Sony released its first Virtual Reality headset in the year 2016. As it was the first of its kind from the company, it has certain drawbacks. Firstly, the build quality was okay, and it has a single camera for movement tracking, which sometimes is inaccurate with your movement. So after waiting for almost six years, Sony has announced that it is working on a new Virtual Reality headset called PlayStation VR 2 (as announced by the company). It is also known as PSVR 2.
Everyone will expect them to overcome the drawbacks they faced in the original PSVR and wish it would bring new features to compete with competitors like Oculus (now owned by Meta) and HTC. Here we will discuss all the good and bad about this newly hyped Virtual Reality headset and evaluate how good it is compared to others.
What will you see here?
Overall Summary
This PlayStation headset is a work of art as the company has improved and upgraded numerous things from its predecessor. It now has a new design that looks futuristic and a new controller that replaces the standard PS one. It also is very suitable for the virtual reality experience as it now has a 2000 x 2040 4K HDR screen with a refresh rate adjustable from 90 Hz to 120 Hz, foveated rendering, 3D audio, haptic in both headset and controller, etc.; which makes it worth trying.
When there are many positives, we can neglect its negative points. The main negative is that it is still not a standalone gadget. One has to connect it to Playstation 5 through a USB-C to immerse into the Virtual Reality world. Although the set-up is quite easy as one doesn’t have to set up cameras like before to track their movement, the gadget includes its built-in 4 cameras in front to detect the movement. One has to plug in one USB-C to start playing. The other negative is that the edges of the screen are a bit hazy like the one in its predecessor. However, it won’t hinder you and will immerse you in the virtual world. It is now available for pre-booking, which one can do on its official website, and will be available from February 22, 2023.
Specs at a glance
Let’s take a glance at PSVR 2 specs:
- 4K HDR OLED Screen
- 90Hz to 120Hz refresh rate
- 2000 x 2040 per eye resolution
- 110 degrees of field view
- 3D Audio
- USB-C tethering
- 3 gyroscope and 3 accelerometer motion sensors
- 4 front-facing cameras for movement tracking
- Haptic on both headset and controller
Price and Availability
After an announcement, Sony kept its price and release date secret for quite a long time before revealing it recently. Also, Sony didn’t share it in its hands-on event. Firstly it was assumed to be launched this year but by denying all the rumours. Sony has announced the official launch date. Now, It is ready to be launched on February 22, 2023, and pre-booking starts on November 15 this year on its official website.
Also, Sony has announced the official price for their new VR device. It will launch at $549. 99 / £529. 99; this standard package includes controllers and headphones. Sony also offers another package, which will cost you $599. 99 / £569. 99, in which you will also get the digital code of Horizon: Call of the Mountain alongside controllers and headphones.
Anyone from the UK, US, Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany can book their pre-orders through the official PlayStation website. Sony will announce the availability for other users soon.
Design
Coming to the design aspect of PSVR 2, it is somewhat light in weight as compared to its predecessor. It weighs around 600 grams. Sony has made as many changes as it could possibly make. However, it is still not a standalone device. It must be attached through Playstation 5 using a USB-C cable to use it. One would have liked it if it was a standalone device, although there’s not much setup required as its wired design requires only a single cable to attach to PS 5.
PSVR 2 headset now features four front-facing cameras to detect your movement, less than five in Meta Quest Pro but very much as compared to a single in the original PSVR. It also contains six motion sensors, to be precise 3 gyroscopes and 3 accelerometer motion sensing systems.
Moreover, when using a Virtual Reality headset, the most important thing to consider is how much time you can wear it or say how comfortable it is to wear a headset. In that context, Sony has considerably changed its elastic strap with a visor-like headband which you can fit with just a click of a button. It is quite adjustable and comfortable too. And also, in front, there’s a rubber shield which acts like a light blocker so that you can feel fully immersed in the VR world.
Furthermore, it has an in-built motor which observes the blood rush or how the person reacts in a tense situation and enacts it in the game to give a more realistic view. Also, to increase this experience, the headset has haptic feedback through which you can feel a vibration on your head when you come in contact with anything in the game.
