PlayStation VR2: Sony was the first console manufacturer to seriously consider virtual reality when it released the first PlayStation VR unit for the PS4. While the game was impressive for the price, there were a number of drawbacks: players didn’t like having to use PS3-generation controllers, the camera tracking was not great, and the resolution left a lot to be desired. Despite this, PS VR became one of the best-selling headsets on the market.
Sony unveiled the new PlayStation VR2, which appears to take all of the reviews learned from the PS VR as well as the advancements made by other headsets. Initially just a blog post, Sony has gradually been leaking more and more information about the upcoming PS5 edition. Some of the major questions we have remain unanswered, but there is plenty of information to get excited about. Here’s everything you need to know about the PlayStation VR2.
PlayStation VR2 Release date
As of now, no release date or window for PlayStation VR2 has been announced. There is some speculation that it will arrive at the end of 2022, but we believe it will arrive in early to mid-2023. Not only would this allow Sony to get more PS5 stock into people’s hands, but the company could also try to build up a larger stock of this new unit so that people who want one don’t have to wait months or even years.
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PlayStation VR2 Specs
Even for the time, the first PlayStation VR was underpowered and cumbersome. The camera’s resolution, tracking, and improvised motion controls, combined with the thick cords and extra box, made it difficult to use. PS VR2 flips the script by appearing to be one of the most powerful headsets on the market, at least for the time being.
The first major question will always be about cords. While we can’t detach the PS VR2 from the PS5, which is doing the heavy lifting, we are down to a single, slim USB Type-C wire connecting the headset to your console. It’s not perfect, but it’s a significant improvement over the previous iteration.
PS VR2 will have two OLED eye displays, each with a resolution of 2000 x 2040, for a total resolution of 4000 x 2040 at a 110-degree field of view, which is higher than the Meta Quest 2. It will also support foveated rendering as well as frame rates of 90Hz or 120Hz. All of this means that this headset can support 4K HDR and potentially up to 120 frames per second. However, this will vary from game to game.
The PS VR2 is impressive not only in what your eye sees but also in how it sees your eye. The PS VR2 will include eye-tracking technology, which will allow for more immersive experiences while also potentially alleviating motion sickness. There’s a lot of potential in eye-tracking and how it can be used, but it’s still so new that we don’t know what to expect.
Another important lesson PS VR2 learned was to forego the external camera in favor of inside-out tracking. This means that the headset has four cameras built-in, allowing it to track your movements far more accurately, without the blind spots or lighting interference that the PS VR camera had. It will also include 3D audio, which is required for VR.
Finally, let us discuss the new controllers. The PS VR2 Sense controllers are designed to look similar to other top VR controllers. Each controller includes a thumbstick, two face buttons, a trigger, and a button for resting your thumb. It has the same adaptive triggers as the DualSense controller on the PS5, as well as haptic feedback and full finger touch detection. This informs the game whether your fingers are resting on the controller or lifted, allowing it to more accurately represent gestures in-game.
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Launch lineup
Sony has stated that the PlayStation VR2 will launch with more than 20 games. Sony has teased a few VR titles, but there is no definitive list of which ones will be available on day one.
Horizon Call of the Mountain, a first-party title and the first game we saw for PS VR2, appears to be a good bet for one of the launch titles. Other games that we know will be available on PS VR2 at launch or later include:
- Runner
- Low-Fi
- Firmament
- No Man’s Sky
- Among Us VR
- Resident Evil Village
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Samurai Slaughter House
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- A Jurassic Park game from Coatsink
- The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners — Chapter 2: Retribution
We also don’t know if the PSV R2 will be backward compatible with games from the original PS VR unit. We have a feeling it won’t be, or Sony would have advertised a much larger launch lineup or qualified it as 20 “new” games at launch.
At the same time, the phrase “over 20” games could imply that it includes the entire PS VR library, but our guess is that developers will need to update their games to work on the PSVR2. The most popular games from that system will almost certainly be ported, possibly at launch, but native backward compatibility does not appear to be a possibility.
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PlayStation VR2 Price and Pre-order
The official price for the PS VR2 has yet to be announced, but there is a lot of speculation about where it might end up based on the specs and how other headsets are priced. In comparison, the HTC Vive Pro headset alone costs slightly less than $800, while the Oculus Quest 2 costs around $300. Sony will not want to price the unit as high as the Vive, and we believe it will do everything possible to keep it under the price of a PS5, even if it means selling at a slight loss. The original PS VR launched at $400, a price we could see it returning to, but not exceeding $500. Lower would obviously be preferable, but given the power in this thing, it’s unlikely to fall below $400.
Expect the PS VR2, like the PS5, or any new gaming hardware, to sell out quickly upon release. There is no way to pre-order a unit because no date or price has been announced. However, once they are in the market, expect them to sell out quickly, so keep an eye on our website to be notified when pre-orders open so you can reserve one of the first units.
Would you like to read more about PlayStation VR2-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
