Sony’s PlayStation VR2 headset is arriving in “early 2023,” according to the company’s posts on Twitter and Instagram. Sony has been trickling information about the upcoming headset for many months.
So we have at least a timeframe for when we can expect to get our hands on the hardware. The virtual reality headset will pitch next year.
While the company released components of the headset’s design earlier this year, it still hasn’t disclosed a price. It is, however, pledging a lot for the PlayStation VR2 — it’ll feature displays that add up to 4K resolution and can operate at 90 or 120Hz, have a 110-degree field of view, and use foveated rendering.
In addition, it renders certain parts of the image sharper than others to make things easier for the computer. The company also states the headset attaches to your console with a single USB C cable.
Sony has already revealed it will have a lineup of about 20 “major” games open when it launches. The titles include games materialized in the Horizon and Walking Dead universes and VR versions of No Man’s Sky and Resident Evil Village.
Unlike the authentic PlayStation VR headset, the PS VR2 won’t use a camera linked to your console to track your movements. Instead, it’ll employ inside-out tracking, similar to the Quest 2, where cameras on the headset are in charge of the motion tracking.
The PS VR2 will also let you see your surroundings while wearing the headset. Sony also states that the PlayStation 5 will allow you to reveal yourself playing VR games, though you will have to own a PlayStation HD camera connected.
Sony has also ascertained the orb-shaped controllers, which will contain adaptive triggers and haptic feedback like what’s shown with Sony’s DualSense controller for the PS5. They’ll also include finger-touch detection, which can sense where you rest your thumb, index, or middle fingers without pushing anything.
The PS VR2 will only function with the PS5. Since it’s been hard to acquire your hands on the console since it was projected in November 2020, that may appear like a bad idea. However, there are some indications that those issues could be cleared up — the consoles no longer sell out instantly after Sony opens a row for them, and you’ve been able to purchase a bundle that includes Horizon Forbidden West for an occasional day now.
At the moment, it seems possible that, by the time the headset comes out, you may be able to pick up a PS5 whenever you want. However, with that said, there is always the possibility that Sony will struggle with a stock of the PS VR2, in which matter the PS5’s availability may be just one piece of the equation for those trying to bring into VR gaming.
The PS VR2 could face stiff competition when it’s released. Meta’s high-end “Project Cambria” headset is set to come out sometime later this year, though, like with the PS VR2, it’s hard to say how much it’ll cost. (The fact that Meta recently raised the price on its two-year-old entry-level Quest 2 may not be a great sign.)
The tech industry at large is also still waiting for Apple to announce its long-rumored mixed reality headset, which will reportedly cost thousands of dollars. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reported that the company could reveal the headset in January 2023.
The PlayStation 5, a home video game console, is developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced in 2019 as the beneficiary of the PlayStation 4, the PS5 was unleashed on November 12, 2020, in New Zealand, Japan, North America, Australia, and South Korea, with a global release a subsequent week later. The PS5 is a share of the ninth generation of video game consoles, along with Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, unleashed in the same month.
The base model contains an optical disc drive compatible with Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. The Digital Edition lacks this drive, making it a lower-cost model for those who prefer to buy games via digital download. The two variants were launched simultaneously.
The PlayStation 5’s main hardware features include a solid-state drive customized for high-speed data streaming to significantly improve storage performance and an AMD GPU capable of a 4K resolution display at up to 120 frames per second.
In addition, it has hardware-accelerated ray tracing for realistic lighting and reflections, and the Tempest Engine allows for hardware-accelerated 3D audio effects. Other elements include the DualSense controller with haptic feedback and backward compatibility with most PlayStation VR and PlayStation 4 games.