When will the Sony PlayStation VR2 release date be?

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…

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.

What will the controllers be like?

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.

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.

Which games will use the Sony PlayStation VR2?