Sony Confirms PlayStation VR2 & First Game, Horizon

PlayStation VR2 (Image: Sony)

Sony is delving deeper into the world of virtual reality with their announcement of their next VR headset, PlayStation VR2. Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan revealed the predictable name of the technology at Sony’s CES presentation on Tuesday.

The release date, price and what the headset will look like are still unknown. We do know that the VR2 will only be compatible with the PS5 and that the VR2 will not be wireless like the Quest 2. It will instead be hardwired.

While the loss of wireless freedom seems like a downside, Sony announced that the headset will feature haptic feedback and internal eye-tracking which has never been built directly into headsets for the average consumer and will bring a cutting edge life-likeness to the game.

The user will be able to “feel a character’s elevated pulse during tense moments, the rush of objects passing close to the character’s head, or the thrust of a vehicle as the character speeds forward,” Sony said of the haptic feedback.

The internal eye-tracking will make it possible to have more control over the game, especially with in-game characters being able to respond to the user’s eye movement and gaze, making it even more similar to real life.

The screen quality is expected to be much better, as Sony has decided to go with pricier technology, the “HDR”-rated OLED panel versus fast-switching LCD.

Sony also announced an official VR game, “Horizon VR: Call of the Mountain.” The game will feature a character, Aloy, as she navigates a forest with gigantic robots. It is still unclear exactly how the game will operate in the way of motion and hand movement.

While there has been no indication from Sony, some predict VR2 will be available toward the end of this year.