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Has waning hype freed VR to shift up a gear in 2022?

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INSIDE PSVR2

While Sony’s second PSVR headset was announced in 2021, CES was used to reveal technical specifics, placing PSVR2 as a rival to higher-end sets on the market today, with a resolution of 2,000x2,040 pixels per eye and a 110-degree field of view. Valve’s Index may improve on the latter point, but Sony is nevertheless committed to considerable performance, alongside refined accessibility, with a single cable connecting the unit to a base PS5. Eye tracking is perhaps PSVR2’s standout feature, although efforts underway with Meta’s Project Cambria headset suggest that it will include similar functionality. Where Meta may not match up to Sony’s approach is with the PSVR2 headset’s feedback mechanism, which is based on the lauded rumble technology used in DualSense controllers, albeit powered via a single motor rather than a pair in tandem. On the tracking side, meanwhile, PSVR2 incorporates an insideout system, removing the need for an external camera.

Following the explosion of interest in modern VR thanks to 2012’s Oculus Rift Kickstarter, the energy surrounding the scene has fluctuated, spiking with the launch of hardware such as PSVR and Oculus Quest, but nowadays taking a back seat to metaverse and cryptocurrency hype in many investors’ eyes. Rather than harming the efforts of VR hardware and software developers, however, this reduced profile may end up benefitting everyone involved. Out of the spotlight, the market has continued to grow significantly – driven lately by strong Oculus Quest 2 sales – while on the big stage Sony chose PSVR2 as its headline story at CES 2022 on January 4.