It’s been six long years since Sony released the PlayStation VR back in 2016, but thankfully, the PlayStation VR2 is on its way soon to take the greatest console VR to the next level – and by soon, we mean soon.
With the PS5 now available globally, it’s no surprise that fans are anticipating a PS VR2 headset to accompany the new home system. Sony has officially revealed the design, controllers, and specifications of the device, which will be available in February but will cost more than a PS5.
Meanwhile, the current PSVR headset is still compatible with the PlayStation 5, although owners must request a free adaptor to connect the camera to the system.
When will PS VR2 be released?
Sony has revealed that the PS VR2 will be available worldwide on February 22, 2023, with up to 37 titles available during the launch window.
Pre-orders for the headset, peripherals, and launch titles are already available, however availability varies by location.
For the time being, the only place to pre-order in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg is through Sony’s PlayStation Direct shop. Initially, pre-registration was necessary, but pre-orders are now available to everyone with a PlayStation account. Other merchants will ultimately receive the hardware, but for the time being, this is it.
If you reside elsewhere, pre-orders are also now available, but will be handled separately by merchants, so you’ll have to look around for the finest outlets in your area.
How much will PS VR2 cost?
The bad news is that PS VR2 is costly. The base package, which contains the headset, a pair of controllers, and stereo headphones, costs $549/£529/€599, which is more than the price of the initial PS VR headset, and even more than the price of the PS5, which is now $499/£479/€549.
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That is the most cost-effective option to get the new VR headset. A more expensive package includes the launch title Horizon Call of the Mountain for a total of $599/£569/€649, with an additional $49/£39/€49 for a controller charging dock.
Unfortunately, there are already early indications that this initial price may be too high for most people to bear. According to Bloomberg, Sony has already cut its planned sales for the console’s first three months on sale from 2 million to 1 million due to poor pre-order numbers, and is now aiming to ship only 1.5 million devices throughout the headset’s first full fiscal year (from April 2023 to March 2024).
That may be good news for those who have been holding off on purchasing the hardware, since poor sales may force Sony’s hand into lowering the price sooner rather than later.
For comparison, the high-end Vive Cosmos costs $699/£699, and the new Meta Quest Pro costs even more at $1,499/£1,499, albeit the Meta Quest 2 is significantly less expensive at $399/£399.
What about the PS VR2’s design and specs?
Sony has now published almost everything about the new VR gear, including images of the headset and Sense controllers as well as most of the system’s specifications.
We’ve gathered all of Sony’s official information in one place.
Design
The headset’s design was one of the last elements Sony withheld, but we now know what it will look like.
Senior vice president Hideaki Nishino notes in a blog post announcing the design that it was influenced by the PS5, but with more rounded edges and curves to depict the 360-degree vision that players experience within the VR arena.
Some details, like as the position of the headphone socket and the adjustable scope and headband, have been purposely maintained unchanged so that returning players will find the experience familiar. Other new features include a lens adjustment dial for matching the lens distance between the player’s eyes.
While Sony has not verified the precise dimensions and weight of the new headset, the site claims it is both thinner and lighter than the prior iteration.
Another significant upgrade for comfort is a new vent down the front of the scope, which should help you stay cool (and sweat less) during lengthy gaming sessions.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the little PlayStation emblems spotted on the PS5 and DualSense are also present here, running down the front and rear straps of the PS VR2 headgear.
Sense controllers
The existing Move controllers perform the job of letting you to interact with virtual environments, but without 1:1 tracking, they simply cannot compete with the experience provided by Vive, Cosmos, or Oculus Touch controllers – and Sony is well aware of this.
After confirming that it was working on new controllers for the PSVR 2 headset, Sony published a PlayStation Blog article revealing our first decent look at the future controllers – now known as the Sense controllers – and has subsequently followed up with the final design seen below.
Sony claims that the orb-like form, evocative of the Oculus Quest 2 controllers, “allows you to hold the controller naturally,” with no restrictions on how your hands can move, and that the ergonomic design should translate to a more comfortable experience than holding the aging batons.
The Sense controllers also have the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback seen on the DualSense controller for PS5, which are perhaps Sony’s greatest new controller features. Along with the usual analogue sticks and action buttons, this is backed up with finger touch sensing, which allows you to make natural motions in-game.
This time around, there are no giant in-your-face LEDs to rely on for tracking, instead opting for tiny tracking rings at the bottom of each controller.
Sony’s new controllers are a significant step forward, and the firm suggests that there will be more to come.
Connectivity
Let us begin with the unpleasant news. Wireless connectivity was one of the most anticipated improvements to the second-generation PSVR, but Sony has already debunked it, confirming on the PlayStation blog that the headset “will connect to PS5 with a single cord to simplify setup and improve ease-of-use, while enabling a high-fidelity visual experience.”
The wire in question will be a 4.5m (14.7ft) USB-C lead, which makes sense considering that Sony has prominently put a single USB-C connector on the front of the console.
So far, the only VR headsets that come bundled with wireless connectivity are standalone devices like the Meta Quest 2, which are, by definition, less powerful. HTC has sold wireless add-ons for the Vive and Vive Cosmos, but does not enable wireless play as standard; perhaps Sony will follow suit and release a wireless adaptor after launch.
Core specs
Sony remained cautious regarding the silicon within the PS VR2 for a time, but it was reported in November 2022 that MediaTek is providing the CPUs that power both the headset and the Sense controllers.
Both of them are unique processors built in conjunction by MediaTek and Sony, and neither manufacturer has released anything about the exact hardware, but at least we have a name for it.
