Announcing the news via a PlayStation Blog post, the design is a largely white affair to match the aesthetic of the PlayStation 5 – complete with microscopic PlayStation symbols across its body – and builds upon what was offered with the original PSVR headset. Sony’s SVP of Platform Experience, Hideaki Nishino, explains that the orb-like design of the PSVR2 headset is intended to match the PSVR 2 Sense controllers, with the shape representing “the 360-degree view that players feel when they enter the virtual reality world”. To the rest of the world, it kind of looks like a Quest 2 with four front-facing cameras for tracking, albeit with the same halo design as the original PSVR headset – a fan favourite, according to Sony, offering both great balance and a simple design.
It shares other similarities with the original headset, including the ability to adjust the distance between the HMD and your face and even the placement of the headphone jack, so it should feel somewhat familiar for existing users. Sony is keen to point out that it’s slimmer than the first-gen headset, with a “slight” reduction in overall weight. The use of ‘slight’ in the blog post suggests the difference is negligible, but it’s encouraging to see regardless. Of course, there’s not just a refined design on offer. Sony has added a lens adjustment dial to adjust the distance between the lenses to reflect the distance between your eyes, also known as IPD (inter-pupillary distance) with the aim of improved optics. There’s also a built-in motor – likely built into the front of the HMD – to provide haptic feedback during virtual experiences.
The PSVR2 headset also features an integrated vent system to improve air circulation in the headset and help avoid lens fog, a prevalent issue with most VR headsets – especially in more physically active titles. The design reveal follows on from Sony detailing key PlayStation VR2 specs at CES 2022, touting headline features like 4K HDR optics, improved tracking, new PlayStation VR2 controllers with haptic feedback and a simpler single-cable system that connects the headset and the console. We round up everything – both official and unofficial – about the next-gen headset separately, so head over to the latest PlayStation VR2 headset news for everything you need to know.
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Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You’ll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
