PlayStation VR2 OLED Headset Brings 4K HDR VR Gaming To Sony PS5
If you never got a chance to experience the original PlayStation VR headset, let us tell you, you didn't miss out. It was impressive for what it was, but the poor old PS4 really didn't have the grunt to make virtual reality an enjoyable experience. Remember that for VR, you really need a frame rate somewhere in the region of 80 FPS to achieve anything akin to fluidity. Choppy performance and relatively low specs made the PSVR more of a novelty than something you'd actually want to use frequently for playing games.
Well, that's probably not going to be the case for the PS VR2. Indeed; it's finally real—in a post on the PlayStation Blog, SVP of Platform Experience Hideaki Nishino formally announced the next-generation PlayStation virtual reality headset, predictably called the PlayStation VR2. It's coming along with special motion controllers called PS VR2 Sense. Nishino first teased the headset over ten months ago.
Sony refers to the PlayStation VR2 as "a true next-gen experience," and based on the specifications, we believe it. The company is claiming that the new headset will come in 2000×2040 per-eye resolution, with a 110° field of view. The panel inside the headset will apparently be an OLED with some degree of HDR support, and it will support "smooth frame rates of 90/120Hz." These specifications match up with leaks that we saw in the middle of last year.
If you're not a VR aficionado, let us give you some context. That per-eye resolution beats just about anything short of a Pimax headset—including every Oculus and Valve headset, though not the Vive Pro or its successor—and it's possible that the PS VR2 will be the first VR HMD to market with HDR support. The 110° FoV and 120Hz refresh rate are pretty-well standard, although the OLED panel inside should help ensure clean pixel transitions even at the high refresh rate.
Basic specifications aside, the headset is also going to come with a few unusual features. The motion tracking for the player and the Sense controllers is done through four cameras on the headset itself, which isn't completely novel, but still unusual. The headset also integrates "3D audio" as well as eye tracking, and some form of haptic feedback. Sony says the eye tracking will allow gamers to perform game inputs simply by moving their eyes, which could be quite immersive indeed.
As a notable but easily-overlooked upgrade from the previous model, the PS VR2 will connect to the PlayStation 5 using a single USB Type-C cable for power and data. It'll also have a built-in microphone, as well as a stereo headphone jack. That's right; despite saying that the PS VR2 includes "3D audio," it doesn't seem like there will be any speakers or headphones integrated with the device.
Sadly, Sony left out the most critical details from its announcement: a release date and a price. Given the relatively slow adoption of the PS5 (due mostly to limited availability, not limited demand), we wouldn't be surprised if this one slips into 2023. Keep your eyes on Hot Hardware, though, because we'll let you know as soon as we hear.
