Headline, April 04 2022/ ''' '' VR 2* -PLAYSTATION- VENT '' '''

''' '' VR 2* -PLAYSTATION-

 VENT '' '''

PLAYSTATION VR 2 : GOOD STEP BUT NOT A LEAP. So in its current state, V.R. is still a mostly solitary experience. 

The Playstation VR 2 still has a ways to go before becoming a mainstream staple for work and play.

To be clear, the PlayStation VR2, priced at $550, is one of the best pieces of V.R. hardware you can buy.

The curvy white headset plugs into the PlayStation 5 console, which is equipped with a powerful computer to run high-resolution games more smoothly; by contrast, Meta's V.R. devices, including its $400 Oculus Quest 2 and $1,500 Quest Pro, work wirelessly and rely on slower computing chips built into the headsets.

Also unlike Meta, Sony leans into the use of V.R. goggles only for gaming - a wise choice because, so far, games are the most popular V.R. applications and productivity apps for taking video calls through headsets haven't gained traction.

Still, none of this is enough to make V.R. more than a niche, even as more brands, including Apple, prepare to enter the industry.

That's because many of the problems people have had with V.R. headsets since the get-go - including their off-putting aesthetic and high price - remin for the PlayStation VR2 goggles.

That being the case, I can recommend them to enthusiasts, but not to those who play the occasional video game.

Here's how I felt about virtual reality and the metaverse after a week of testing the PlayStation VR2.

V.R. LACKS A TRULY KILLER APP

Why use V.R. for making video calls, streaming movies or playing games when the existing methods already work well?

This is the perennial question surrounding the metaverse. Despite making progress with the technology, the new PlayStation goggles don't offer a clear answer.

The most compelling new game I tried was Horizon Call of the Mountain, a V.R. spinoff of the best-selling PlayStation 4 title Horizon Zero Dawn, a post-apocalyptic role-playing game.

In the V.R. game, you control the character from a first-person perspective and can swing your arms to run around and climb mountains; you can also move your hands to grab an arrow from a quiver and shoot it with a bow.

It's a fun game with impressive graphics that show off the hardware's muscle, but in the end, I still preferred the gameplay and deeper story of the original Horizon Zero Dawn, which I finished years ago on the PlayStation 4.

OTHERWISE, a majority of V.R. games accompanying the device's launch that I tested were relatively old and uninteresting. 

Those included Star Wars : Tales from the Galaxy's Edge; Tetris Effect : Connected; and Moss, which were previously released for the older Quest 2 and first-generation play Station VR.

In general, the graphics and motion in the new PlayStation goggles looked clearer and smoother than Meta's V.R. products. Still, more often than not I found myself wondering why a game should be played in V.R. instead of on a television screen.

In the Star Wars game, where you take on the role of a droid mechanic, shooting a blaster at an enemy would have been just as simple using a game controller.

The same could be said about Moss, where you control a white mouse in a 3-D environment. Tetris Effect : Connected involves rotating pieces known as tetrominoes, just as you would in any traditional Tetris game made in the last few decades; there was no clear benefit to playing this in an immersive  environment.

Other games that would soon be available for PlayStation VR 2, which I could not test, include big titles like Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village. Those are popular franchises, but both were released for traditional consoles in the last two years.

Gaming may currently be V.R.'s killer app, but if you want fresh and exciting games, the console-plus TV combo is still king.

To sum : for the concept of metaverse to succeed, we need to be able to connect with our loved ones in that space. In its current state, V.R. is still a mostly solitary experience.

So maybe one day - when the tech is cheaper, has a truly killer app and doesn't make people look like weirdos - we'll all hang out in the metaverse. For now, I'll continue to meet folks in person and online the old-school way.

The Honour and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on V.R. state, experience and future, continues. The World Students Society thanks author Brian X. Chen.

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all prepare for Great Global Elections on The World Students Society - the exclusive ownership of every student in the World : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 : 

Good Night and God Bless

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