Sony is finally cutting the tether on its PlayStation VR2 headset, no longer confining it to just the PlayStation 5. They’ve launched a $60 adapter that allows your pricey $550 VR headset to play nice with any Steam-based VR games on your PC. Before you rush to grab one, though, there are a few compromises you should be aware of. Unfortunately, some of these tradeoffs mean losing out on the PSVR2’s standout features.
To get your VR2 working with a PC, you’ll need to wrangle several cables. According to images from PlayStation’s blog post, the VR2 needs a wired connection to the adapter box, which then hooks up to your computer via USB and DisplayPort. You can also connect another cable to a monitor—helpful for those watching you fumble through the tricky hacking puzzles in games like Half-Life: Alyx.
Here’s the catch: you’ll require a PC equipped with a DisplayPort 1.4 output and a separate DisplayPort cable. Apart from this, the minimum specs are pretty standard: think an Intel Core i5-7600 or AMD Ryzen 3 3100 CPU, at least 8 GB of RAM, and a graphics card like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 or an AMD Radeon RX 5500XT. If you’re aiming for 4K gaming on the VR2, you’ll want something a bit more robust. Additionally, Sony specifies that you’ll need a Steam account to dive into your game library. Although, given the creative modding community within PC VR circles, any specific Steam VR requirements probably won’t remain a barrier for long.
Our review of the VR2 highlighted it as a stellar headset, boasting impressive eye-tracking and controls, and sold at a competitive price. Unfortunately, its game library on the PlayStation 5 felt somewhat limited. Sony launched its revamped headset before Meta brought out the $500 Meta Quest 3, which came with improved passthrough AR capabilities and access to several exclusive games. The VR2 does have some solid specs, featuring in-headset lenses that support up to 4K resolution per eye and provide a comprehensive 110-degree field of view.
Even though this new development sounds promising, there are quite a few downsides to using the VR2 on a PC. Most notably, the headset’s eye-tracking won’t function on a PC. You’ll also miss out on other significant features like HDR and the tactile headset feedback. The controllers lose adaptive triggers akin to the DualSense controller, and you’ll only get the basic rumble feedback instead of enhanced haptic sensations. That said, the limited passthrough features will still work with a PC, albeit mostly to prevent you from bumping into nearby objects.
Look for the adapter this August on PlayStation Direct and other retailers. Currently, the VR2 is marked down by $100 during Sony’s Days of Play sale at Direct and Best Buy, running through June 13. Yet, even with this discount, the VR2 remains a costly investment—particularly if you shell out an extra $60 to detach it from Sony’s PlayStation ecosystem. We’re eager to get hands-on with it to see if it finally makes the VR2 appealing for those curious about virtual reality, though the connection complexities and feature reductions do dampen the excitement a bit.
