The PlayStation VR2 is launching globally today, February 22, 2023. Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan officially kicked-off the global launch of the PSVR2 in a blog post published few hours from now, highlighting the “exciting milestone in PlayStation’s history” which has been “several years in the making”. The PSVR2 will sell globally for $549.99 (roughly Rs 45,500), but as expected there is no word from Sony on India availability just yet.
Ryan’s blog post is fairly crisp and concise giving readers a quick sneak-peek at the PSVR2’s three marquee features— headset eye tracking and feedback, and sense controller haptics. The idea, as it is on the PS5, is to give gamers a sense of deep immersion whether it be in VR games and experiences, or the headset’s cinematic mode that would also allow them to view non-VR content. Horizon Call of the Mountain will seemingly be the PSVR2’s golden showcase, at launch, but Ryan’s post is quick to point out that the headset is launching “with dozens of games and 100 more titles [are] in development”.
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The PSVR2, which is a follow-up to the original PSVR from 2016, has been a highly anticipated product and it’s abundantly clear that Sony has put its heart and soul into it. One of the biggest improvements is coming by way of portability and ease of use. Unlike the first-gen model, the PSVR2 connects directly to the PS5 and has cameras built into the headset itself for tracking. Sony will also let you “see-through” the headset by simply pushing a button so you can be more aware of your surroundings when needed. The field-of-view has also been increased to 110-degree (versus 100-degree in the original) and foveated rendering can theoretically entail higher graphical fidelity.
There’s a lot of impressive tech inside the PSVR2 but its real test would be how compelling the games are and of course, general availability. The PS5, as impressive as its hardware is, is still rare to get your hands on in markets like India where Sony is still following a flash-sale-like approach to sales. The PSVR2 doesn’t even have a proper release date yet. But if history is anything to go by, it won’t be surprising if it follows the PS5 in availability roadmap. But we’ll see. Watch this space for more updates.
