PlayStation VR 2 has 4K display, eye-tracking and headset feedback
First confirmed title is Horizon: Call of the Mountain, developed by Guerrilla and Firesprite
Sony has revealed the first details of its next-generation virtual reality headset for PlayStation 5.
The device will simply be called PlayStation VR 2, and a new motion-sensitive controller -- dubbed the PlayStation VR 2 Sense Controller -- is also in the works.
No release date, price or images were revealed, but the company confirmed the official specifications via the PlayStation Blog.
A post written by Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president for Platform Experience, claims the technology in the new device would "[take] VR gaming to a whole new level."
The headset itself will have a 4K OLED display, with a 110-degree field of view. Sony claims this will deliver a resolution of 2000 x 2400 per eye, with frame rates of between 90Hz and 120Hz.
Sony has dropped the requirement for a camera, instead using inside-out tracking using integrated cameras in the new headset. Internal cameras also enable eye tracking, meaning PSVR2 can detect what a player is looking at and potentially use that to trigger new options in-game.
The headset includes a new sensory feedback feature: a single motor causes vibrations based on in-game events, simulating things like a character's racing pulse during tense moments, the sensation of a vehicle increasing speed or the feeling of an object whizzing past your head.
Sony is referring to this combination of headset feedback and eye tracking, as well as the PlayStation 5's 3D audio, as 'PSVR2 Sense Technology.' This also includes the new PSVR2 Sense controllers, which will feature haptic feedback and adaptive triggers similar to the console's standard DualSense controller.
The headset will still be wired, connected to the PS5 via a single USB Type-C cable.
Sony also announced the first game being developed for PSVR2. Horizon: Call of the Mountain is a spin-off from Guerrilla Games' acclaimed open-world action series, and is a separate, original game from the upcoming sequel Horizon: Forbidden West.
The game is being developed by both Guerrilla and Firesprite, the latter of which Sony acquired last year.
The original PlayStation VR launched for PS4 in 2016 and went on to sell five million units. In fact, in its early years, the device outsold all PC-based VR headsets, making Sony the market leader in virtual reality for some considerable time.
PSVR is not directly compatible with PS5, although Sony has issued free adapters to those that need them and the console still supports VR games.
In October 2020, Playstation boss Jim Ryan said it would still take a few years for virtual reality to become mainstream, although reiterated Sony's commitment to the technology.
Rumours of a new PlayStation VR have been doing the rounds for a while, and speculation has been rife on how Sony might improve upon the original, perhaps reclaiming its lead in the virtual reality space. Sadly, there is no word on the 'temperature feedback motion controller' or 'fragrance presentation device' that Sony has previously patented.