Display
In terms of display, Sony’s gadget knockout Quest 2 in many aspects. Firstly, Oculus launched its quest 2 with a 90 Hz refresh rate which was later increased to 120 Hz. However, PSVR 2 has adjustable frame rates from 90 Hz to 120 Hz. Also, the pixel that PSVR 2 provides is higher than Quest 2. It has a 2000×2040 OLED display which will enhance your Virtual Reality experience.
PSVR 2 has a 110-degree field view, which is quite suitable for an immersive experience, and supports 4k HDR. Also, it comes with foveated rendering. It is a fancy feature which is dependent on eye tracking. It follows what your eye sees and shows that in the sharpest details. Eye tracking is now the normal norm in the world of headsets. Every other headset now uses eye tracking to enhance the user experience.
PSVR 2 also have 3D audio, which enables the user to hear a sound from the direction where in the game it is coming from. Considering these features hands-on, this headset will change how you consider its previous headset.
Sense Controllers
This time, Sony has not considered bringing back its standard PS controllers, which accompanied its first Virtual Reality headset. PSVR 2 Sense controllers now have a design which is a bit similar to the Meta Quest and has an additional circular part that will fit you around your knuckle. On each controller, there’s one analog stick and triggers, and secondary buttons are placed around each other.
Playstation has improved its haptic feedback a lot. Even the controllers have haptics as they vibrate while playing PSVR games. Also, while using triggers, you will sense some movement or vibration varying by the weapon you use. PSVR 2 controllers also have finger touch detection, which detects how the fingers are placed on the controllers and acts accordingly. In Playstation 5, you’ve felt Sony’s excellent haptics in Dualsense touch controllers.
The charging station which will charge these controllers is confirmed to be launched at $49.99 / €49.99 / £39.99. There’s no clarification on how much time it will take to charge it. We will get to know it only after it arrives in the market.
Games
Now coming to the thing for which the PSVR is mostly used. Yeah, you guess it right, GAMES. One can play various games on PSVR 2, but Horizon: Call of the mountain is the most technically advanced among them. This is because this game is specially built for particularly this headset in mind.
Horizon: Call of the mountain has a vast area of gameplay. It is quite interactive, as one can climb the rocks and look below while on some extent of height, and it is quite amazing watching a gigantic mechanical dino walk above your head. Moreover, the haptics takes things beyond as you can feel the vibrations while taking a bow and arrow in your hand and also feel a dino walk directly overhead. In short, you will be immersed in the world of apocalyptic Jurassic Park.
The next game one can try is Resident Evil Village. The makers have officially announced that it will make it, especially for PSVR 2, which will be quite advanced on the built ground. Resident Evil will utilize the Playstation VR 2 headset’s 4K HDR display, its tracking ability of the eye, etc., and provide a more immersive experience. The negative is the hazy edges that happen while playing. Even though it felt a bit hazy, the overall experience was great.
Apart from these two, there are multiple games that can be played on this Playstation headset. Some of the below mention games are worth trying:
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution
- After the fall
- Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord
- Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition
- Among Us
- Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue
- Hubris
- Jurassic World Aftermath Collection
- Samurai Slaughter House
Conclusion
There are now numerous VR headsets available in the market. However, the main competitors in this field are Sony, Meta and HCL. With its announcement of Quest Pro, Meta entered into the MR world, though the pricing of its headset is quite high. So if you are not interested in MR and your only purpose is to play Virtual Reality games, then you must consider Playstation VR 2.
From the screen resolution of 2000 x 2040 to 4k HDR and 90Hz to 120Hz refresh rate, it has all expected from it. Also, there are a lot of options in games to enjoy and experience the virtual world. Also, touch detection comes in handy to interact with the VR world. If you are a game freak, you should consider it as the cost is also par.
Read More:
PSVR 2 (Playstation VR 2): Fully Immerse you in Virtual Reality!
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Design
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Display
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Controllers
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Battery Life
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Pricing
Summary
After the release of Sony PlayStation VR in 2016, all are eagerly waiting for Sony to come up with another VR Playstation that can compete with the likes of Oculus (now Meta) and HTC. So to fulfil the want, Sony has announced its PlayStation VR 2 (also known as PSVR 2) and started pre-booking on its official website. The new PSVR will come with upgraded haptics and 2000 x 2040 per eye resolution to give you a more immersive experience.
