PlayStation has announced, out of nowhere, that its next-gen PlayStation VR 2 kit will arrive in early 2023.
The announcement came via PlayStation’s global social media accounts, including PlayStation AU.
Coming early 2023. #PSVR2 pic.twitter.com/QXwhs79p9O
— PlayStation Australia (@PlayStationAU) August 22, 2022
And, for now, that’s all we’ve got. There are currently no preorder dates and certainly no idea of what stock will look like when it arrives. One hopes the PSVR 2 won’t be quite as hard to get hold of as the PlayStation 5. If it is, we may all be waiting until 2025 to get our hands on it.
Back in February, Sony gave us our first look at the PlayStation VR2 along with more detailed shots of the Sense 2 controllers. The PlayStation VR 2 is Sony’s next tilt at capturing the VR market on consoles. It successfully did this in the PS4 era with the original PSVR unit. It was, however, a VR headset that felt like a proof of concept. Though it was pretty comfortable and its motion tracking was solid for its day, the unit press-ganged the aging PlayStation Move controllers into service. These inputs ultimately held the device back as VR tech developed around superior hand tracking and fine inputs.
Not this time, says Sony. As you can see in the hero pic above, the PlayStation VR has rebuilt its controllers. The new controls resemble those used by the Quest 2, the HTC Vive, and the Valve Index and should function similarly.
The screens used in the lenses are now a pair of Fresnel OLEDs capable of outputting a resolution of 2000 x 2040 per eye. That should help reduce the original PSVR’s relationship to blur significantly. There is also haptics in the headset, so prepare to get battered around the noggin a bit. I’m interested in how that particular functionality will work because the last thing I need from a VR headset is a concussion.
The PlayStation VR 2 joins a tonne of games crowded into Q1 2023. It will be interesting to see what kind of waves it generates when Sony finally drops a confirmed launch date. For now, we wait for a preorder date and word on what the stock levels will look like for launch.