PSVR 2 specs and features - everything we know so far

PSVR 2 has enjoyed its first few months on the shelves. Despite reports that it hasn't sold as many units as Sony might have liked, there have been very few negative reviews of the platform, and with more games being confirmed for it each month, it's worth being excited about. PSVR 2 is up there with the top VR gaming options you'll find, and we're here to tell you more about it.

In our PSVR 2 review, we found that Sony's latest visor has some great value for money. For a lot less than a PC VR headset, you get a top-class feature set, as well as a few bells and whistles that best VR headsets struggle to compete with. The 120Hz OLED display even brings softer, more illustrative visual styles to life in breath-taking ways, so high-fidelity games like Horizon Call of the Mountain look simply stunning. The controllers are some of the best you'll find on the market, using Haptic Feedback and trigger resistance to ground you in whatever game you're playing. The spatial tracking is accurate and free of fuss. Overall, we awarded PSVR 2 four and a half stars.

PSVR 2 will cost you $549.99 / £529 / €599.99, and it launched on February 22, 2023. For one purchase, you'll get the headset, a set of VR 2 Sense controllers, and some stereo headphones that can fit directly into the headset thanks to a handy headphone jack in the headband's design. After an initial period of only being available through PlayStation's Direct store, you can now get the headset from a slew of retailers both in the UK and the US, which is welcome news.

What is PlayStation VR 2?

PSVR 2 is Sony's next step into the world of virtual reality, building on the original PlayStation VR headset that was released for the PS4 system in 2016. The new PS5-exclusive headset promises a boosted resolution, new eye-tracking system, wider field of view, and a new controller-headset tracking system to replace the old (and sometimes unreliable) LED-PlayStation Camera method. 

PlayStation VR has held its audience well over the course of the last five years. While it still remained a fairly niche peripheral during its lifetime, we saw regular releases and a devoted fan base spring up around the system. Supplies, however, have dwindled over the last few years leaving many VR hopefuls searching for PlayStation VR bundle stock as Sony phases its previous headset out of its lineup.

Where to buy PSVR 2

For the initial launch period, gamers in the US, UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg were only able to pre-order PSVR 2 through the official PlayStation Direct store. 

Pre-orders became available on November 15th but were only awarded to those who registered interest and managed to secure a unit during their allotted pre-order window. 

Now, PSVR 2 is gearing up for a retail release from other sources, as PlayStation announced the news recently:

A selection of online retailers in the UK have already been spotted to list PSVR 2 including Amazon, Very, as well as smaller retailers like OnBuy. At the moment, any third-party listings seem to show a price that's well, well above the MSRP, and while we can't be certain of the third-party retail price in the coming weeks and months, we'd always recommend trying to get as close to the launch price as possible. 

Sony's Direct store will continue to stock PSVR 2, and will likely be the best place to find consistent stock levels. We've used our price comparison software down below to bring you the best prices and deals on PSVR 2 in your area. Once more retailers begin to stock the headset, more deals should start appearing in the widget we've built.

PSVR 2 specs

PSVR 2 has an impressive set of features and specs for the money you spend, especially compared to the best PC VR headsets on the market. This list of features includes the ability to see your surroundings via the 4 frontal cameras, 4K resolution at 2,000 x 2040 per eye, and an OLED HDR panel at refresh rates of 90Hz or 120Hz.

New vents will stop overheating during use and a lens adjustment dial for inter-pupillary distance means everyone can experience picture-perfect VR. Finally, those who battled against the wires of the original system will be glad to know that the whole headset connects with only a single tether. You'll find all the PSVR 2 specs we know just below:

PSVR 2 price

PSVR 2 will cost $549.99 in the US. In the UK, the new headset will set you back £529.99 inc VAT. For your money, you get the headset itself, a set of VR 2 Sense controllers, and stereo headphones.

If you'd prefer a game included in your purchase, you can get the PlayStation VR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle for $599.99 / £569.99. This includes the headset, controllers, headphones, and a PlayStation Store voucher code for Horizon Call of the Mountain.

Additionally, you can get a PSVR 2 Sense controller charging station for $49.99 / £39.99, which helps to free up the PS5 console's USB charging ports by charging the Sense 2 controllers free from the console itself. 

PSVR 2 features

A Sony blog post dated July 26, 2022 gave us our first insight into some of the new features heading our way with PSVR 2. From being able to see your surroundings directly through your game content to broadcasting your movements in-stream, there's plenty of exciting new experience elements to get excited about. Some things, like haptic feedback, haven't been seen in the VR market before. Other features like eye-tracking have been seen before, but not in VR headsets of this price range.

See-through view: PSVR 2 packs front cameras on its main headset panel, which means you can switch your view between gameplay and your surroundings either through the Control Center or by hitting a button on the device itself. Sony also states that there is no recording option for see-through view as well. 

