Gaze through the fog of truth and rumor.
You know how this works.Until an official announcement or release, the rumor mill is buzzing with excitement, pushing every possible (and impossible) feature to the forefront Can Next is coming. We know it’s going to be one of the best PS5 accessories at launch, and based on the success of the original, we know it’s going to offer tons of amazing and unique gaming experiences. While we can speculate on what the hardware will look like, Sony has made several announcements about the PS5 VR (PS VR2), and we can say there’s no denying that it’s true.
PS VR2 Specifications
At CES 2022, Sony officially announced the specifications of its PS VR2 headset. Not only is it much better than PSVR, but it shows that PlayStation is finally taking VR seriously, with specs that rival the Oculus Quest and other headsets on the market. Even more interesting is that it will now offer inside-out tracking along with eye tracking.
| category | PlayStation VR2 |
|---|---|
| equipment | PlayStation VR2 headset |
| exhibit | OLED |
| Panel resolution | 2000×2040 per eye |
| refresh rate | 90 Hz, 120 Hz |
| lens separation | adjustable |
| vision | 110 degrees |
| track | 4 head mounted cameras |
| eye tracking | Yes, each eye has an IR camera |
| sensor | 6-axis motion sensing |
| touch | Single vibration motor |
| vocal | Built-in microphone, stereo headphone jack, support 3D audio |
| cable | USB Type-C |
PS5 exclusive
There’s no question or question about Sony’s future PS5 strategy. While many upcoming PS4 games continue to appear side-by-side with the PS5 versions, Sony has made it clear that the original PSVR was just a PS4 accessory. That doesn’t stop them from releasing new PSVR games, which in most cases also run flawlessly on PS5 with higher quality graphics. But Sony has also made it clear that these games cannot be hardware-specific improvements for the PS5.
These improvements are reserved for PS VR2, and the huge power gap between PS4 and PS5 will feel the full weight of all Sony’s VR hardware enhancements. The second-gen PSVR will be exclusive to the PS5 and will take full advantage of all the advantages the PS5 can bring to VR: better graphics, a higher-resolution display, higher game refresh rates, and loads faster and do more ability to do things. before.
PS VR2 Sensor Controller
Sony previously released a new PS5 VR controller, now called the PS VR2 Sense controller, which is a complete redesign of the PS Move controller from the first-gen PSVR. Gone are the wand shapes and confusing button layouts, replaced by a more elegant design that feels more natural to hold and much easier to use. The controllers themselves look a bit like a mashup between the Valve Index’s knuckle controllers and the Oculus Touch controllers that came with the Oculus Quest 2.
Like the Oculus Quest 2, the new PS VR2 Sense controllers feature a tracking ring that wraps around the controllers, keeping your hands inside so as not to obstruct the headset’s view of either controller. This time, however, instead of using a single camera located below the TV to track your movements, Sony confirmed that the new PS5 VR headset will track the controllers themselves, but didn’t describe the exact technology used to do the tracking.
| category | PlayStation VR2 Sense Controller |
|---|---|
| equipment | PlayStation VR2 Sense Controller |
| track | Six-axis motion sensing, IR LED tracked by headset camera |
| right controller button | PlayStation, Options, Circle, Cross, R1, R2, R3 (stick click) |
| left controller button | PlayStation, Create, Triangle, Square, L1, L2, L3 (stick click) |
| touch sensor | Capacitive Finger Touch Detection |
| touch | Single controller actuator, triggering effects |
| communicate | Bluetooth 5.1 |
| port | USB Type-C (for charging) |
| Battery | Built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery |
While we can speculate on the possibilities out there all day, we’ll just stick to what Sony says for now. Sony makes it clear that “there’s no limit to how your hands can move,” which means a major upgrade to the PS Move controllers on the original PSVR. While we’re still on the topic of movement, the new joysticks on each controller will enable greater mobility in the VR space than current PSVR players can.
