Sony’s PlayStation VR2 headset will be available in “early 2023,” according to tweets and Instagram postings from the business. Sony has been slowly leaking details about the impending headset over the last several months, and we now have an idea of when we might expect to get our hands on it.
While the business revealed the design of the headgear earlier this year, it has yet to disclose a pricing. It does, however, promise a lot for the PlayStation VR2: 4K resolution screens that can operate at 90 or 120Hz, a 110-degree field of vision, and foveated rendering, which makes some sections of the picture clearer than others to make things simpler for the computer (or, in this case, the PlayStation 5). According to the business, the headset connects to your console through a single USB C wire.
Sony has previously said that when it opens, it will have a lineup of about 20 “big” titles accessible. Games based in the Horizon and Walking Dead worlds, as well as VR versions of No Man’s Sky and Resident Evil Village, are among the titles available.
Unlike the first PlayStation VR headgear, the PS VR2 does not detect your motions using a camera attached to your system. Instead, it will employ inside-out tracking, similar to the Quest 2, in which cameras on the headgear itself would capture movements. This implies that when wearing the headset, the PS VR2 will be able to observe your surroundings. Sony also claims that the PlayStation 5 will allow you to livestream yourself playing VR games, albeit you will need to attach a PlayStation HD camera.
Sony has also shown the orb-shaped controllers, which will have adjustable triggers and haptic feedback similar to Sony’s DualSense controller for the PS5. They’ll also include finger-touch recognition, which can determine where your thumb, index, or middle fingers rest without you having to tap anything.
The PS VR2 is only compatible with the PS5. Given how difficult it has been to get the console since its release in November 2020, it may seem to be a terrible idea. However, there are some hints that those troubles may be easing: the consoles are no longer selling out soon after Sony starts a queue for them, and you can now purchase a package that contains Horizon Forbidden West for a few days. At the present, it seems like by the time the headset is out, you may just be able to pick up a PS5 anytime you want. However, there is still the risk that Sony may run out of PS VR2 supply, in which case the PS5’s availability may just be one side of the equation for consumers looking to get into VR gaming.
When it is introduced, the PS VR2 may encounter fierce competition. Meta’s high-end “Project Cambria” headgear is expected to be released later this year, however, like with the PS VR2, pricing is unknown. (The recent price increase on Meta’s two-year-old entry-level Quest 2 may not be a good omen.)
The IT industry is also eager for Apple to reveal its long-rumored mixed reality headgear, which is expected to cost thousands of dollars.