Broadcasting: Sony also announced that players with a PS5 HD Camera will be able to broadcast themselves playing the new VR system, sending footage directly to a stream at the same time. 

Custom play areas: Defining the play area has always been a tricky spot for VR headsets. Some use pricey tracking systems, while others simply keep you rooted to the spot to avoid accidental damage or injury. PSVR 2 will use a custom mapping system, utilizing cameras in the headset itself and the PSVR 2 Sense controllers to pinpoint the exact play area. Once you get too close to a pre-defined boundary, the system will alert you. 

Cinematic mode: If you'd prefer to play your regular PS5 games in your own headspace, the PSVR 2 will allow you to enable Cinematic mode. This essentially casts your PS5 system to the inside of your VR headset, streaming your gameplay and content in 1080p and up to 120Hz.

Foveated Rendering: Foveated rendering is a fancy way of saying that the new headset will use eye-tracking technology to help you navigate menus and much more. In a game, the resolution of the display will be focused on where your eyes are looking, mimicking how our vision actually works. This type of feature is usually reserved for the most expensive VR headsets on the market, so it will be very interesting to see how Sony makes use of it.

PSVR2 Games: Full launch lineup

While we aren't exactly sure about the games that will be available on launch day, and which ones are just "launch window", we do have a broad collection of games that could be either. See below:

• Horizon Call of the Mountain (Firesprite, Guerrilla)
• Gran Turismo 7 (via free update to PS5 version of GT7)
• The Dark Pictures: Switchback (Supermassive, launch window)
• Jurassic World Aftermath (Coatsink)
• Kayak VR: Mirage (Better Than Life)
• The Last Clockwinder (Pontoco/Cyan Worlds)
• Resident Evil Village (Capcom, via free update to PS5 version of RE Village)
• After the Fall (Vertigo Games)
• Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition (ILMxLAB)
• Altair Breaker (Thirdverse)
• Moss 1 & 2 Remaster (Polyarc)
• Before Your Eyes (Skybound Interactive, launch window)
• Cities VR (Fast Travel Games)
• No Man’s Sky (Hello Games, launch window)
• Cosmonious High (Owlchemy Labs)
• Tetris Effect: Connected (Enhance)
• Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition (Survios, launch window)
• Demeo (Resolution Games)
• Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate (MyDearest Inc., Perp Games)
• Fantavision 202X (Cosmo Machia, Inc.)
• Pavlov VR (Vankrupt)
• Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
• Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat! (Gemdrops, Inc.)
• The Light Brigade (Funktronic Labs, purchase includes PS VR and PS VR2 versions) 
• NFL Pro Era (StatusPro, Inc., free PS VR2 upgrade)
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners: Ch. 2: Retribution (Skydance, launch window)
• Townsmen VR (Handy Games)
• Vacation Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
• Puzzling Places (Realities.io, free upgrade)
• Pistol Whip (Cloudhead, free upgrade) 
• Rez Infinite (Enhance)
• Song in the Smoke (17 Bit)
• Synth Riders (Kluge Interactive, free upgrade)
• The Tale of Onogoro (Amata K.K)
• Tentacular (Devolver)
• Thumper (Drool LLC)
• What the Bat (Triband)
• Zenith: The Last City (Ramen VR, free upgrade)

PSVR 2 vs the competition

By the time PSVR 2 drops, the Oculus Quest 2 will be entering its third year on the market, and the premium HTC Vive Pro 2 will have more than a year under its belt. That means Sony is having to future-proof its specs as much as possible in order to be able to compete with the releases of the last couple of years this far down the line. 

In terms of price, the PSVR 2 is closest to the likes of the HTV Vive Cosmos Elite, and the HP reverb G2. The HTC Vive Cosmos Elite weight in at $749 / £599. Meanwhile, the HP Reverb G2 will set you back $490 / £623. Both of these headsets have similar resolutions to the PSVR 2, albeit with LCD displays as opposed to an OLED one. They also have similar FOVs, but without the special Sony features like eye-tracking.

The Oculus Quest 2 offers a cheaper entry point, but is much more limited in terms of ways to use it. At present, you can tether the headset to PC, but you need to have a facebook account to make the most of it. PSVR 2 is also more futureproofed in terms of features and specs, despite being more expensive.

For its features, the PSVR 2 is much closer to the Vive Pro 2 even though it has a much cheaper price. When last we checked, the HTC Vive Pro 2 is listed at $1,280 / £2,101 - its cheapest price in 30 days. But in terms of features, PSVR 2 is the only headset we know of that will match the Vive Pro 2's eye-tracking, or come close to its resolution.

