It’s official: PS VR2 will arrive at the end of February 2023! Highly anticipated, Sony’s new virtual reality headset will be compatible with around twenty titles to the delight of gamers. But the bill looks very high…
Sony cleverly maintains the expectation of players for its PS VR2 virtual reality headset (PlayStation VR2 of its full name) by distilling details on its design, its technical characteristics, its interface, its functions and on future games. compatible for several months already. In August, the Japanese manufacturer had revealed via a tweet that its new jewel would be available “early 2023”. But we know a little more today, both on its release date and on its price, which may cool some enthusiasm…
PS VR 2: price and release date
The official date has now fallen : PS VR2 will be available on February 22, 2023! Only a few more months to wait to get your hands on it! It only remains to be hoped that, by then, the PS5 – which is the only console compatible with the helmet – will be available more easily – as soon as new devices are available for sale, stocks are immediately sold out.
But another point could well cool the players: the price. Indeed, the basic PS VR2 pack, which includes the headset, a pair of Sense controllers and stereo headphones, will be sold for the modest price of 599.99 euros – that’s more than a next-gen console! A pack including an activation code for the game Horizon Call of the Mountain will also be available for the sum of 649.99 euros. The biggest spenders will be delighted to also be able to get the charging station for the Sense controllers at 49.99 euros. This is not a mandatory purchase since the controllers can be recharged using a USB cable. Pre-orders will be open on November 15 for those in a hurry.
PS VR2: twenty games adapted to virtual reality
The catalog of games compatible with the PS VR2 at the time of its release is growing little by little – as a reminder, the games of the PS VR1 will not be compatible with the new Sony headset. A few titles had already been unveiled during the State of Play in June. The most notable of them is Horizon: Call of the Mountain, which gave us a great insight into the capabilities of the VR2, especially with its breathtaking panoramas. The player will take on the role of a new protagonist, Ryas, to explore the world and fight the machines using his bow. Also eagerly awaited Resident Evil Village will make it possible to face the undead, while Resident Evil 4 Remake will have exclusive virtual reality content on PlayStation 5. The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Chapter 2, No Man’s Sky and Ghost Burster VR are also expected.
PS VR2: the official list of compatible games
Thirteen new titles have just been announced – they will be available for pre-order from November 15, 2022 on the PlayStation online store – which gives a total of around twenty games compatible with PS VR2 by mid-2023:
- The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR (survival horror
- Crossfire: Sierra Squad : (FPS)
- The Light Brigade (FPS)
- Cities VR – Enhanced Edition (city builder)
- Cosmony High (adventure)
- Hello Neighbor VR: Search & Rescue (survival horror)
- Jurassic World Aftermath Collection (infiltration)
- Pistol Whip VR (FPS)
- After the Fall (FPS)
- Zenith: The Last City (MMORPG)
- Tentacular (small UFO)
PS VR2: a more precise and more comfortable headset
The PS VR2 has a very similar design to the PS5: white, futuristic and curvaceous. Its weight should be slightly lower than that of the previous helmet, the PS VR, and therefore more comfortable, in particular thanks to its ventilation system. Compatible with 4K and HDR (High Dynamic Range), it offers a 110-degree field of vision – compared to around 100 degrees for the PS VR – and offers foveal rendering, with a succession of fluid images – which incidentally limits the feeling of motion sickness. Thanks to an OLED screen, gamers will enjoy a display resolution of 2,000 x 2,040 pixels per eye and a refresh rate of 90/120 Hz – for comparison, the PS VR offered a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full UD) for a refresh rate of 120 frames per second and its field of vision is limited to 100 degrees. For more comfort, the helmet has a lens adjustment wheel, which will allow players to better adapt the distance of the lenses between their eyes, and therefore optimize their vision. Finally, the PS VR2 will offer better eye tracking. “A simple glance in a given direction can result in an additional command for the character in the game. This allows players to interact in a more intuitive, innovative and realistic way with the environment.“says Sony on his blog.
The new controllers – supplied with the headset – will feature a six-axis motion capture system (three-axis gyroscope and three-axis accelerometer) as well as finger touch detection and infrared controller tracking . Coupled with 3D audio, they should offer some very interesting sensations, such as the acceleration of the character’s pulse during moments of high tension, the rustle when objects pass very close to the character’s head, and even the thrust of a vehicle picking up speed.
PS VR2: new viewing modes
In a new ticket published on July 26, 2022 on its blog, Sony has unveiled new modes which, if not revolutionary, are still up to date. The first novelty is the presence of a transparency mode which, thanks to cameras placed on the outer shell of the helmet, allows the user to see his environment without having to remove the helmet. A rather practical function, let’s face it. The activation of this mode is done through a control panel, available via a dedicated button on the helmet or a map of the Control Center of the PS5, which allows to choose between the “normal” view of the helmet or the transparent view. . This Control Center, like most VR headsets, provides quick access to other PS VR2 settings, such as adjusting the game space.
This function – already present on the Meta Quest 2 – allows you to play in complete safety. Thanks to the PS VR2 Sense controllers, the integrated cameras and the transparent view, the player can configure the playing area, drawing a safe zone in which he can play without danger. This measure is not new but remains essential. First, the headset scans the room for walls and bulky objects to define the boundaries of the safe zone. Then, the user can adjust these limits, by redrawing them on the ground using one of the Sense joysticks. If it goes out of bounds, a warning message appears on the screen. What to avoid to take a piece of furniture in the heat of the action.
The PS VR2 will also mark the return of cinematic mode in addition to VR mode. It allows you to display the PS5 interface as well as all applications – such as Netflix or YouTube – on a virtual cinema screen in 1920×1080 HDR video format, with frame rates of 24/60 Hz, and even up to 120 Hz according to Sony. However, we can regret the lack of support for video files or Blu-rays in stereoscopic 3D, which was nevertheless present on the PS VR.
Additionally, PS VR2 will emphasize streaming by allowing the player to film themselves and stream content while playing. We do not know, however, if it will take accessories to take advantage of it, Sony is content to promise others “many exciting new features“, without revealing more.
In any case, 2023 promises to be the year of virtual reality (VR for Virtual Reality in English) and augmented reality (AR for Augmented Reality in English). Several digital giants are working hard on the subject, in particular Apple, which should soon release a revolutionary headset, announced – and hoped – as as innovative as the iPhone in its time. Meta – which developed the Occulus and Quest VR headsets – is also in on the action, with its new high-end Meta Quest Pro headset, which should mark a significant turning point in the development of the metaverse – even if its exorbitant price does not make it accessible only to large companies and developers. It remains to be hoped that the prices for obtaining all these technological jewels do not end up turning against the manufacturers. Because, as beautiful and incredible as it is, a product is worthless if no one can get it…