It seems like only yesterday PSVR 2 launched to the tune of $549, and everyone was up in arms about how stupidly expensive it was. At the time, it was pricier than the PS5 it depended on, so naturally, people were going to be upset. If we could only peer into the future to the headset's current Black Friday discount, I think people would be shocked at how affordable the best VR headset now is in comparison.
PlayStation's Black Friday deals have arrived, and chief among them, in my opinion, is a discount to PSVR 2 that brings it down to $299 at Amazon. That price applies to the Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle as well as the standalone headset, so whether you plan on using Sony's visor for PC or PS5 gameplay, you get an excellent price of entry.
PSVR 2 is still, in my eyes, the best VR headset on the shelves when it comes to pure gaming. The Meta Quest 3, the Pico 4 Ultra, and a few PC headsets are still excellent in their own ways, and the Quest devices are definitely more versatile thanks to their mixed reality chops, but when it comes to gaming, I think none of them hold a candle to PSVR 2.
You may think I'm just shilling for PlayStation when I say that, but I do 90% of my gaming on PC these days - I'm actually not a big fan of how PlayStation has gone about things this console generation, and PSVR 2 is the exception. I think, for me, it all comes down to the excellent feature set aboard PlayStation VR 2. Those OLED displays, the higher resolution per eye than the Quest 3, the creative haptic feedback in the headband, the foveated rendering - all of it adds up to a VR device that, when gaming, is undeniably premium for its cost (keep in mind that PCVR headsets with lesser features can still set you back $1,000).
Even against the upcoming Steam Frame, I think PSVR 2 is going to be the biggest rival and arguably the headset for Valve to beat. Yes, because it's wireless and is more popular, the Quest 3 is Valve's obvious opponent, but I think PSVR 2 was clearly designed for gaming and nothing else, and the Steam Frame shares that philosophy. Both headsets have black and white passthrough and foveated rendering, for example, which tells me the priority isn't mixed reality, it's being immersed by excellent gaming chops.
We still don't know the price of the Steam Frame, but I'd be willing to bet you that it won't be less than $350 - and PSVR 2 is currently $299. Even for PC players who would need to fork out for a PC Adapter that costs $49.99, that would still come comfortably under the 512GB Meta Quest 3.
The one thing I think holds PSVR 2 back in today's market isn't its wired connection, as you might expect. Truth be told, you end up zoning that one cable out when you're playing a game. In my eyes, its drawback is a lack of support from Sony. Personally, I think you could say the same for the PS5 too, but that might just be me. With SteamVR now an option for this device, I think the excuses for casting it off versus wireless headsets are actually very little if you're buying a headset specifically for gaming.
- PSVR 2: $299 at Amazon
- Meta Quest 3S: $249 at Amazon
- Pico 4 Ultra: £379 at Amazon
To keep up with more discounts over the next few weeks, take a look at Black Friday VR headset deals, Black Friday Meta Quest deals, and Black Friday gaming PC deals.
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