Well That Was Impressive: Playstation VR, Hands On

Playstation VR, formerly known as Project Morpheus, is the only VR headset being developed for use with a console. The PSVR HMD will be launching in the first half of 2016 and will connect directly to a Playstation 4.

No Screen Door

If you look at the specs of the headset, you would be forgiven for thinking that the display wouldn't be comparable to the PC HMDs that are just around the corner. Playstation VR boasts the lowest resolution out of all the announced VR HMDs. Unlike the competition from HTC, Oculus and others, the Playstation VR uses a single 1080p display, which is shared between each eye.

Considering the issues that other headsets have had with low resolution (the "screen door" effect), most people would think the problem would be worse on the PSVR. This couldn't be further from the truth. Upon putting the display on my head, I was immediately impressed with the fidelity of what I was looking at. I didn't detect even a hint of "screen door," and the graphics were crisp and clear.

London Heist

Sony was showing off the London Heist demo at Immersed. Back in March, Tom's Hardware's Rexly Peñaflorida II had the chance to try out London Heist, but he was shown a different part of the game. The demo that I got to try has you sitting in the passenger seat of a van being driven by a bald guy. For the first part of the experience, you are just along for the ride. While waiting for the action to start, I was encouraged to explore the cab of the vehicle.

The Playstation Move controllers are tracked very accurately, and a pair of hands are rendered on screen that follow the tracking. It felt surprisingly natural to use the Move controllers to manipulate the objects in the scene. The door can be opened, and you can lean out and look back. The radio can be turned up and the station changed. The glove box opens up, and inside I found several ammo clips, and an empty soda can. I picked up the can and tossed it at the driver's head. It would have been nice if he reacted, but nothing happened.

After a minute or so, the action starts. A barrage of bullets comes crashing through the front window. The driver then passed me an UZI, which I picked up and began to fire at the enemies coming up alongside of us. Attackers pull up on sport bikes and SUVs, and you have to shoot them or the tires to take them out. When the clip runs out, you have to pick up another one with your other hand and slide it into the gun. (Reloading only works once the clip is emptied, so if there's a break in enemies, you'll have to unload your clip on nothing to guarantee a full clip when more vehicles show up.) The demo ends when an armored van pulls out in front and a guy with a chain gun opens the back door and blows you away.

I came away from this experience wholly impressed. Despite the lower resolution, the screen was incredibly clear. I asked how this is possible with a 1080p display, and I was given a response that should have been obvious: Sony has been making cameras for decades and has a great deal of experience developing optics. It's this prowess in optics that enabled Sony to make the image as clear as it is with the display that Playstation VR uses.

Comfort

The headset itself is quite light and is very well balanced. I was told that the rear section of the strap is weighted to balance the headset. The mechanism the company uses to attach the headset to your head is quite different from the competition, as well. It features a single strap, with an adjustable dial that tightens it. The strap sits at an angle, rather than being level with the headset. This allows the company to balance the headset better. It also features a section that cups your forehead and supports the bulk of the weight.

From the images I've seen of the headset, I expected that it would flip upwards, similar to how the StarVR headset does. This turned out to not be the case, though. Instead of a hinge, the display is on a slider that allows the headset to be moved to accommodate glasses. The person who tried the headset right after me was wearing glasses, and he had no trouble making it fit.

Final Design? Almost?

I asked Sony if the headset being shown would be different from the one released next year. I was told that there will be some minor refinements, but it is largely complete. The cables going to the PSVR headset are likely going to change, though.

As it stands, the way the headset hooks up to the console is quite interesting. Sony has designed a small breakout box that splits the signal to two displays. I was told that the console does the heavy work of warping the image to work properly on the HMD. The warped signal is delivered to the breakout box through one HDMI cable. The received signal is then fed to the PSVR HMD, and then a second signal is unwarped and delivered to the TV. Sony said that this can either mirror the image shown on the display, or it can deliver an entirely different scene to both displays.

I've been rather skeptical of what Sony can really do with the Playstation VR, but I have been converted to a believer. I've had the opportunity to try many VR demos, and honestly, London Heist felt like the best one so far. The experience was tons of fun, and I could see this being a great game. If this is an example of the type of content we'll see on Playstation VR, I think the platform will be very successful. I can't wait to try more.

Update, 10/8/15, 1:20pm PT: After publishing this we learned that in addition to the optics and high refresh rate, the panel used in Playstation VR features three sub-pixels per pixel (RGB) which is not found in other headsets.

Follow Kevin Carbotte @pumcypuhoy. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.