Sony or Zuckerberg? FIGHT
Updated: Oct 21, 2022 8:51 am
When it comes to self-contained, all-in-one, out-of-the-box functional VR headsets, Meta Quest 2 vs PSVR is the question you’ll have to ask yourself.
Yes, you can get a more comprehensive, immersive, and realistic experience from a full-on setup with motion-tracking cameras, body position trackers, and all that other stuff.
However, at that point, the cost grows huge and it’s simply not attainable for the majority of people. This means that it comes down to the Meta Quest 2 vs PSVR when you’re trying to pick up a new VR headset. Let’s see how these two great headsets compare.
Just in case you’ve already made up your mind and are choosing to go for the offerings from Meta, we’ve made a full rundown after the official announcement at Meta Connect. Read our Meta Quest 2 vs Meta Quest Pro page for more info.
READ MORE: Meta Quest Pro release date
Both the Meta Quest 2 and PSVR have a native maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. However, just because the screens are capable of this refresh rate, doesn’t mean that every game runs at this speed. Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated than that.
The Meta Quest 2 only became capable of 120Hz after receiving the v28 software update in June of 2021, and many of its games still struggle to reach that threshold.
The PSVR by comparison relies on the power of the PS4 or PS5 console to drive the games. This means that the refresh rate of the game in question will scale with which console you’ve got. If you’re using it with a PS5, you get higher refresh rates than you would with the PS4.
READ NOW: Where to buy Meta Quest Pro
The Meta Quest 2 vs PSVR battle gets a little simpler when it comes to resolution as there is a clear winner, making our job easier.
The PSVR has a resolution of 960 x 1080 per eye, whereas the Meta Quest 2 has a resolution of 1832 x 1920 per eye. Given that a higher resolution means a crisper and more defined image, the Meta Quest 2 wins this round.
This isn’t to say that the PSVR has a bad resolution, but for the sake of comparing the two, the Meta Quest 2 has an objectively better resolution.
FOV refers to how much of the image, in this case, the game world, that the user can see at any one time. Humans typically have a FOV of around 114 degrees. As the purpose of VR is to increase immersion and realism, the closer the headset can get to this value, the better.
According to various outlets, the Meta Quest 2 has a FOV of 89 degrees (+/- 4 degrees). Which is significantly less than the PSVR’s 100-degree field of view. This means that the PSVR has a closer field of view to the natural human eyes, making its experience closer to reality.
It’s worth noting here that you can adjust the FOV in-game, but this doesn’t change the actual maximum that the hardware is capable of. Instead, it sort of stretches the image to fit more within your view, albeit in a warped sort of way.
VR headsets are heavy, there’s no getting around that fact. Additionally, most of the weight is at the front where the screens are, which means that a robust strap/mounting system is of utmost importance.
Annoyingly, this is one of those criteria that are so subjective that it’s almost not even worth talking about, but we’ll give you our insight anyway.
The Meta Quest 2 weighs in at 503g, compared to the 600g PSVR. This is unfortunate for the PSVR, as it has a less comprehensive mounting system with a less adjustable strap too.
Overall, the extra weight combined with the ergonomically unideal strap means that the PSVR loses this round.
The Meta Quest 2 and PSVR both cost the same at ~$300. You’d think this would make this round a draw. However, we consider the Meta Quest 2 to be a superior value for money proposition as it can operate independently.
This contrasts with the PSVR as you need to have a PS4 or PS5 console for it to work, which can add between $300 – $500 to the price. When you factor this in, the Meta Quest 2 wins by a wide margin.
Meta Quest 2 price increase
Meta raised the price of the Meta Quest 2 a few months ago, saying that it’s to ensure continued funding for VR. This was an initially puzzling move as surely you’d just wait for the Meta Quest Pro, right?
Well, since the Meta Quest Pro release date was confirmed and it was made available for pre order at the gargantuan price of $1500/£1500/€1700, the price increase of the Meta Quest 2 has started to make sense.
This is because of accessibility, even with the 30% price increase of the Meta Quest 2, it still costs 3x less than the Meta Quest Pro, meaning that it’s going to remain popular regardless of the capabilities of the Meta Quest Pro, because $1500 is simply out of reach for most people.
the Meta Quest 2 vs PSVR battle reaches an interesting stage here as both have some innovative and impressive controllers, and both have some great levels of accuracy and precision too.
We’ll start with the PSVR controllers as they are the most interesting, especially in terms of looks. The Squidgy light-up ball may look funny and seem like a designer lost a bet, but it has a very critical function.
Essentially, the ball is what allows the PS Camera to see the controllers, and therefore track the player’s movements. The orb on the PS Move controller actually changes color to be the opposite of the color it’s against from the perspective of the PS Camera.
Other than this, the Move controllers are less ergonomically designed than the Quest 2 controllers, and there’s another factor at play here too, feedback.
Essentially the Meta Quest 2 is capable of far more physical feedback as the controllers vibrate. It might seem simple, even inconsequential, but it makes a lot of difference, as anyone familiar with either of these headsets will know.
The main problem with comparing Meta Quest 2 vs PSVR is that there are new versions of both headsets coming soon, meaning that we’re now playing a value proposition game.
With the Meta Quest Pro and PSVR 2 on the horizon, we have to think about obsolescence. This means figuring out which one will become outdated or unsupported more quickly. And, it’s not an easy task.
However, given the confirmed price of the Meta Quest Pro, and the fact that you can buy it already, we think that the Meta Quest 2 will remain the go-to choice for most consumers as we doubt the PSVR 2 will be priced as high as the Meta Quest Pro.
Meaning that most people happy to use older hardware will probably stick with the Meta Quest 2, after all, we still haven’t got a confirmed PSVR 2 release date.
This means that when it comes to Meta Quest 2 vs PSVR in terms of obsolescence, we’re going with the Meta Quest 2. The PSVR 2 won’t be nearly as much of a price increase over the current version, so PSVR people will get the PSVR 2, but Meta Quest 2 will remain the standalone VR headset of choice for a while, probably.
