We’re not any closer to knowing how much Sony’s PS VR2 headset will cost or when it’ll be released, but we now have a much clearer picture of how setting the headset up and playing it will work thanks to a new PlayStation blog. If you’ve used a Meta Quest 2, it should be pretty familiar.
See-through —
Unlike the original PS VR which used a hacked together combination of PlayStation Eye camera, lights on the headset, and PlayStation Move controllers, the PS VR2’s inside-out tracking means the cameras on the headset can enable new features.
“See-Through View” — which can be enabled in the PlayStation Control Center or by pressing the function key on the side of the PS VR2 headset — let’s you switch to a black-and-white feed of your surroundings if you need to find your controllers, take a drink, or check your phone. It’s pretty much exactly like the passthrough mode that Meta’s Quest headset offers.
Set up —
The same goes for setting up your play area before you load up a game. The PS VR2 can map your room (a bit like a mesh map based off the GIF) that you can fine-tune by drawing a boundary with the PS VR2’s Sense controllers. Much like the Guardian system on the Quest 2, if you step outside the boundary, the PSVR2 can switch to see-through view to make sure you don’t bump into anything.
Broadcasting —
Unique to the PS VR2, if you have a PS5 HD camera, you can broadcast yourself playing PS VR2 games with your body superimposed in the corner, perfect for showing yourself flailing.
When you sit down to play games, Sony also notes that you’ll have two distinct options for how you actually experience them. A cinematic mode that presents the PS5 UI and non-VR games on a giant movie screen with support for a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution with either a 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate. There’s also VR mode, with VR games displayed in 4,000 x 2,040 resolution (2000 x 2040 per eye), with either a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate.
Standing out —
With so many similarities to its other modern VR brethren, where the PS VR2 will have to standout is the game experience it can offer being wired to a PS5 — with higher resolution screens, haptic headset feedback, and Sony’s ability to curate great games.
It’ll be interesting to see where it actually lands when it comes out — the blog mentions more information on a launch date is coming “soon” — but for now, if you’ve used Quest 2, you have a pretty good idea of how it’ll feel using the PS VR2.
