During CES 2022, Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan revealed new information regarding the company’s next-generation virtual reality headset, PlayStation VR2.
Following the briefing, a blog post running through all the details was posted on the PlayStation Blog. Senior Vice President, Platform Experience Hideaki Nishino discusses the innovations the company is utilizing in order to enable “a greater sense of presence and allowing players to escape into game worlds like never before.”
As confirmed by Sony, PlayStation VR2 offers a true 4K HDR experience with a 110-degree field of view. The new headset is designed with an OLED display, granting a display resolution of 2000×2040 per eye with up to 120Hz for a smooth gameplay experience.
Unlike PSVR, the PlayStation VR2 has inside-out tracking. This means that players will no longer require the use of the PlayStation Camera. Instead, the movement of the head and controllers are tracked through integrated cameras embedded in the VR headset. The PlayStation VR2 headset is also enabled for eye tracking. Nishino explains that “a simple look in a specific direction can create an additional input for the game character.” With this, Sony promises an additional layer of realism as “heightened emotional response and enhanced expression” can be achieved.
The headset’s Sense Technology combines eye tracking, headset feedback, 3D Audio, and the new PS VR2 Sense controller to gain new levels of immersion, reaching higher than the PSVR headset was able to. The headset will now feature a new sensory feedback feature, adopting the haptic feedback of the PlayStation 5’s haptics. Nishino gives the example of “gamers can feel a character’s elevated pulse during tense moments, the rush of objects passing close to the character’s head, or the thrust of a vehicle as the character speeds forward.” Tempest 3D AudioTech will also be utilized on the headset. The PS VR2 Sense controllers are also said to feature adaptive triggers, a core feature of the PlayStation 5 DualSense.
Sony also confirmed that the new headset will only require a single cord connected to the PlayStation 5 console.
Finally, Sony announced the first PlayStation VR2 exclusive title. Developed by Guerrilla and Firesprite, Horizon Call of the Mountain will bring the world of the Horizon franchise to headsets. This will follow the upcoming release of Horizon Forbidden West in February.
The pricing and availability of PlayStation VR2 have not been confirmed by Sony. Its predecessor launched in 2016 and had a price tag of $549 CAD.
