Gaming and Console News
PSVR 2: Everything we know about Sony's rumoured PS5 headset
Jade King Contact via Twitter | September 15, 2020 1:03 pm BST
Virtual reality has been on an unusual journey these past few years. While it's far from being embraced by the mainstream, experimental gameplay experiences have helped expand the medium in some fascinating ways. Out of all the headsets on the market right now, PlayStation VR is easily the most successful.
Requiring only a PS4, PlayStation Camera and an insane amount of wire management to play, PlayStation VR struck a chord with casual players that simply couldn't be found on PC. There wasn't a need for overpowered hardware to experience anything the peripheral had to offer, with dozens of worthwhile exclusives now gracing the platform.
However, with PS5 on the horizon, rumours are abound that a new version of PlayStation VR is on the way, building upon its predecessor in some fascinating ways. We have compiled everything you need to know about PSVR 2 including all the latest news, release date, specs, games and more.
Related: Best PSVR Games
PSVR 2 – What is it?
While nothing official has been confirmed, PlayStation VR 2 will presumably be a successor to the original headset, building upon it in a number of fascinating and, hopefully, intuitive ways.
We'd love to see it support the existing library while abandoning the cumbersome over-reliance on external power supplies and cables – although we'll dive more into what we want to see later on.
For now, it's rumoured to feature wireless capabilities, finger-tracking and a bunch of other potentially fascinating features. However, only time will tell what ends up confirmed.
Release date – When is the PlayStation VR 2 coming out?
Given it hasn't been formally announced, PlayStation VR 2 is likely a long way off, and won't materialise until the launch of the PS5 at the earliest.
We imagine it will emerge in 2021 once the new console has had a chance to settle into our gaming lives and we're ready to bite at another presumably expensive product. It would also give developers who focus on the virtual reality space to pump out some meaningful experiences which take advantage of powerful new hardware.
Related: PS5 vs Xbox Series X
Spec and rumours – What is the latest PSVR 2 news?
While nothing official has been revealed, that hasn't stopped an avalanche of rumours from emerging online, whether it's through registered patents or obscure forum posts hinting towards what's to come in the future. A recent patent registered by Sony Computer Entertainment hints towards new controllers developed for a virtual reality headset.
It shows that PlayStation VR 2's controllers could be capable of tracking precise finger movements much like the Oculus Touch and Valve Index, opening several new avenues in terms of gameplay and general interactivity. It would be a vast improvement over PlayStation Move, which continues to use technology from over a decade ago, and to be honest it's more than noticeable.
Another patent, although a little less recent, provides a solid look at the headset itself, which is a stark departure from what came before. Coming from LetsGoDigital, it showcases the headset itself which appears to come fitted with front and rear cameras that will enable inside out tracking in a similar manner to Oculus Quest, and this will all be thanks to alleged Bluetooth connectivity.
The controller that appears in the patent also features a camera which may serve a similar service, although is vastly different to the one seen in more recent filings. Chances are that none of these are fully representative of final hardware, although the features discussed within them could certainly come to light in the final design.
PlayStation VR 2 wishlist – Three things we'd love to see
1. Wireless connectivity
Being able to use your headset wirelessly without the need for an external power box and a bunch of cumbersome cables would make the experience so much more enjoyable, and accessible for those who aren't willing to litter their room with a bunch of unsightly wires for extended periods of time. It became a nuisance with the original model, especially if you didn't have a huge amount of space to play around with.
Sony would be wise to take cues from the Oculus Quest and its evident success as a wireless marvel, transforming the virtual reality space so much that being connected to wires now feels like a well-worn relic. The only worry is that such a feature might be accompanied by major costs, or a drop in potential resolution and visual fidelity to make such a change possible. Only time will tell, but it's something we'd love to see implemented into PSVR 2.
2. Exclusives from major Sony properties
Despite blockbusters like Blood and Truth and Astro Bot: Rescue Mission proving that PlayStation VR is a forced to be reckoned with when it comes to exclusive titles, Sony's beloved library of exclusive properties remain largely untouched. We've not seen the likes of Uncharted, Infamous or Killzone grace the new medium, even though in some ways they'd be absolutely perfect for it.
We'd love to see PlayStation VR become a more commonplace member of the PlayStation family, adopting its existing family of properties while continuing to create and build upon new ones – since we believe there's plenty of room for both with millions of headsets already in the homes of players. With the presumed power of PS5, perhaps we'll see more advanced visuals that help make such ideas possible.
3. More realistic controllers
While they served a good purpose, the PlayStation Move controllers felt archaic compared to Oculus Touch and Vive Wands, failing to represent hand movements in a way that felt sufficiently lifelike. You were pretty much swinging around fancy Wii Remotes, with 1:1 movements simply not being possible with the technology contained within them.
Recent patents hint at hand-tracking and other exciting features which might grace PlayStation VR2, and we've love to see such things become a reality with the new headset. Not only would it be more fun, it would also put a console-based headset on the same playing field as its PC counterparts.
Jade King
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Gaming Editor
Jade is the Gaming Editor at Trusted Reviews. She handles all things gaming whether it be news, reviews, events or silly features. Seen at outlets such as MTV UK, Kotaku and Trusted Reviews (obviously…