PSVR 2 — everything we know so far

PSVR 2 — everything we know then far

(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

As fans go on to fight over limited PS5 restock, Sony is seemingly looking past its supply woes and has begun trickling out information about its next-gen PSVR. At CES 2022, Sony confirmed that it would be called the PlayStation VR two, which we'll telephone call PSVR two for brevity's sake.

VR gaming hasn't still become the de facto way to experience interactive entertainment, though it's at present slowly inbound the mainstream, especially with the success of Facebook's Oculus Quest 2. Given that the PS5 is currently the fastest-selling console in history, there might exist enough buyers willing to requite the successor to the moderately successful PSVR a hazard.

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At the moment, at that place's no firm release date for PSVR two, but co-ordinate to the latest production report, information technology certainly looks prepare to launch sometime in 2022. However, the details about the upcoming PSVR go along surfacing and based on what we're hearing the look could well exist worthwhile.

We now know that Sony's next VR headset will reportedly get a significant upgrade to its field of view, display resolution, controllers and even gaming possibilities, but more on that later.

Below, nosotros've included a roundup on everything in that location is to know about Sony's so-chosen PSVR 2, including all the latest data about a potential release appointment also as speculation on price, features and specs. And be sure to check out our PSVR 2 vs PSVR guide to see all the biggest expected changes.

Latest PSVR 2 news (updated January v)

At its CES 2022 printing conference, Sony revealed the official name every bit the PlayStation VR two. It also confirmed that it will have a 110-degree field of view, a resolution of 2000×2040 per middle and frame rates of 90/120Hz.
Sony appear the first championship that will exist bachelor for the PSVR ii: Horizon Call of the Mount from Guerrilla and Firesprite
Co-ordinate to an industry analyst, the PSVR two is gear up to enter mass product soon, which would likely suggest a full reveal is forthcoming.
A new patent might have revealed a possible design for the PSVR 2, though we're not convinced the concluding product will expect exactly like this
The PSVR two may be backwards compatible, according to a report from ResetEra, and we certainly hope that'due south true because nosotros don't desire to have to accept 2 VR headsets handy

PSVR ii potential release appointment

In Sony's official unveiling of the new PSVR 2 controllers, it told fans upfront not to expect a new virtual reality headset in 2021. That means PSVR 2 volition likely come up out sometime in 2022. That was given more than credence with reports claiming insider information that has the PSVR two tipped to come up out holiday 2022.

Despite this, Sony still felt it was worth letting developers know publicly that a new headset would exist coming and so that game evolution could brainstorm.

"There's yet a lot of development underway for our new VR system, so it won't be launching in 2021, said senior vice president of platform planning & direction Hideaki Nishino in a PlayStation Web log mail service. "But we wanted to provide this early on update to our fans, as the development community has started to work on creating new worlds for you to explore in virtual reality."

And considering Sony is having plenty trouble meeting bones need for the PS5, slipping in a PSVR 2 launch in the center of a pandemic-induced supply-chain nightmare does little good for anyone.

"There'south no reason for us to coincide information technology with a new console. From the point of view of the consumer, to be bombarded with many many things — oh, you lot take to buy this, you have to buy that — is a message that we don't want to send. In some means, it's good to accept a little breathing space betwixt those things," Sony's senior vice president of R&D Dominic Mallinson told CNET when asked about a PSVR two's release back in 2019.

This was as well confirmed by both Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of the platform and PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan.

"I recall nosotros're more than a few minutes from the future of VR," Ryan said in an interview with Washington Post]

A 2022 release date is looking increasingly likely, peculiarly in light of a study claiming the PSVR 2 is set to enter mass production very before long. This news comes via hardware analyst Brad Lynch, who reports that Chinese manufacturer Goerterk has been tasked with ensuring there's enough stock to satisfy demand.

If the PSVR two is set up to enter full-calibration production, then an official reveal is likely merely around the corner. After all, preventing substantial leaks from springing up would be a near-impossible task if the headset is being manufactured in significant volume. Sony will logically want to showcase the virtual reality hardware themselves first.

While its launch will probable be towards the end of the year, this fourth dimension frame gives PS5 developers more time to add VR modes to existing titles or make wholly original VR games. Rockstar is plain working on "an AAA open-world title in VR", co-ordinate to a LinkedIn mail past Video Games Deluxe, the studio behind 50.A. Noire: The VR Case Files. Sony's own Gran Turismo 7 volition almost certainly have VR support.

PSVR ii price speculation

PSVR 2 orb shaped controllers — (Image credit: Sony)

As far every bit the pricing goes, the original PSVR initially launched at $499 for the full set, which was a bit pricey for the average consumer at the fourth dimension. It's at present downwards to $349, packaged with newer PlayStation VR games such as Iron Man VR. The cadre prepare, with only the headset, was $100 cheaper, just it'southward increasingly hard to discover ane of those in the wild.

Information technology'southward unlikely that Sony is going to release a PlayStation VR headset that costs more than the system again. The new Oculus Quest 2 is a relatively affordable $299, while the Oculus Rift S costs $399. Sony wants to grow its VR fortunes, and information technology feels like the new PlayStation VR will probably non intermission $499.

It's likely that Sony will take on Oculus direct and state at the $399 price tag. Combined with the $500 price of the PS5 itself, that nevertheless brings the unabridged side by side-gen PlayStation VR platform under the toll of the Valve Alphabetize, which can toll as much equally $999 with accessories and trackers. We can but hope that by the time of its release, the global bit shortage will meliorate, and the next-gen PSVR (PSVR ii) will not be affected by scalper pricing.

PSVR 2 controllers

At the moment, 1 of the biggest rumored features of the PSVR 2 is its new controller. Sony has dropped the PlayStation Move motion controllers, which were first launched in 2010 with the PS3, and has instead opted for units that look similar to the Oculus Touch controllers. Patents also bear witness that the PS5's DualSense adaptive triggers will likewise make an advent.

