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2016 is the year that VR broke into the mainstream.
Full motion VR like what Oculus Rift and HTC's Vive offer are really expensive.
Getting setup with one of those from scratch will likely set you back well over $1000.
And now there's another option, Playstation VR.
This is the most accessible full VR out there, and it's also the cheapest.
Even if you don't already own a PS4, which you do need for PSVR, the entire package will run you around $800.
Now if you do own a PS4, and there are over 40 million of them sold, it's even more affordable.
So before I show you how to set this all up, let's look at what you need to use PSVR, and what comes in the box.
The standard PSVR that sells for $400 gets you just the headset and the wires needed to connect it to a PS4, but you'll also need a Playstation camera and two move controllers to be completely set up.
If you don't have any of those laying around, Sony offers a $500 PSVR bundle that packs everything in Except, of course, for a PS4.
The whole set-up process doesn't really tell you how much space you'll need to play, but the included manual says that you'll need roughly a ten by six foot area.
Now I don't have that kind of space in my apartment, but I was still able to get it to work pretty well.
Now because PSVR only has one camera for tracking movement, I found it doesn't always give you the sense of freedom that the HTC Vive does.
I've also found that steps engaged when you're wandering out of the suite part of the camera and also I experience issues when I completely turn around.
Some games also don't tell you whether or not to stand or sit, but I found that if you stand to play most games, it's a safer bet.
Speaking of games, there are a handful of titles hitting PSVR at launch.
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We played Batman [INAUDIBLE], Super Hyper Cube, Job Simulator and a bunch of others.
Over all the game play experience is solid even if a lot of these games are less substantial than a regular PS 4 game.
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But wearing the headset can be awkward and getting it to fit right can kinda be a pain.
But also feels a bit cheaper than totally comfortable with Which is another reason why you may wanna opt for a stand to sit it on when you're not using it.
I've also found it's tough to play PSVR for more than 30 to 45 minutes at a time.
Not that I'm getting dizzy or anything like that but just because wearing the headset that long starts to get uncomfortable.
So how does it all compare to HTC Vibe and Oculus Rift?
Well let's talk to the guy who helped reviewed them both for CNET.
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Oculus Rift and HTC Vive both connect to more expensive gaming PCs.
Each of them does full motion tracking in a room.
Vive has it already with it's controllers and Rift will get that by the end of the year.
Now if you want phone based VR like this Gear VR on my face, it doesnt do any hand tracking.
All you can do is move your head around, which is not great for gaming.
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At the end of the day, PSVR can get you pretty close to what's available in the super high-end VR offering.
[INAUDIBLE] out there.
Now when you consider the price and the attractiveness to someone who already owns the PS4 it's definitely present a compelling proposition.
Of course there's also PS4 Pro on the horizon which would likely improve the graphics and performance of this entire thing, bringing it closer to what's possible with the high end PC graphics card I'm very curious to see how that affects PSVR.
Especially when you consider that for just $100 more you may include the overall experience substantially.
We will update our review when we have tested PSVR with the PS4 Pro
