PSVR 2 vs HTC Vive Pro 2: two VR giants go head to head

Squaring up the HTC Vive Pro 2 with the new PSVR 2 is a surprisingly interesting prospect. The HTC Vive Pro 2 is our top pick in the VR market thanks to its best-in-class resolution and gargantuan field of view. Meanwhile, Sony's latest venture into VR has turned lots of heads with its price, since in the console market, it's feels considerably pricey. Looking at it against one of the best standalone VR platforms however, might just make that price seem a bit more reasonable. 

Down below we've compared all the most important specs, features, and contextual information to help you decide which headset you like better. Both can be considered contenders for the best VR headsets on the market There's lots to talk about since both are feature-packed with plenty of games and architecture to make the most immersive virtual worlds come to life in front of your very eyes.

Whether you're weighing up which of the two to buy, or just trying to get a bit more information after reading our PSVR 2 review, we've tried to supply everything you need to know down below. Without further ado, let's get stuck in.

PSVR 2 vs HTC Vive Pro 2: Specs and Features

As you can see from the table above, beyond a larger FOV and sharper resolution, the specs of both headsets are pretty much neck and neck. In fact, dare I say it, PSVR 2 might have even more integrated next-gen features. 

Not only do you get haptic feedback and trigger resistance in the controllers, as well as haptic feedback in the headband itself, but with PSVR 2 you also get foveated rendering, which was previously a feature only the Vive Pro 2 could brag about. For those who aren't up on their swanky VR terms - foveated rendering uses eye-tracking technology to increase the resolution on parts of the display where your eyes are actually looking. This essentially mimics the way human eyesight actually works, since we can only focus on one thing at a time. With PSVR 2, this tech might be a bit more powerful since it has an OLED display. The self-emitting LEDs present in this type of panel may help the process to be more accurate, although this isn't something that's easy to notice, let alone test. The Vive Pro 2 only has an LCD display.

The Vive Pro 2 does have some additional attachments, which PSVR 2 can't compete with at time of writing. For example, there's an add-on that tracks facial movement. While this may not come into play for the majority of games, it sure does give the Vive some futureproofing and extra social capabilities. PSVR 2 doesn't have wider PC support, and doesn't seem to be geared at the metaverse at launch. With that in mind, for anyone wanting to use a VR headset socially or with AR in mind, HTC's option might be the winner since the "Viverse" already exists.

Both headsets have good room tracking capabilities, although PSVR 2 has four frontal cameras to utilize to the Vive Pro 2's two, and doesn't need any sensors in order to do so. This might make PSVR 2 easier to set up, since it only takes a minute or so for it to accurately map out your play area before a game.

Winner - PSVR 2

PSVR 2 vs HTC Vive Pro 2: Price

There's been a lot of frustration online when it comes to the price of PSVR 2, which is understandable when you consider that it's more expensive than a PS5. All-in, the price of the PSVR 2 is $549, plus the $499 you'll pay for the PS5 to use it with. On the other hand, you need to spend circa $800 for the Vive Pro 2, plus however much you spend on the beefy gaming PC you'll require to make the most of its CPU and GPU-intensive display. For the most part, the best gaming PCs are more than the price of a PS5, so as much frustration as there is about the price of the PSVR 2, it's good value for money within the VR space. You'll definitely need to spend more on a PC-dedicated VR headset to get the same kinds of specs and features.

Winner - PSVR 2

PSVR 2 vs HTC Vive Pro 2: Controllers

If there's one thing that's clear out of the gate in this round, it has to be that the Vive Pro 2's controllers are a lot longer than PSVR 2's. The VR2 Sense controllers are lightweight, quite a lot smaller, and have haptic feedback via a single actuator per unit, as well as "trigger effect" which is essentially a less extreme version of the Adaptive Triggers found on the DualSense controllers for PS5.

The VR2 Sense controllers work via PlayStation's most stubborn controller feature the Japanese console giant refuses to give up on - Six-axis motion control! They also have Capacitive sensors for finger and grip detection, which provides accurate hand motion in games like Horizon Call of the Mountain. This is a really impressive feature when you're in-game, and really helps the feeling of "presence" you experience.

Arguably, PSVR 2's controllers could have better battery life, since in our tests, they only lasted around 6 or 7 hours, although they admittedly charge fairly quickly via USB-C. They connect to the PS5 via Bluetooth version 5.1.

Although the Vive Pro 2's controllers aren't everyone's favorite choice, it's worth noting that most other PC VR controllers, from the likes of the Valve Index or HP Reverb G2, will work as well.

Winner - PSVR 2

PSVR 2 vs HTC Vive Pro 2: Games

Most probably, this is one of the easiest rounds for the Vive Pro 2, since it's been on the market for well over a year at this point, and benefits from wider PC support. This means there's a plethora of games across the digital storefronts that the Vive Pro 2 can play. Meanwhile, at launch, PSVR 2's game lineup is one of its biggest weaknesses. It isn't backwards compatible with the PSVR 1, and only has roughly 25-30 games on the PlayStation Store, many of which are older games that have received higher-end ports to fit the PSVR 2's feature set.

On PSVR 2, at least at launch, highlights include Horizon Call of the Mountain, The Last Clockwinder, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition, Gran Turismo 7, Resident Evil 8, and Altair Breaker. Plus, the Cinematic Mode has already proven to be our favorite PSVR 2 feature so far. 

The Vive Pro 2's library, on the other hand, includes things like Half Life Alyx, Beat Saber, Superhot, Elite Dangerous, as well as ports like Hellblade: Senau's Sacrifice, and Skyrim VR.

It may well be that Sony opens up support for a wider library of VR games, and in all honesty, I think they'd be clever too. Given how protective they are of their library and exclusivity though, I'm not sure it's all that likely. Either way, this is a round that has to go to the Vive Pro 2.

Winner - HTC Vive Pro 2

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