Sony PlayStation VR2 preview: everything we know so far about PSVR2 for the PS5

Sony PlayStation VR2 release date

In February 2021, a post on the official PlayStation.Blog broke the news that the PS VR2 wouldn’t be released before the end of 2022, quite a surprising prediction considering that was a full two years before launch. But it proved to be accurate…

An August 2022 announcement stated that ‘early 2023’ was now the release window for the new device, followed by an early November announcement that the launch date is 22 February 2023. For people in the UK, US, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, the PS VR2 can be pre-ordered now from the Sony PlayStation Direct store. 

Rumours have suggested that the continued shortage of PS5 consoles could be partly to blame for the delayed launch. After all, there’s no point in launching peripherals for a console that many people are still struggling to get their hands on. However, as of early 2023 it seems that the supply issues are finally easing.

Sony PlayStation VR2 design – what does the headset look like?

Sony first unveiled the PlayStation VR2 on its blog on 22 February 2022. It turns out that was actually a whole year before the launch date. If you haven’t seen the original PSVR for a while you might struggle to tell the difference. Put them side-by-side, though, and the new version is undeniably sleeker and lighter than its predecessor. It certainly looks like it belongs with a PS5.

While it might not look dramatically different, then, on the inside the PS VR2 features some neat new tech to bring it in line with the competition. A pair of 120fps, 4K HDR OLED displays will combine with eye-tracking tech to do a better job of tricking your brain into thinking what you’re seeing is real, while four external cameras mean your head movements are more accurately reflected in the virtual world. There’s also a new vibration motor that will make you feel every bump, blast and bullet.

Setup should be simpler too, with just a single cable connecting the headset to your PS5, while there are more ways to fine-tune it to ensure it fits comfortably, including a new lens adjustment dial. There’s also a new vent design that should help to stop the screens fogging up and your bonce overheating during long sessions away from the real world.

“Our goal is to create a headset that will not only become an attractive part of your living room decor, but will also keep you immersed in your game world, to the point where you almost forget you are using a headset or controller,” wrote Hideaki Nishino, Sony’s SVP of Platform Experience, when unveiling the headset.

And while the outside of the headset might be pretty much what we expected, there’s a surprise on the inside.

While we will probably never find out what exactly is humming away inside the PS VR2 (Sony never publicly released that information about the original model), we do know that there will be one processor in the headset, taking the feed from the PlayStation 5 and sending it to the screens, and another in each hand controller. This is the first time MediaTek, a Taiwanese company that makes processors for phones by Honor, OnePlus and Xiaomi, has made a chip for a VR system (MediaTek’s involvement was announced in November 2022).

What will the controllers be like to use?

We knew what the PS VR2’s controllers would look like a whole year before the headset itself had been unveiled – and they should be a vast improvement over the repurposed PlayStation Move controllers used to interact with the original.

Not dissimilar in design to the Oculus Touch controllers, the orb-like handsets use some of the same technology found in the PS5’s DualSense pad, including analogue sticks and buttons, precise haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers that provide different levels of resistance depending on what’s happening in the game.

They’ll also be able to detect where your digits are positioned without even having to press a button, which should mean even more precise virtual interactions. We recently saw the VR2’s finger touch detection in action, via a Tweet embedded below, that seems to show how the VR2’s finger tracking will work in action. If the video is to believed, it looks like the VR2 will offer a big boost to hand gesture accuracy and interactivity by a decent margin.

Best of all, there’s no glowing ball on the top and no camera needed to track them – the PS VR2 headset will do that itself.

What will the Sony PlayStation VR2 interface look like?

While we’re yet to strap on the headset ourselves, Sony gave us the next best thing recently. In a post on the official PlayStation blog, product manager Yasuo Takahashi revealed See-Through view, which lets you toggle from your game to a view of your surroundings. We’ve seen similar on Valve, Oculus and HTC headsets, so it’s great to see Sony adding the function here.

You’ll be able to adjust your play area using the VR2’s remotes and cameras, expanding or restricting the space if it wasn’t quite detected automatically.

There’s also a broadcast function, letting you hook up a PS5 HD Camera and film yourself playing in VR. Streamers should be able to cut down on the kit needed to start broadcasting, as it can all be handled directly on the console rather than via a PC.

Sony PlayStation VR2 launch games

For all of its clunkiness and limitations, the PlayStation VR was ultimately saved by an excellent selection of games, bringing together VR faves like Beat Saber and Superhot VR with originals like Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, Tetris Effect, Blood & Truth, and quite a lot more.

Now, we’ve finally got a list of more than 30 games that will are lined up for release within one month of the PS VR2’s launch. Horizon Call of the Mountain, No Man’s Sky, Resident Evil Village and a free PS VR2 update for Gran Turismo 7 are set for launch day. Our stand outs so far include puzzle game The Last Clockwinder, the tripped out Rez Infinite and boxing sim Creed: Rise to Glory.

The full list of announced games so far are: After the Fall • Altair Breaker • Before Your Eyes • Cities VR • Cosmonious High • Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition • The Dark Pictures: Switchback • Demeo • Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate • Fantavision 202X • Gran Turismo 7 • Horizon Call of the Mountain • Job Simulator • Jurassic World Aftermath • Kayak VR: Mirage • Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat! • The Last Clockwinder • The Light Brigade • Moss 1 & 2 Remaster • NFL Pro Era • No Man’s Sky • Pavlov VR • Pistol Whip • Puzzling Places • Resident Evil Village • Rez Infinite • Song in the Smoke • Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition • Synth Riders • The Tale of Onogoro • Tentacular • Tetris Effect: Connected • Thumper • The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners: Ch. 2: Retribution • Vacation Simulator • What the Bat • Zenith: The Last City

Additional reporting by Dan Grabham, Jack Needham and James Laird