High-end VR users will likely stick with the boosted 2448 x 2448 per eye resolution, 120° field of view, and tried and tested tracking prowess of the Vive Pro 2, along with the plethora of games already aimed at the system. However, PSVR 2 will likely win out among Sony fans for sheer value, even with the PS5 price folded in.

With that said, both the Oculus Quest 2 and HTC Vive Pro 2 are already winning in the game department. While we know Horizon: Call of the Mountain and an additional 11 games are heading to PSVR 2, Sony still has a much smaller development pool for new VR content than Meta and HTC. Oculus Quest 2 already has a massive catalogue of titles small and large, and the Vive Pro 2 has all the might of Steam behind it. 

You'll find all the key specs of the current market just below:

• Back to top

PSVR 2 vs PSVR: what's the difference?

Sony promised that PlayStation VR 2 would provide "dramatic leaps in performance and interactivity" when it first announced the system in February 2021. Now that we have a clean spec sheet in front of us, we can start to pick apart Sony's dream of a next-generation virtual reality system and, so far, things are looking good. 

The PSVR 2 offers a substantial upgrade in terms of per-eye resolution, bumping the previous 960 x 1080 panels up to 2,000 x 2,040 4K. Throw in new HDR support and a slight bump to the field of view (110° over the previous 100°) and the difference between PSVR 2 and PSVR is going to be immediately apparent. 

Not only is PSVR 2 going to look better than its predecessor, though, but it will also track better. The original PlayStation VR system relied on LED tracking by the console and a PlayStation Camera. However, PSVR 2 has cameras integrated into the headset itself for a far more reliable experience. Plus, the new generation will also bring eye tracking to Sony's VR systems for the first time, enabling foveated rendering. 

One of the biggest features to separate PS5 from PS4 is also making its way to PSVR 2. Sony is building a lot of its work with the DualSense controller into the new system, enabling new haptic feedback in both the headset itself and the Sense controllers. 

You'll find a full spec breakdown for both systems just below.

• Back to top

The biggest PSVR 2 news: a timeline

PSVR 2 launch day - February 22, 2023

PSVR 2 launched to the masses for general purchase, and within the week Sony announced more games that would be coming to the platform during a State of Play broadcast.

Review embargoes lift - February 16, 2023

Reviews for PSVR 2 released on February 16, just shy of a week before the global launch of the platform. Review scores were overwhelmingly positive across the board, with many outlets (including us), praising the high level of VR quality that was on offer for the money.

Launch line-up revealed at CES 2023 by Sony - January 5, 2023

Sony gave a brief conference at CES 2023, in which they revealed news about Project Leonardo, PS5, and more. This included news about PSVR 2's launch line-up of games. The company announced that more than 30 games were in development for PSVR 2, including a free VR update for Gran Turismo 7. Finally, Beat Saber was confirmed to be in development for the new headset.

PSVR 2 pre-order invitations continue to be sent out gradually - December 2022

Pre-order invitations continued to arrive in people's inboxes, even those who didn't initially register their interest. This continued through Christmas and the new year beginning, which suggested there was still pre-order stock up for grabs in the months leading up to launch.

PSVR 2 pre-orders go live - November 15, 2022

Pre-orders for PSVR 2 went live via the PlayStation Direct online store in select markets. People had to register their interest, receive an email from Sony, and click their provided link at their allotted time to secure their pre-order.

Sony confirms PSVR 2 price and release date via the PlayStation Blog - November 2022

The price and exact release date of PSVR 2 was revealed on November 2nd, 2022. A blog post revealed that the headset would launch for $549.99 / £530 on February 22, 2023.

Sony confirms "early 2023" release date - August 2022

Sony's social media channels were ablaze with the announcement of an 'early 2023' PSVR 2 release date. The brand revealed the timeline across Instagram on August 22. 

See-through view, broadcasts, custom play area, and cinematic mode announced by Sony - July 2022

A July blog post from Sony announced four new features heading to the PSVR 2 system. A see-through view will allow you to quickly view your surroundings through the PSVR 2 headset's cameras, while customized play areas can be mapped with the Sense controllers as well. Players will also be able to broadcast their PSVR 2 action using the PS5 HD camera, and view their console's regular gameplay through a 1080p cinematic mode, running at up to 120Hz. 

PSVR 2 speculated to enter mass production in 2022 - May 2022

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo ignited the rumors that PSVR 2 would entry mass production this year, when tweeting that "latest supply chain check suggests that the assembler and several component providers of PS VR2 will start mass production with about 1.5M units shipments in 2H22". If this timeline holds, she explains, the PSVR 2 would be expected to launch in early 2023. 

E3 PlayStation State of Play may feature a "sneak peek" at upcoming PSVR 2 games - May 2022

As E3 2022 looms in the horizon, Sony announces that its June State of Play will focus on new releases heading to its systems. Of course, what else is Sony going to say in this situation - but the kicker here is that rumors have been swirling that we'll see plenty more PSVR 2 games in this year's summer conferences. 

