Sony’s latest PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset will release on the 22nd of February with the cost being… a rather pricey £530 in the UK, $550 in the US and a nice round €600 in Europe.
Of course, the tech on board is a marked step up from the original PS VR released for the PS4 back in 2016, but when you factor in that that hardware cost doesn’t include the (currently still highly ellusive) £400-approx PS5 console required to power it, you’re looking at a considerable outlay in order to enjoy Sony’s next take on VR and their first steps into their metaverse.
And there will be some that will be disappointed that VR2 is missing the 2022 festive period, though through the year this has become increasingly recognised as too far of a stretch.
The basic edition of the PS VR2 will get you the headset and its controllers, in addition to a pair of stereo headphones. For avid VR fans, there’s a pricier option that adds specially-for-VR Horizon spin-off game, Horizon Call of the Mountain to the bundle.
A high price, for high tech
This, of course, means that the new PS VR2 costs more than the actual console it runs on and one of the issues that often surround VR is accessibility, with steep price points playing a major role in adoption. However, the new PlayStation VR2 is still cheaper than some other headsets on the market and the new technology – including luxury features such as eye-tracking – being used makes it stand out against its predecessor.
The PSVR 2 also offers a higher resolution display with a 4K HDR OLED in-headset display, faster refresh rates, and a wider field of view. The controllers have also undergone big changes, with their new rounder look that allows for haptic feedback similar to that experienced with the PS5 DualSense controllers.
Setting up the PSVR 2 is far simpler now too, no more stumbling over cables or needing to connect a processor unit as this time around, everything can be done via a single cable.
The PlayStation VR2 will also see various new games being made available such as next year’s Resident Evil 4 Remake and Supermassive’s horror series The Dark Pictures has a new roller coaster-themed game Switchback VR on the way too.
Pre-orders for the PSVR2 will be available to those in the UK, US, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg starting on 15th November however, you can register for pre-order now on the PlayStation website. PlayStation have noted that bundles will be shipped “throughout the week of launch” so even with a pre-order there’s still a chance users may miss getting their new PlayStation VR kits on the release date.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
