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Sony's Sense PSVR 2 controllers, revealed last year.
Sony Computer EntertainmentSony pulled a little surprise at its CES 2022 press conference, teasing a few more details of its expected next-gen VR headset for the PlayStation 5. And, a little peek at a game.
The hardware is, indeed, called the PlayStation VR 2 (not a surprise), as Sony explains in a new, detailed blog post. And its funky controllers are called PSVR 2 Sense controllers, similar in spirit to Sony's DualSense controllers. But the more interesting news is the exclusive game revealed: Horizon Call of the Mountain, a game that looks to be set in the same game world as Horizon Zero Dawn.
The VR headset promises to have unique vibrating feedback and controllers with advanced haptics, along with eye tracking, a 110-degree field of view and foveated rendering, a technology that focuses only on where the fovea of the eye is looking to maximize resolution, getting more graphics punch with fewer pixels.
Sony's PlayStation Head of R&D Dominic Mallinson suggested eye tracking could be likely back in a 2019 conversation with CNET.
It looks to be one of the big game-changing VR headsets expected in 2022. Here are the key specs we know so far:
- OLED displays, with 2,000x2,040-pixel resolution per eye, 90Hz and 120Hz frame rates
- 110-degree field of view
- Eye tracking, and foveated rendering
- Adjustable lens separation
- In-headset vibration
- 3D audio
- Built-in microphone, and audio-out headset jack
- Four external cameras for tracking
- Single USB-C connection
- Controllers with USB-C ports, Bluetooth 5.1, rechargeable batteries, 6DoF tracking, finger tracking using capacitive touch buttons and infrared, haptics and specialized haptic triggers like the DualSense controller
What we still don't know: a lot
Even though Sony seems to have dumped a ton of information our way, there are still a lot of unknowns about the PSVR 2 that we hope to find out sooner than later:
How much does it cost?
Sony still hasn't put a price on the PSVR 2, which suggests...it won't be cheap. The original PlayStation VR cost $400 for just the headset back in 2016. With the PSVR 2's eye tracking, higher-end display and fancy controllers, this could end up costing at least as much as the PlayStation 5. But that's all speculation.
When is it coming out?
Sony said the PSVR 2 is coming in 2022, but does that mean by the holidays or sooner? There's no big rush, but it would be nice to know.
What games will it have?
Sony revealed one PSVR 2 game, but how great will the rest of the lineup be? Sony could dip into its exclusive game library, or get timed exclusives from indie developers. The first PSVR launched with a number of notable games, and the PSVR 2 will need interesting games to sell the hardware.
Will it be backward-compatible with all the old PSVR games?
Odds are, according to reports, it will be backward-compatible with existing PSVR games. That would make sense because PSVR games on PS4 already work on the PS5 with the first-gen hardware. It'll also help give the new headset a starter library; Sony could also update more of those games with PS5-optimized graphics.
Is there any chance it could be wireless?
Sony confirmed the headset is tethered with a USB-C cable, but it's theoretically possible a separate wireless adapter could be sold to untether the headset for active fitness-type games. It's hard to imagine 360-degree Beat Saber with that USB-C cable on.