Pre-orders for Sony’s highly anticipated PlayStation VR2 will begin later this month, with the headset set to hit retail shelves on February 22, 2023. The virtual reality (VR) headset will have a starting price of 550 dollars (or approximately 45 rupees). 454), the company said in a blog post on Wednesday. The retail box includes the headphones, controllers and stereo headphones.
Users will be able to pre-order the PlayStation VR 2 on November 15, exclusively on the official PlayStation Store for buyers in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. In other regions, pre-orders are expected to start from November 15. The India launch, however, is yet to be confirmed.
The PlayStation VR 2 is not a standalone headset, just like its predecessor. This means the headset needs to be connected to the PlayStation 5, which costs an additional Rs 50,000. The hardware and design of PS V2 have been updated. A new design has a color scheme that matches the PlayStation 5 and a similar but smaller headband-type visor than the first-gen PS VR. Gamers can experience an improved screen resolution of 2000×2040 per eye, eye tracking and 120Hz refresh rates. The headset will also come with two Sense controllers, offering similar levels of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers seen on Sony’s DualSense PS5 controllers. The device also offers eye tracking, which the first generation PlayStation VR headset did not support and will no longer require an external camera.
Sony initially said that up to 20 games will be available when the new Playstation VR2 headset goes on sale next year. The list includes Horizon Call of the Mountain and Resident Evil Village.
Sony’s announcement of the retail availability of the Playstation VR 2 headset comes at a time when Apple is expected to launch a consumer-focused mixed reality headset next year. Meta, the parent of Facebook, has also been investing significantly in the development of virtual reality hardware. The company recently unveiled the new Quest Pro headset that costs $15,000 and offers mixed reality features.
The Japanese tech giant first shared details of the next-generation headphones earlier this year. According to a Bloomberg report in October, Sony plans to make 2 million units.