When it first launched, Sony's PlayStation VR headset was already considered a relatively low-end virtual reality device. Now the PlayStation VR is a dinosaur when compared to more recent virtual reality headsets, and that's hugely apparent when playing the recently-released stealth action game Hitman 3 in VR.

The PlayStation VR struggles with recreating the game's otherwise impressive visuals, with players having to contend with blurry textures and a shockingly bad draw distance. Pop-in is a major issue when playing Hitman 3 in VR, especially in the Dubai mission. The drinks and appetizers found throughout the room in the beginning will pop-in and out depending on player distance, and the same thing goes for the NPCs. It's hard to get immersed in the game when crowds of identical people are constantly phasing in and out of the game world.

Hitman 3 in VR looks rough. It's ugly as can be, not to mention awkward-looking as Agent 47 constantly has his hand out-stretched, a symptom of the control scheme. Oddly enough, Hitman 3 in VR does not allow players to use the PlayStation Move controllers for input, instead forcing them to use the DualShock 4. This in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing; there are many great VR games that use more traditional controls instead of motion controls. But Hitman 3 still has motion control inputs, even though it uses the DualShock instead of PlayStation Move.

Everything from aiming to strangling victims with fiber wire is accomplished by physically moving the DualShock 4 around. The blend of motion controls and traditional inputs is a bit clunky at first, though the motion controls themselves show what could've been if the developers decided to commit to them. It takes some time to get used to and it feels weird with a DualShock 4 controller instead of PlayStation Move, but the motion control aiming mixed with the first-person perspective adds an extra layer of intensity to the shootouts not found in the base game. It's a shame that Hitman 3 in VR doesn't fully embrace motion controls by incorporating PlayStation Move, as it's easy to see how they could have further enhanced the experience.

When it comes to playing Hitman 3 in VR, IO Interactive dropped the ball a bit with the controls and graphics, though in all honesty, these drawbacks are more likely due to the hardware limitations of the PlayStation VR itself. This is about as good as one could expect a PlayStation VR version of Hitman 3 to be, and hopefully it gets some time to shine on more powerful VR headsets. But once one gets past the game's limitations, they will find one of the more content-rich VR experiences available, with some genuinely entertaining core gameplay.

Hitman 3 VR is the full experience of the base game, modified for a VR setup. Players are still completing the same globe-trotting Hitman 3 missions as they do in the base game, with the same objectives and same tools at their disposal. It's essentially the same core experience, but with a first-person viewpoint and some minor tweaks to accommodate VR play. So all of that great content that Hitman 3 reviews have been raving about is there for PlayStation VR players to experience.

All of this extends to the previous games in the series as well. For the uninitiated, IO Interactive has made it possible for Hitman 3 players to access all of the missions from the previous World of Assassination trilogy games, and all these mission are also playable in VR. This is an impressive feat and means that Hitman 3 offers a lot more playtime than the vast majority of other VR games on the market.

It must also be stressed that the VR version of Hitman 3 is a bonus for PlayStation owners, not something that has to be purchased separately as a standalone product. Hitman 3 players on PS4 and PS5 can safely ignore VR entirely if they so choose and play through the entire game the old-fashioned way. And that is really the best way to experience Hitman 3, as players will be able to take in the full breadth of its graphics and better appreciate the game as a whole. Not to mention those playing it on PlayStation 5 in the non-VR mode will also get to enjoy Hitman 3's use of the DualSense controller features.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to play the PS5 version of Hitman 3 in VR. Only the PS4 version has virtual reality support, and so players will have to download that version of the game, sacrificing perks like the DualSense controller's haptic feedback. PlayStation 5 owners will also need to get their free PSVR adaptor from Sony if they haven't done so yet, as otherwise the device won't work on the next-gen hardware.

Again, IO Interactive can't be faulted, as these things are out of the developer's control. And to IO's credit, there are some things that Hitman 3 accomplishes in PlayStation VR that many other games completely fail to do on the headset. For example, Hitman 3 load times in VR are near-instant, whereas many other PlayStation VR games, and VR games in general, tend to have longer load times. Once players load in to one of Hitman 3's destinations, they are free to explore it to their heart's content with no further interruptions. The PlayStation VR head-tracking and everything else works great as well, and so players will spend more time playing the game than wrestling with their setup.

Even so, there's no getting around that Hitman 3 on PlayStation VR is not the ideal way to experience the game. It's better to play it the traditional way, on a next-gen console if possible. But even so, the VR version can be a fun distraction, and it's neat to explore the Hitman world in VR. Many of the game's drawbacks are due to the PlayStation VR itself and not due to game design flaws, and in all actuality, the core gameplay can still be a blast in VR. It would be one thing if it were a standalone release, but as a fun bonus for PlayStation gamers, Hitman 3 in VR is simply icing on the cake.

Hitman 3's VR mode is exclusive to the PlayStation VR version of the game. Game ZXC was provided with a PS4 code for this review.