Rumors point to PSVR 2 feature in next PlayStation Showcase - April 2, 2022

An April tweet from prominent PlayStation insider Tom Henderson rumored that the next PlayStation Showcase event will feature the PSVR 2 front and centre. The tweet cites a new email sent by Sony, named "Introducing PlayStation VR2", noting that the brand sent a similarly titled email weeks before PS5 pre-orders went live. 

Developers try PSVR 2 at GDC 2022 - March 24, 2022 

GDC 2022 offered up our first glimpse at how PSVR 2 is shaping up, with developers getting their noggins inside the headset for the first time. Judging from the resulting tweets, we're in for something special with the latest release. 

Sony unveils PSVR 2 design - February 22, 2022 

Sony shared a first look at the design of the new PlayStation VR 2 on the PlayStation Blog on February 22, 2022. The orb-shaped headset is a familiar sight to anyone who owned the previous model, but features a distinct PS5 vibe - all the way down to the tiny symbols imprinted across the headset. We've also learned of a new vent system and a lens adjustment dial placed on the device. 

Sony launches PSVR 2 product page, with details around new Fresnel lenses - February 4, 2022

Sony published its full product page for the PSVR 2 system at the start of February, 2022. While we already knew much of the information in the new site, the page does detail the PSVR 2's use of Fresnel lenses. The original headset didn't use these ridged lenses, but the market has since adopted them as standard thanks to their thinner form factor. However, a recent patent from the brand also reveals that Sony may have fixed a key problem with this lens type - the "god rays" produced by light bouncing off the ridges in unexpected ways. 

Sony has 'nothing to announce' regarding backwards compatibility - January 6, 2022

Journalist Stephen Totilo put the question of backwards compatibility to Sony shortly after the headset's specs and name were officially revealed. However, the company skirted the question, neither confirming nor denying the feature. The jury's still out on whether you'll be able to run previous generation games on the new PSVR 2, but we're not getting our hopes up. 

Rumors have PSVR 2 shipping in Q2 2022 - January 6, 2022

When Chinese site Nweon predicted PlayStation VR 2 to begin shipping from Q2 2022, the world pricked its ears. The site used analysis from prominent Apple and VR analyst Ming-Chi Kuo to inform its speculation, which was heightened further in early January thanks to further support from Kuo.

PSVR 2 name and specs revealed at CES - January 4, 2022

Sony officially announced PSVR 2's name and key specs at its conference at CES 2022 and in a PlayStation Blog post. While we didn't get a look at the headset or a timeline for release, the brand revealed that the next generation will feature a 4K OLED HDR display system with 2000 x 2040 resolution per eye, headset-based controller tracking, feedback built into the headset, and haptic feedback in the controllers, and eye-tracking. 

The first major title for the system was also announced; Horizon: Call of the Mountain is in development at Guerilla Games. 

Sony files patent for PSVR 2 controllers - December 2021

Sony filed a patent at the end of 2021 for an input device using LEDs to communicate with a camera system that looks a lot like the controller renders released earlier in the year. We've already set our eyes on the new globe gamepads, but the new patent gives us more information on LED placement and how those lights will interact with the headset itself. 

Headset design patent discovered - October 2021 

DistritoXR unearthed a patent filing from Sony for a head-mounted display that looks a lot like the original PSVR. There's very little information divulged in the patent itself, however, and the actual filing was made back in 2019.

Rumors of holiday 2022 release date begin - June 2021

A Bloomberg report was published in June 2021, explaining Japan Display Inc.'s pivot to producing OLED displays for virtual reality. While it also suggested PSVR 2 will utilise OLED panels in its design, the highlight of the report suggests that Sony is 'aiming to release the successor [to PSVR] in the holiday period next year'. 

Sony introduces new PSVR 2 controller - March 2021

Sony shared renders of a wraparound controller design on its official PlayStation Blog in the spring of 2021. The new globe-shaped controller will feature "adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, finger-touch detection and more", building on some of the foundational features of the DualSense controller. March's blog post also revealed that controllers will be tracked by the headset itself rather than a separate camera like the original system. 

Sony announces its next generation of VR - February 2021

Promising "dramatic leaps forward in performance and interactivity", Sony announced that it was working on a successor to the PlayStation VR system in February 2021. We learned that the new system will connect via a single cable and "will incorporate some of the key features found in the DualSsense wireless controller." Sony also confirmed that the PSVR 2 release date would not be in 2021.

• Back to top

PSVR 2: FAQs

Interested in what virtual reality can do these days? Check out the best VR games currently available. Or, for a taste of Sony's offerings, take a look at the best PSVR games for the previous system.