Sony’s next-generation virtual reality headset is on the way – here’s everything you need to know about PSVR 2
If the PSVR 2 release date of Holiday 2022 does come to fruition, there are going to be several key players on the field already warmed up. The Oculus Quest 2 will be entering its third year on the market, and the premium HTC Vive Pro 2 will have more than a year under its belt. That means Sony is having to future-proof its specs as much as possible in order to be able to compete with the releases of the last couple of years this far down the line.
The Oculus Quest 2 is the headset most likely to infringe on the PSVR 2 price. At a base cost of $299.99 / £299.99 for a 128GB headset, the Quest 2 will likely come in around $100 cheaper than Sony’s offering (if current expectations are proven correct). By the time the Holiday period rolls around, we will have hopefully also seen more Oculus Quest 2 deals bringing that MSRP down even further as well. Add the fact that you don’t need a console or PC to run the standalone Quest, and more casual players are going to be drawn to Oculus
However, that extra cost does potentially land you some key benefits in the PSVR 2. The Oculus Quest 2 features a lower-resolution LCD screen with a smaller 90° field of view. Plus, it remains to be seen if the Snapdragon XR2 processor can keep up with the power output of a PS5, but it’s looking unlikely. On paper, then, the PSVR 2 is the better headset – though certainly not for everyone. The Oculus Quest 2 is fully contained, wireless, and doesn’t require any additional hardware.
Plus, both the Oculus Quest 2 and HTC Vive Pro 2 are already winning in the game department. While we know Horizon: Call of the Mountain is heading to PSVR 2, the fact of the matter remains that Sony has a much smaller development pool for new content than Meta and HTC. Oculus Quest 2 already has a massive catalogue of titles small and large, and the Vive Pro 2 has all of Steam behind it.
Sticking with the HTC Vive Pro 2, the PSVR 2 is certainly taking a good stab at competing in HTC’s premium space. There are some impressive specs on offer here, and it’s looking likely that the PSVR 2 price will come in significantly lower than the base $749 / £659 cost of the Vive Pro 2 (and that’s not taking the high-end gaming PC to run it into account).
High-end VR users will likely stick with the boosted 2448 x 2448 per eye resolution, 120° field of view, and tried and tested tracking prowess of the Vive Pro 2, along with the plethora of games already aimed at the system. However, PSVR 2 will likely win out among Sony fans for sheer value, even with the PS5 price folded in.
You’ll find all the key specs of the current market just below:
PSVR 2 speculated to enter mass production in 2022 – May 2022
TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (opens in new tab) ignited the rumors that PSVR 2 would entry mass production this year, when tweeting that “latest supply chain check suggests that the assembler and several component providers of PS VR2 will start mass production with about 1.5M units shipments in 2H22”. If this timeline holds, she explains, the PSVR 2 would be expected to launch in early 2023.
E3 PlayStation State of Play may feature a “sneak peek” at upcoming PSVR 2 games – May 2022
As E3 2022 looms in the horizon, Sony announces (opens in new tab) that its June State of Play will focus on new releases heading to its systems. Of course, what else is Sony going to say in this situation – but the kicker here is that rumors have been swirling that we’ll see plenty more PSVR 2 games in this year’s summer conferences.
Rumors point to PSVR 2 feature in next PlayStation Showcase – April 2, 2022
An April tweet from prominent PlayStation insider Tom Henderson (opens in new tab) rumored that the next PlayStation Showcase event will feature the PSVR 2 front and centre. The tweet cites a new email sent by Sony, named “Introducing PlayStation VR2”, noting that the brand sent a similarly titled email weeks before PS5 pre-orders went live.
Developers try PSVR 2 at GDC 2022 – March 24, 2022
GDC 2022 offered up our first glimpse at how PSVR 2 is shaping up, with developers getting their noggins inside the headset for the first time. Judging from the resulting tweets (opens in new tab), we’re in for something special with the latest release.