The face buttons are much larger, and there are now controller-specific buttons too. This means you’ll find larger, spaced-apart circle and cross buttons on the right controller, rather than the cramped cross/circle/square/triangle buttons on each controller, and the left controller square and triangle buttons. The amazing haptic motors in the PS5 DualSense controller are in these new PS VR2 Sense controllers, as well as those adaptive triggers. This means that when you use these triggers to interact with something in VR, you’ll feel real tension and weight when the trigger pushes back on your finger. Now this is the next generation upgrade!
will use the cable to start
At launch, the PS VR2 will ship with a USB-C cable that connects to the headset. While it’s a shame to still be tethered to a console rather than a wireless solution, there are several advantages to still using this solution for headphones.
First, is battery life. While the Oculus Quest 2 is an excellent wireless VR headset, it only lasts a little over 2 hours on a single charge. You can get battery packs to help alleviate this problem, but that means you won’t be doing marathon VR gaming sessions unless you buy something extra. A wired PS5 VR won’t have this problem, as it’s always powered directly by the PS5.
Second, an in-line solution is simpler and more elegant than the processor box and all the extra cables that the original PSVR required. A cable permanently attached to the headset plugs directly into the USB Type-C port on the back of the PS5. It really doesn’t get any easier than this!
better displays and lenses
PlayStation confirmed that the PS VR2 will feature an OLED display with a resolution of 2000×2040 per eye and support for 90Hz and 120Hz. In contrast, PSVR can only provide 960×1080 resolution per eye, so PS VR2 is a major improvement, increasing the amount of detail players can see.
In addition to the revamped display, Sony has also incorporated new lenses into its PS5 VR headset that deliver sharper images and give players a wider field of view. The original PSVR had a field of view of about 100 degrees, giving it a wider field of view than the Oculus Quest 2 and several other headsets. Still, Sony isn’t content to be just a tad better than these rivals, as it plans to expand its horizons to a wider range. How wide is it? Sony says the PS VR2 will have a 110-degree field of view.
Huge investment in VR game development
While some companies have pulled back on their investments in consumer VR, others — like Sony and Facebook — have been increasing their investments in VR gaming and entertainment over the years. Sony has closed some of its in-house studios, but has also partnered with others and opened new ones, some focused on VR development. In the original PS5 VR announcement post, Sony said they are “continuing to innovate with our new VR system so our fans can continue to enjoy the unique experiences synonymous with PlayStation.”
In this and several other announcements, Sony has signaled its commitment to further investing in VR as the future of gaming and entertainment media, placing that burden directly on the shoulders of the PlayStation brand. Even with the closure of some in-house Japanese studios, Asobi Team, the developers behind the acclaimed Astrobot series, is holding on to what’s to come.
Sony also specifically stated that their “commitment to virtual reality as a gaming medium is stronger than ever,” which further supports everything we’ve seen in the company’s actions. After all, if you don’t take it seriously and support it, you won’t invest in cutting-edge hardware development multiple times!
Currently, PlayStation has only announced one first-party PS VR2 game: Horizon Call of the Mountain. Horizon Call of the Mountain, developed by Guerrilla Games and Firesprite, is a brand new experience in the Horizon universe. Little is known about the game, but Guerrilla said: “The story will be told through the eyes of a whole new character. You’ll also meet Aloy, other familiar faces and new characters along the way.”
release date
This one is a bit more blurry than we would like. Our best guess is that we’ll see this hardware sometime around the PS5’s second anniversary, which will make it fall 2022. I wish we could have given you a better answer, but that’s the case for now.
Sony has made it clear that they are investing heavily in VR and delivering an experience that will surprise people when it debuts. From the Sony and PlayStation brands, we have high hopes, and finally we hope to achieve!
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PS5
$499 at Amazon $499 at Best Buy $499 at GameStop
The next generation is more than just graphics
The PS5 has 4K and cutting-edge graphics up to 120FPS, but it also has a next-gen controller and matching load times.
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