PS5 VR aka PSVR 2: Price, Release Date, Specs, News, and Rumors

What we know about the upcoming Playstation VR headset

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Tim Fisher
VP and General Manager, Lifewire.com

Tim Fisher has 30+ years' professional technology experience. He focuses on support and Microsoft topics but is an expert in all areas of tech. He's also the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.

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Tim Fisher
Updated on June 16, 2021

Now that the PS5 is in distribution, Sony has begun releasing tidbits of information on their next-generation VR headset. A variety of patents awarded to Sony are also good indicators that they are hard at work on an update to the current PSVR.

Sony U.S. patent drawing 10695665

When Will the PSVR 2 Be Released?

The official word from Sony is that we won't see the PS5 VR until after 2021.

The company's senior vice president of R&D, Dominic Mallinson, told CNET "it's good to have a little breathing space between those things" in a clear signal that consumers should just sit back and enjoy their PlayStation as-is for now.

Lifewire's Release Date Estimate

Sony has confirmed that we won't see the VR system this year, and a recent Bloomberg report claims that the company is aiming for a next-year holiday period release, so we're not expecting it until late 2022. Given that the company is focused on getting the PS5 out to consumers and are having a tough time doing it, it's likely the focus will remain on the console for the near future. That places a VR headset squarely in the backseat for marketing and distribution for now.

Price Rumors

Sony doesn't do anything inexpensively so we're expecting the new PSVR to start at $399. The original PSVR was priced at $499 but has now settled firmly into a $349 price tag so it makes sense a brand-new, upgraded version would set consumers back just a bit more than the current product.

The closest competitor, the Oculus Quest 2, is priced at $299 to $399 and Sony will undoubtedly want to be seen as the premium option. Still, a high price tag doesn't help position VR as something for the average consumer, which is what Sony needs to achieve if it wants to capture the mass market. Since the PS5 (with disc) is priced at $499, the company needs to come in lower than that to help consumers see it as an accessory worth buying.

Pre-Order Information

No pre-order information will be available until Sony makes an official announcement.

The Latest News About the PS5 VR

You can get more gaming news from Lifewire on all kinds of topics; here are more stories and rumors about Sony's plans for the PSVR 2.

PS5 VR Features

We found multiple patents awarded to Sony for executing a video game being played by a user via a head-mounted display. For example, in September 2020, a U.S. patent was granted involving 'motion capture data indicate of motion of plurality of markets disposed on a surface of a first subject.'

Sony U.S. patent 10783690 drawing

Another U.S. patent we saw was granted in June 2020, clearly shows a headset user playing on a cloud-based gaming network. The description is intriguing: It appears to indicate the re-creation of gameplay sessions in the cloud, which could indicate two users in separate locations can play a VR game together.

A Sony U.S. patent drawing showing cloud gameplay

Based on these and other rumors we're hearing, we think you'll see the following in a next-gen VR headset from the company.

  • Foveated rendering to reduce peripheral vision image quality and reduce rendering requirements
  • Improved resolution (2000×2040 per eye), pixel quality and refresh rates
  • Avatars
  • A single USB-C cable connecting the headset with the PlayStation
  • A lighter-weight headset overall
  • Cloud gaming options for interactive play in remote locations
  • Built-in front and rear cameras capable of tracking controller movements
  • Built-in microphone
  • Improved controllers which use haptic technology to improve sensations of pushing, pulling, grasping, and pulsing and can apply finger tracking
  • Controller sensors which can determine which hand is holding the controller and remap buttons accordingly
  • Gesture-based shadow banning (via a patent filed in 2017)

Techradar claims to have found evidence of the future of VR in the new PS5 game Astro's Playroom and a Twitter user named Lumen started a flutter about other potential PS5 references to VR. However, Ask PlayStation UK is firmly encouraging users on Twitter to use current accessories with the PS5 so any 'clues' could just be red herrings.

PS5 VR Specs and Hardware

At this point, only Sony knows what's coming. But we expect the next-gen VR headset to incorporate aspects of the PS5 specs. Custom graphics based on AMD's Radeon RX 5000 series, for example; a refresh rate of 120 fps; and 1,000ppi should be part of the new headset.

Next generation lenses, too, should appear and the field of view is expected to increase to take in more detail.

PS5 VR Controllers

Sony revealed the PS5 VR controller in March 2021. The orb-like design looks ergonomic and will, according to Sony, allow developers more freedom to create unique gameplay experiences. The controllers have exciting new features like adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and finger touch detection for smoother and more realistic gameplay.

Hands in the PSVR 2 controllers

Sony
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