Sony unveils PSVR 2 design – February 22, 2022
Sony shared a first look at the design of the new PlayStation VR 2 on the PlayStation Blog (opens in new tab) on February 22, 2022. The orb-shaped headset is a familiar sight to anyone who owned the previous model, but features a distinct PS5 vibe – all the way down to the tiny symbols imprinted across the headset. We’ve also learned of a new vent system and a lens adjustment dial placed on the device.
Sony launches PSVR 2 product page, with details around new Fresnel lenses – February 4, 2022
Sony published its full product page (opens in new tab) for the PSVR 2 system at the start of February, 2022. While we already knew much of the information in the new site, the page does detail the PSVR 2’s use of Fresnel lenses. The original headset didn’t use these ridged lenses, but the market has since adopted them as standard thanks to their thinner form factor. However, a recent patent from the brand also reveals that Sony may have fixed a key problem with this lens type – the “god rays” produced by light bouncing off the ridges in unexpected ways.
Sony has ‘nothing to announce’ regarding backwards compatibility – January 6, 2022
Journalist Stephen Totilo (opens in new tab) put the question of backwards compatibility to Sony shortly after the headset’s specs and name were officially revealed. However, the company skirted the question, neither confirming nor denying the feature. The jury’s still out on whether you’ll be able to run previous generation games on the new PSVR 2, but we’re not getting our hopes up.
Rumors have PSVR 2 shipping in Q2 2022 – January 6, 2022
When Chinese site Nweon (opens in new tab) predicted PlayStation VR 2 to begin shipping from Q2 2022, the world pricked its ears. The site used analysis from prominent Apple and VR analyst Ming-Chi Kuo to inform its speculation, which was heightened further in early January thanks to further support from Kuo.
PSVR 2 name and specs revealed at CES – January 4, 2022
Sony officially announced PSVR 2’s name and key specs at its conference at CES 2022 and in a PlayStation Blog post (opens in new tab). While we didn’t get a look at the headset or a timeline for release, the brand revealed that the next generation will feature a 4K OLED HDR display system with 2000 x 2040 resolution per eye, headset-based controller tracking, feedback built into the headset, and haptic feedback in the controllers, and eye-tracking.
The first major title for the system was also announced; Horizon: Call of the Mountain is in development at Guerilla Games.
Sony files patent for PSVR 2 controllers – December 2021
Sony filed a patent (opens in new tab) at the end of 2021 for an input device using LEDs to communicate with a camera system that looks a lot like the controller renders released earlier in the year. We’ve already set our eyes on the new globe gamepads, but the new patent gives us more information on LED placement and how those lights will interact with the headset itself.
Headset design patent discovered – October 2021
DistritoXR (opens in new tab) unearthed a patent filing from Sony for a head-mounted display that looks a lot like the original PSVR. There’s very little information divulged in the patent itself, however, and the actual filing was made back in 2019.
Rumors of holiday 2022 release date begin – June 2021
A Bloomberg report (opens in new tab) was published in June 2021, explaining Japan Display Inc.’s pivot to producing OLED displays for virtual reality. While it also suggested PSVR 2 will utilise OLED panels in its design, the highlight of the report suggests that Sony is ‘aiming to release the successor [to PSVR] in the holiday period next year’.
Sony introduces new PSVR 2 controller – March 2021
Sony shared renders of a wraparound controller design on its official PlayStation Blog (opens in new tab) in the spring of 2021. The new globe-shaped controller will feature “adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, finger-touch detection and more”, building on some of the foundational features of the DualSense controller. March’s blog post also revealed that controllers will be tracked by the headset itself rather than a separate camera like the original system.
Sony announces its next generation of VR – February 2021
Promising “dramatic leaps forward in performance and interactivity”, Sony announced (opens in new tab) that it was working on a successor to the PlayStation VR system in February 2021. We learned that the new system will connect via a single cable and “will incorporate some of the key features found in the DualSsense wireless controller.” Sony also confirmed that the PSVR 2 release date would not be in 2021.
Interested in what virtual reality can do these days? Check out the best VR games currently available. Or, for a taste of Sony’s offerings, take a look at the best PSVR games for the previous system.
Source: gamesradar.com