However, keep in mind that the majority of the computing power comes from the PS5, with MediaTek’s processor solely handling things like displays, tracking, and connection.
Headset-based tracking
One of the most significant advancements for the new headgear is the use of “inside-out tracking,” in which cameras incorporated into the headset itself detect your location and motions.
Importantly, this eliminates the need for an external camera, resulting in one less expensive device to purchase and one fewer piece of clutter and cabling taking up space in your living room.
Eye tracking
The embedded cameras aren’t the only enhancements to tracking in the PlayStation VR2.
Sony has verified that the headset features eye tracking, which allows it to detect where you’re looking even if you don’t move your head. According to Sony, this will let you to “provide an additional input for the game character” by staring in specified directions.
Tobii, the industry leader in eye-tracking gear, revealed the transaction in July 2022, expecting that it will account for more than 10% of company sales in 2022.
“PlayStation VR2 creates a new benchmark for immersive virtual reality (VR) entertainment, allowing millions of consumers across the world to experience the power of eye tracking,” stated Tobii CEO Anand Srivatsa.
“Our collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) demonstrates Tobii’s world-leading technical capabilities to provide cutting-edge solutions at mass-market scale.”
Displays
Sony has revealed that the PlayStation VR2 would include OLED screens with a resolution of 20002040 each eye, for a total resolution of 40002040, making the headgear 4K.
It will support HDR as well as foveated rendering, which is a rendering approach that includes diminishing visual quality in peripheral vision to allow for greater quality in regions where the player is looking.
A 110-degree field of view is among the most expansive in the current VR headset market, and support for both 90Hz and 120Hz frame rates will result in a more lifelike visual experience.
Haptic feedback
Sony has added haptic feedback in the headset itself, in addition to the haptic feedback built into the new Sense controllers.
A single built-in motor will vibrate the headset in reaction to in-game events, which, when paired with the Tempest 3D audio capability on the console, might help make games much more immersive.
“For example, during anxious times, players can feel a character’s raised pulse, the rush of items passing near to the character’s head, or the push of a vehicle as the figure drives forward,” according to Sony’s official blog.
Software features
In a blog post, Sony also announced a slew of new software tricks for the PS VR2.
If you own a PS5 HD Camera, you can now use it in a new streaming mode, which is ideal for streamers who want to show off their responses to gaming in real time without requiring a lengthy setup.
A new see-through mode, which employs the headset’s front-facing cameras to allow you to observe your surroundings without taking the headset off – to communicate to friends or just find your controllers – is now included.
Even more amazing, you’ll be able to utilize the cameras and controllers in tandem to create a bespoke play area, designating borders to avoid furniture, staircases, or other hazards. As a result, the headset will warn you if you approach too near to the boundaries you’ve put up, perhaps saving you from a serious mishap.
Finally, a Theater Mode displays the PS5 operating system, non-VR games, and entertainment such as TV shows or films on a virtual cinema screen. In Cinematic Mode, content will be shown in 19201080 HDR video format with frame rates of 24/60Hz and 120Hz.
Backwards compatibility
The PS5 is backwards compatible with practically the entire PS4 library, so we assumed the same would be true for the PlayStation VR library – but apparently not.
“PSVR games are not compatible with PSVR2 because PSVR2 is designed to deliver a truly next-generation VR experience,” Hideaki Nishino, PlayStation’s senior vice president of platform experience, said in an interview with the Official PlayStation Podcast, adding that “developing games for PSVR2 requires a completely different approach than developing games for the original PSVR.”
According to PSVR Without Parole, Sony will prioritize remasters of first-gen PSVR games, so expect to see a slew of older titles re-released and optimized for the new technology.
Confirmed PS VR2 games
Now that we’re getting close to launch, there are plenty of confirmed PS VR2 games, with a total of 37 titles expected to hit the VR headset within the launch window – and over 100 already in production.
Horizon Call of the Mountain, a VR spin-off of Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel Horizon Forbidden West, is the main one.
The next major announcement is that horror favorite Resident Evil Village will receive a patch to enable PS VR2 functionality for the whole campaign, but it was also announced that No Man’s Sky, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, and Gran Turismo 7 would receive upgraded VR versions for the new hardware.
Beat Saber will also be available, but not at launch, as will a VR version of Resident Evil 4.
In terms of new games, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is receiving a sequel for PS VR2, as are independent titles like Samurai Slaughter House, Firewall Ultra, and Among Us VR.
Here is the whole list of titles accessible during the launch window, which runs roughly from February 22nd until the end of March:
- After the Fall: Complete Edition
- Altair Breaker
- Before Your Eyes
- Cities VR: Enhanced Edition
- Cosmonious High
- Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
- Dark Pictures: Switchback VR
- Demeo
- Dyschronia
- Fantavision 202X
- Gran Turismo 7
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Job Simulator/Vacation Simulator
- Jurassic World Aftermath Collection
- Kayak VR: Mirage
- Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat!
- The Last Clockwinder
- The Light Brigade
- Moss
- Moss Book 2
- NFL Pro Era
- No Man’s Sky
- Pavlov
- Pistol Whip
- Puzzling Places
- Resident Evil Village VR
- Rez Infinite
- Song in the Smoke: Rekindled
- Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy Edge: Enhanced Edition
- Synth Riders: Remastered Edition
- The Tale of Onogoro
- Tentacular
- Tetris Effect Connected
- Thumper
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution
- What the Bat?
- Zenith: The Last City
Here are some of the additional titles that have been confirmed to be released later:
- Resident Evil 4 VR
- Beat Saber
- Samurai Slaughter House
- Firewall Ultra
- Among US VR
- Crossfire: Sierra Squad
- Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue
