It’s official: Gran Turismo 7 is getting PSVR 2 support when the headset launches next month.
Announced by Sony at its CES 2023 press conference, the PS5’s premiere racing sim will receive VR support when PSVR 2 launches on February 22. Best of all, the update is being treated similarly to the game’s frequent content drops, being added to the game at no extra cost.
The announcement, presented by Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan, was accompanied by a short clip of Gran Turismo 7 running on PSVR 2. The game appears to run smoothly, matching the headset’s 90 – 120Hz panel refresh rate.
That said, it’s unclear what graphical compromises developer Polyphony Digital will implement to meet PSVR 2’s 2000 x 2040 (per eye) panel resolution. But we expect the game to receive a hit to overall visual fidelity to maintain smooth performance. Hopefully, not by too much.
Yellow flag warning
I’m equally excited and nervous about Gran Turismo 7’s PSVR 2 support. I’m happy it’s a free upgrade and has the potential to be a remarkably immersive racing experience.
On the flip side, racing is an extremely difficult thing to get right in VR. Frequent turns, jostles, and camera movements make VR gameplay practically impenetrable to those who easily suffer from motion sickness. And god help you if you misjudge a corner and spin off course.
But issues with my own constitution aside, I’m mostly nervous about the amount of content that’ll be VR-ready in Gran Turismo 7. The series does have previous when it comes to VR, with Gran Turismo Sport offering a mode for the original PSVR headset.
It wasn’t great. GT Sport’s VR mode felt more like a proof of concept, offering just a handful of tracks and cars to race against AI opponents. A half-hearted “yeah, we can probably do this.”
I’d love for GT7’s VR support to encompass most aspects of the game. The bulk of single-player content should be accounted for, including the Café and those moreish Menu Book racing objectives. Access to the online Sport mode in VR would be a plus, too, and perhaps even an overhauled showroom to allow PSVR 2 players to get up close and personal with their favorite motors.
There’s a ton of potential here for Gran Turismo 7’s PSVR 2 support to instantly make it one of the best VR games on the market. So here’s hoping Polyphony decides to go the extra mile to create an experience that isn’t a simple afterthought.
