this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2024
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For me personally, I dislike Meta strongly enough that the Quest was never an option.
I already had a PS5 and have a couple of digital VR games Sony have away a while back, plus there's a few more I have been interested in. But until now the library was so restrictive that I could not justify the price tag for a PSVR2.
The only other option I considered was the Valve Index. I like Valve a lot and I'm sure it's great, but at this point it's 5 years old and would be 2x the price of the PSVR2. Not being comparable with the PS5 for those couple of free games plus exclusives in interested in like Horizon is a minor setback as well, although it's not a huge deal and Horizon might come to Steam anyways. Also I would have to upgrade my PC a couple years earlier than I would otherwise- my RX580 is mostly fine now, but I don't think it could handle VR.
I hear you, but for a budget rig something's got to give. If it's any consolation regarding Meta, they used to bleed money every time they sold one of those, so you wouldn't have done them any favors. I don't know if the balance is less crazy for them these days.
You make a good point in that holdouts that haven't purchased a PSVR2 due to lack of games may feel more justified to take the plunge now, but the extra money of the adaptor starts to sting in that case, particularly if splurging on something that may not get much use isn't acceptable for your situation.
I actually think it's worse for Meta to take a loss on hardware. That tells me that they are expecting to make that money back and then some elsewhere. It's possible that they are just hoping to make that money back through software sales (similar to Sony), but I just have a hard time trusting the company. The "Meta" name is such a turnoff that I don't want a piece of their hardware in my house, let alone on my network, so I haven't even looked at their offerings.
Also, I disagree with the notion that "for a budget rig somethings got to give". The answers for a "budget" rig are... Nintendo Labo. The AR games with the 3DS. The various ways of strapping a smart phone to one's face. Things that the VR community scoffs at, but the average consumer is much more likely to purchase.
I think the "budget" option is to just... Not use VR. For me, the adapter isn't a huge deal. They just cut the price by $100 earlier this year. The Horizon bundle, plus an adapter, comes out to $560. The Valve Index can vary based on the setup, but I figure that'll be at least $1k. The HTC Vive products seems way more focused on business than gaming, and all of their headsets are >$1k anyways.
So for me I have 3 options: wait for Valve or HTC to make more value-oriented products, get the PSVR2, or just not do VR. And I'm perfectly at peace with just abstaining from VR- I certainly don't regret that I didn't buy a 3DTV for example. But this PC adapter has suddenly made the PSVR2 an option where it previously was not one.
All of that's fair. It's gonna be very dependent on your price flexibility and your preferences between Meta and Sony's ecosystems and platforms.
I'm with you that VR is absolutely optional, too. I don't think it's a mass market proposition and hey, I personally don't use the VR devices I own frequently, so...
I'll say the one thing I think you're wrong about is how available the dirt cheap ground level "phone in a box" alternative is. I don't think that's compatible with anything anymore. The Samsung Gear VR is discontinued and unsupported in software, the Labo thing was always a gimmick and I'm not aware of a phone conversion kit that will give you any compatibility with any of the ongoing VR platforms. Entry level to be able to do anything VR (as in, at least compatibility with PC VR games) remains the Quest 2 at this point. Next would be the Quest 3 and the PSVR2 and I suppose some of the cheaper PC HMDs. After that you get into the PC high end.