Before you buy the PlayStation VR adapter, check these things first

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If you own a PlayStation VR 2 and a PC VR-capable gaming PC, you might be tempted to buy the $60 PS VR2 PC Adapter. It's a great idea, but before you click the buy button, there are a few things you should know and check.



Some features do not work on a PC

The PlayStation VR2 is an excellent headset for the price, with a superior screen, great comfort, and lots of great features. On the PS5, you can enjoy eye tracking, which improves performance by only rendering scenes in high quality that your eye is currently looking at. You also get stunning HDR, which makes the scenery look much more realistic.

The PS VR2 headset has a built-in haptic system that can vibrate, and of course the controllers have the same advanced haptic feedback as the Sony DualSense controller. Unfortunately, none of these features will work on PC at launch. It may be that some games in the future will support these features, either through individual developer efforts or Sony updating the PS VR2 PC app, but at the time of writing, you shouldn't expect anything more than a pure, basic VR experience when connecting it to a PC.


Bluetooth is a big deal

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The PS VR2 controllers don't connect to the headset or PC adapter. Instead, they connect directly to your computer's Bluetooth adapter. If you don't have one, you'll need to buy one. It does need to be Bluetooth 4.0 or newer, though. I have a laptop with a Bluetooth 5 adapter and the controllers work fine, but you'll see numerous reviewers and customers report that their Bluetooth adapters don't work well with the controllers. If you already have a Bluetooth 4.0 or newer controller, it makes sense to try that first, but be prepared to buy a new one if it doesn't work out. It would have been best if Sony had simply put a perfectly compatible controller in the PC adapter, but unfortunately the onus is now on you. Thankfully, Sony has a list of compatible adapters.


You need a free DisplayPort connection

A picture of a DisplayPort cable showing its 20-pin design

The adapter uses DisplayPort 1.4, so if your graphics card only has one of those, you'll have to use it for VR. Not a huge problem if you have multiple ports, but having to switch your monitor to HDMI isn't ideal if you want to use features that rely on DisplayPort, like G-Sync or very high refresh rates.


You cannot use DisplayPort over USB-C

Even if you have a USB or Thunderbolt port with DisplayPort support, it won't work with the PS VR2 adapter. This is made clear in the PS VR2 documentation, but I tried it myself and it didn't work. This is a big problem for anyone who has a gaming laptop without a DisplayPort output. In my case, my gaming laptop has a mini DisplayPort port and it works fine; but if you don't have one, the adapter is a failure.

You may not need the adapter at all

You may remember that some GPUs have a USB-C port on the back called a “VirtualLink” port. This port was intended for VR and combines the data and video protocols you need for a good VR experience. Since it's integrated into the GPU, it would also guarantee low latency. Nvidia stopped including this port after the 20-series RTX cards, but AMD included it on the 6000 and 7000-series cards.


It seems that the PS VR2 adapter actually only offers VirtualLink, so if your graphics card has a USB-C port on the back, you should try using your PS VR2 with it to see if it already works without the adapter. If so, you'll save $60. That's not a lot of money, but if you don't have to spend it, the five minutes to test it out are worth the effort. Also, the PS VR2 PC adapters seem to be sold out, so it might be a while before you find one.


Don’t be afraid to buy the PlayStation VR 2 PC adapter

It's important to double check that you have everything you need and also consider whether you need the adapter at all. But assuming everything looks good and you're ready to make the purchase, there's no reason to hesitate with Sony's PC adapter. In my experience, it works as well as you could hope for and it's certainly one of the best value PC VR options on the market right now!

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