I loved the original PlayStation VR. I picked one up during the peak of the pandemic (my first foray into VR gaming), and I was blown away. Instead of spending my nights inside my apartment's small living room, I was walking through villages in Skyrim, exploring planets in No Man's Sky, and platforming through creative terrains in Astro Bot Rescue Mission.
I was such a fan of the original that I argued it was a better VR headset buy in 2021 than an Oculus Quest—a stance many VR fans vehemently disagreed with. Three years later, however, the OG PS VR's drawbacks are more pronounced than ever: The OLED display is lower resolution than modern headsets (960x1080), and the headset requires a complicated array of devices and cables (including a camera) to set up. (To that point, I haven't set up the headset since my last move.) But more than that, the controllers are simply not VR controllers: While VR headsets have had finger-tracking controllers with joysticks for years, PS VR simply used the same Move controllers that have been available since the PS3.
The PS VR2, however, released in February of 2023, addresses these issues: The OLED HDR display is much higher resolution (2000x2040), quadrupling the megapixels per eye compared to the original; there's some passthrough here, so you can actually see your immediate surroundings without having to take the headset off; the tracking is better, despite requiring no outside camera or peripherals; and the controllers are honest-to-goodness VR controllers, complete with finger tracking and joy sticks. And if you get tired of Sony's VR games, you can connect the PS VR2 to your PC, as if it were any other VR headset.
Sony's second-gen PlayStation VR still wasn't perfect: Besides having a smaller library than some other VR headsets, the PS VR2 was and is expensive, retailing for $549.99. When you consider that you also need a PS5 in order to run this thing (it's not compatible with any PS4 console), it's a pricey setup indeed. That's why I haven't bought one yet, even if its plug-and-play approach would make getting back into VR easy.
But you've read the headline: It's Black Friday season, and the PS VR2 is on sale. Sony announced a series of PlayStation Black Friday deals on Wednesday, running from Nov. 22 through Dec. 2. As part of that announcement, Sony revealed PS VR2 will be discounted as much as 40%.
The math is a bit off, since you can actually snag a PS VR2 at 42% off: Right now, you can get the Horizon Call of The Mountain PS VR2 bundle for $349, down from $599.99. The standalone PS VR2 (no game included) is also $349, down from $549.99. All things considered, you're better off getting the Horizon bundle, since the prices are identical. That said, people are likely going to think similarly, so this bundle could sell quicker than the headset-only offer. I've seen the bundle unavailable once earlier today, but it's back right now, so act fast if you want one.
