lights on it for improved motion tracking

There's a mechanical button on the front which allows you to pull the screen tighter to your eyes. This is an important addition as it not only ensures that your vision is filled, but it also means that those of you that wear spectacles will be able to keep your glasses on. There is a gap at the bottom of the unit which lets a crack of light through, but it's possible that this will be filled for the final version. If not, it's easy to ignore once you're focusing on the screen.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that it's wired, which is required for the technology to work without lag. There's simply too much data being sent to and from the peripheral for it to operate effectively wirelessly, but Sony does need to ensure that the setup in the consumer product is as effortless as possible. Right now there are multiple cables running from the unit, but we were informed that the manufacturer's aiming to reduce this to just one in time for launch.

But the hard work's more or less done. PlayStation VR is a surprisingly comfortable peripheral that appears to work well – in a demo environment at least. We'd need to spend more time with it to determine whether it could feasibly be used for hours at a time, but the signs are promising at this early stage. One thing that's becoming clear is that Sony's putting an enormous amount of effort into this – it's certainly not being treated as a passing whim like the PlayStation Move.


Are you happy to hear that PlayStation VR fits nice and snug, or are you still not overly interested in the peripheral anyway? Enter a different dimension in the comments section below.