Hands-on with Gran Turismo 7's free PS VR2 update, out February 22 - PlayStation

While Gran Turismo Sport offered a tantalizing sensation of the GT acquisition utilizing the archetypal PlayStation VR, letting users don the headset for a constricted portion of the game, Gran Turismo 7 supports PS VR2 with nary specified compromises. The cars, tracks, races, and licence tests are each present (with the objection of split-screen support), and playing the crippled again with the caller headset and DualSense controller is thing abbreviated of revelatory—even arsenic idiosyncratic who logged much than 200 hours connected the way passim 2022. 

Here are 4 reasons to beryllium excited astir buckling up for GT7 successful PlayStation VR2.

Big surprise—it looks amazing

Gran Turismo 7 is simply a stunner, but I assumed the conversion to PS VR 2 mightiness entail immoderate evident (but understandable) compromises. That said, I’m pleased to study that my concerns were unfounded, arsenic the crippled looks marvelous successful its VR conversion. Image prime and clarity are dramatically improved implicit those of GT Sport, and I ne'er felt myself weighing the pros and cons of the visuals compared to simply playing connected a “flat” TV display. In short, the crippled looks large and truly highlights the virtues of PS VR2.

Ogle your all-time favourite cars successful the VR Showroom

Players tin present look astir immoderate of the 450+ cars successful the crippled utilizing the VR Showroom, which is accessible from your Garage. This feels similar the earthy culmination of Polyphony’s unthinkable efforts successful bringing each car to life; the plastics, wood paneling, leather, vinyl, and plastics are present viewable astatine your leisure. Getting up adjacent and idiosyncratic with assorted stereo systems, dashboards, and dials is (weirdly) 1 of the things I’m astir looking guardant to erstwhile I person a PS VR2 astatine home. The novelty of peering astir the backmost seats of each car can’t beryllium understated.

Head tracking is simply a crippled changer

While it whitethorn dependable unremarkable connected paper, being capable to freely look astir during a race—with your presumption untethered from the beforehand of your car—provides tangible benefits, some successful presumption of show and beingness wrong the virtual world. For example, portion driving into a crisp corner, it’s imaginable to look beyond the contiguous crook to the remainder of the way and program your adjacent move. This is 1 of those intuitive “real life” driving behaviors that feels somewhat uncanny to acquisition successful a game.

A newfound consciousness of standard and speed

Another upshot of the “I’m really driving a Mazda 787B” feeling is simply a newfound consciousness of…claustrophobia and information (in a bully way!). Motorsport tin beryllium rather dangerous, and those of america with nary idiosyncratic acquisition tin get a amended consciousness of that successful VR: the accrued tangibility of a contention car’s purpose-built, rough-and-ready interior, on with existent limitations connected visibility (narrower windshields, roll-bars, etc.), dramatically heightens the consciousness of velocity and strength of a race.

On the other extremity of the spectrum, PS VR2 offers a caller position connected the way environments themselves. For example, the upland scope astatine Dragon Tail feels genuinely immense and imposing, and the godforsaken astatine Willow Springs someway feels, well, much desert-like—the immense emptiness of this Southern California expanse is perceptibly immense and empty. It’s a sensation I’ve ne'er had successful a crippled earlier and it made tearing astir the arid scenery consciousness liberating. 

My clip with GT7 besides highlighted 1 incidental payment of the caller PS VR2 hardware that I hadn’t antecedently considered: since the headset nary longer requires a camera to way your presumption successful 3D space, you nary longer indispensable beryllium overly acrophobic with your presumption comparative to the TV. It’s a tiny alteration that I expect volition marque maine acold much apt to usage the headset during regular play sessions. 

The escaped Gran Turismo 7 PS VR2 update hits February 22.