Video game giant Sony confirmed its next-generation virtual reality headset at the tech event CES 2022. The announcement of the PlayStation VR2 comes after recent news about the Metaverse, an upcoming project by Meta Platforms Inc. that aims to use augmented and virtual reality experiences to create an immersive world of cyberspace.
PSVR2 is not Sony's first foray into the virtual reality market, as the original PlayStation VR implemented PlayStation Move controllers and was compatible with both the PS4 and PS5. This new PlayStation VR2 headset is set to be a more powerful, more immersive experience than its predecessor.
Everything Confirmed About PlayStation VR2 So Far
Sony confirmed several notable things at CES 2022, including the name of the peripheral's new VR controllers: the Sense controllers. Images of the Sense controllers were revealed by Sony in March 2021, but the CES announcement including the product's official name provides a clear connection to the PS5's DualSense controllers. Sony's announcement emphasizes new headset-based controller tracking, meaning that cameras are embedded in the headset itself in order to track players' head and body movements. This eliminates the need for an external camera, a peripheral that the original PSVR headset required to function.
Presenters at CES 2022 heavily focused on the PSVR2's ability to create a more immersive gaming experience, and the new features that help achieve that. Enhanced control tracking is intended to keep up seamlessly with a players' movements, supposedly letting them forget they're holding controllers in the first place. New sensory features have also been added to the Sense controllers, like haptic feedback that create real-life sensations to mimic what's happening in-game and adaptive triggers similar to the PS5 DualSense controller. The PSVR2 headset also promises haptic feedback, though it's unclear to what extent.
One of the biggest features announced is eye-tracking technology, which was leaked last year. This feature means that the VR headset senses when a player moves their eyes without moving their head. Sony says that eye tracking can potentially produce an additional input for some games, and presenters focused on the "improved social expression" that eye-tracking can provide. The PSVR2 headset promises upgraded visual fidelity, offering OLED screens at a 2000 x 2040 display resolution per eye, though this same idea was already implemented in the earlier PSVR model.
However, the next-gen device will be outfitted with several top-of-the-line abilities intended to make virtual worlds more beautiful. Presenters revealed that its screens will support 4K HDR in addition to OLED, and will provide an expanded 110-degree field of view allowing players to see more at once. The company also confirmed foveated rendering, meaning the headset will use eye tracking to lower the quality of view in a player's periphery, simulating the real world and greatly reducing the rendering workload on its hardware.
The new PSVR2 also already has a confirmed AAA title. Created by Guerilla Games and Firelight, the next installment in the Horizon series will be a PSVR2 exclusive called Horizon Call of the Mountain. This will be the third game in the franchise following the upcoming release of Horizon: Forbidden West. Horizon Call of the Mountain is still in development, and only one short teaser trailer is currently available to fans, who will now have to purchase PSVR2 if they want to play every game in the growing series. There is no confirmed release date for the PlayStation VR2 or Horizon Call of the Mountain, and while Sony has confirmed all of the official specs for its upcoming VR headset, its price point has also yet to be announced.