The new controllers will each reportedly feature an analog stick, making navigation much easier than the standard PlayStation Move wands. There could also be a tracking ring beyond the bottom of the controller, which is a huge improvement over the single-photographic camera system Sony was using with the PlayStation Center Camera, a low-resolution sensor that launched back in 2007.

One of the latest reports too claims that the controllers will include capacitive touch sensors that can allegedly discover whenever a user is holding the controller or simply interacting with its buttons. And that's not all; the new controller for Sony's next-gen VR organization could even detect the distance to the user'southward fingers, co-ordinate to the source.

PSVR 2 headset

There are a few hints towards a future headset. Sony Japan has a job listing for an engineer to work on "the development of next-generation VR."

"I won't go into the details of our VR strategy today across saying that VR is very important to the states and that the current PSVR headset is compatible with the new panel," PlayStation 5 lead system builder Marking Cerny told Wired dorsum in April of 2019. There are titles coming to the PlayStation 5, like Hitman 3, which are going to have all-encompassing VR back up.

At that place are also several patents out there that mention new VR hardware. The first is a patent for a system to lower motion sickness in VR. Motion sickness is generally caused past the departure betwixt the motility within VR versus the actual movements of the user's head: you might walk forward in VR, but your body isn't moving, thus leading to a disconnect betwixt what y'all see and what you experience.

The system in the patent relies on a vibration motor called the "swing control unit." This unit would match the vibrations with the movement and dispatch of the epitome presented on the headset's screen. Information technology'south a way to bring more than real-globe feedback that'southward matched to the VR game you're playing, thus reducing motion sickness overall.

Sony also has a host of other patents pointing towards a new headset design. One patent shows the PlayStation VR with updated eye and head tracking, allowing the brandish of images with further stereoscopic depth than currently available. Some other points to a new headset with cameras near the nosegap of a VR headset, which would be used to capture the user's facial expressions in real-time.

The near important patent, obtained by LetsGoDigital, outlines a brand-new headset with multiple cameras. Two cameras are included on the front of this potential unit, similar to the new Oculus VR headsets, but the design also adds a camera on the rear strap of the unit and on a new version of the PlayStation Move controller. The patent states that the cameras could be used for a passthrough characteristic, showing the headset user an image of the real world around them. These cameras would exist joined by an array of LED markers, allowing proper tracking of the PSVR 2.

This last patent also mentions the potential of a wireless headset. The patent says that "signals could be transmitted to the [head-mounted display] past a wired or wireless connection". It further states that Bluetooth could be one method of wireless connection with the console.

All told, the patents point towards a very different version of the PlayStation VR. While patent diagrams retain the same basic shape for the headset, the improver of heart-tracking, facial tracking, and multiple cameras means the PSVR 2 can do and then much more. And wireless support would remove the lengthy cablevision and breakout box attached to the electric current PSVR.

A more than contempo patent shows off a similar pattern to the original PSVR, but with a few small changes. The brandish unit is smaller, while the rear headband is noticeably larger than before and the locking wheel has been replaced in favor of a new set up of internal anchors. Though whether this pattern volition be on the final headset is unclear.

PSVR 2 other features and specs

PSVR ii specs

Brandish: Fresnel OLED screens
Resolution: 4K HDR, 2000 10 2040 per eye
FOV: 110 degrees
Refresh charge per unit: 90, 120 Hz
FSR: Flexible scaling resolution concentrates rendering resources on player'due south expanse of focus
Centre tracking: Yes
Haptics in headset: Yes
Controllers: Adaptive triggers, capacitive touch sensors

Sony confirmed that the PSVR2 will take a 110-caste field of view, 4K HDR displays with a resolution of 2,000 x 2,040 in each eye. Both figures are significant upgrades from the current PSVR, which has a 100-caste field of view and a 1920 10 1080 OLED display.

Other features of the new headset include eye tracking, headset feedback, and 3D Audio. Middle tracking allows the VR2 to monitor the movement of your eyes, and then that information technology tin respond without you having to move your unabridged head.

Headset feedback provides haptic vibrations via a single motor during gameplay, while 3D audio also adds to a more immersive experience overall.

psvr 2 controller patent — (Image credit: USPTO)

Playstation's Dominic Mallinson likewise talked about Sony's adjacent-gen wireless VR headset: "Wireless transmission engineering science is getting meliorate every day. New technologies such as 60 gigahertz are allowing for these options to become possible for VR products," he said.

The executive besides talked about the thought of heart-tracking too. Not just did Mallinson talk about eye tracking in terms of user comfort and display calibration, he likewise sees it every bit another form of input for VR games.

"I call up that the gaze tracking is the most exciting change that we'll see in next-gen VR," said Mallinson. "So really, if you look at the history of user input, starting off with keyboards, and and then the mouse, and recently touchscreen interfaces, I seriously think that having gaze as user input is going to exist equally key as each of those changes nosotros've had in the past. That's my number 1 indicate about next-generation VR: Gaze will allow much, much richer user interaction."

PSVR 2 games

At CES 2022, Sony appear the first title that will be available for the PSVR 2: Horizon Telephone call of the Mountain from Guerrilla and Firesprite, which is being built exclusively for Sony'south headset.

Simply that's not all that Sony could implement in terms of gaming on its upcoming VR headset. The company previously said that it will offering "unique experiences that are synonymous with PlayStation," which leads us to believe that at that place might be a potential for AAA exclusives.

PSVR two outlook

The future of PlayStation VR is looking vivid, even if we don't exactly know when Sony is really planning on delivering that future. At least Sony's commitment to VR is strong, which at the moment cannot be said for the Xbox Series X.