Is PS VR2 The Future of Immersion?

PS VR2 is the virtual reality headset currently in development at Sony for use with the PlayStation 5. First announced in January 2022, Sony’s recent business briefing has outlined the new generations’ four key selling points. Much like the PS5’s DualSense controller, the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller will feature haptic feedback and adaptive triggers; the headset itself will be connected to the player’s PS5 console with a single cord and have enhanced resolution and tracking, and there will be more than 20 immersive games at launch.

Back in January, Senior Vice President of Platform Experience Hideaki Nishino described the PS VR2 as combining “eye tracking, headset feedback, 3D Audio, and the innovative PS VR” Sense controller to create an incredibly deep feeling of immersion” and, with everything we currently know about the system, it is hard to disagree.

More than 20 “major first-party and third-party” games will be available at launch, with Sony clearly looking at Horizon: Call of the Mountain as a potential system seller. Guerilla Games’ previous two titles Horizon: Zero Dawn and Horizon: Forbidden West have both been critical and commercial smash hits; making an icon out of protagonist Aloy and pushing the power of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation5 to their limits. Imagine you are climbing up a giraffe-like Tallneck in first-person, the sound of the wind whooshing all around you; you reach the top, and a small flock of Glinthawks catches your eye. The PS VR2 tracks your eye movements, allowing you to follow these Vulture-like avian machines through the sky and down to the ground where they begin scavenging on the body of a Grazer. You see a hyena-like Scrapper approaching through the grass and, knowing you need its heart to get more equipment, you equip your bow. As you pull back the string of your bow you feel the PS VR2 Sense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers kick in. Fighting against the tension you line up your shot, and release…
 

 

It might be wishful thinking, but VR could provide gamers with the most immersive experience possible. If the systems can get made. In April Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants shared a report on LCD screen shipments on Twitter. Written by Dr. Guillaume Chansin, the report concludes that “with high contrast displays and no visible screen door effect, the PSVR2 is likely to be a hit among gamers”. However, according to Young, expectant fans of PlayStation and virtual reality may have to wait a little while to get their hands on the next generation of PlayStation VR. Young predicts a “big jump forecasted” for 2023 and any delays in production are likely a result of COVID-19 and Russian sanctions. Sony has struggled to acquire parts for PlayStation 5 consoles and is undoubtedly in the same predicament with the PS VR2. In today’s briefing, however, they outlined plans to source “multiple suppliers for greater agility in unstable market conditions” and develop their “ongoing logistical negotiations to maintain optimal PS5 delivery routes”.

Since the release of the PlayStation 5 in November 2020 gamers have had to wait patiently for a chance to get involved in the new generation of gaming. For fans of virtual reality gaming, that wait might just be a little longer.
 

Alex David Johnson
News Editor, NoobFeed