After months of silence, Sony reassures fans by announcing the new generation of virtual reality glasses for its new PlayStation 5 console.
Hideaki Nishino, Sony’s senior vice president of Platform Development, has just announced the desired PS VR 2 virtual reality glasses for PS5.
It is a statement that fans of virtual reality were looking forward to, in the face of Sony’s silence in a medium where it has a wide advantage over Microsoft and Nintendo.
Although he has not revealed specifications, nor the appearance, nor the name (we assume that they will be called PS VR 2), Hideaki Nishino has indeed revealed the first data and characteristics of new glasses that promise “a dramatic leap in performance and interactivity”.
New PS VR 2 from PS5, in Sony’s words, “they improve everything from resolution and field of view to tracking and input”.
An important aspect is that they will connect to the PS5 console with a single cable, which eliminates the most criticized limitation of the current PS VR, which need an intermediate box and 3 or 4 cables to connect to the PS4 or PS5 console.
One of the aspects highlighted in the press release are the new controls: “they will incorporate some of the key features found in the DualSense wireless controller, along with a focus on excellent ergonomics. That’s just one of the examples of future-proof technology we’re developing to match our vision for a new generation of virtual reality games and experiences.”
New version of Oculus Quest 2 with 128 GB of storage. Autonomous virtual reality without the need for cables, PC, or console, to enjoy anywhere.
Once again, Sony is once again focusing on another of the most limited aspects of the current PS VR: the controls. Now he uses the old PS3 Move controllers that don’t have sticks, so they can’t be used in many games where you have to move. And the alternative, the gamepad, breaks the immersion a little.
It must be made clear that the current PS VR are a real miracle of technology. That Sony has managed to run high-quality VR games such as Astro Bot, Wipeout, Blood & Truth and many others with PS4 hardware and glasses that can be purchased for 200 euros, is a very remarkable achievement.
Stroll through the streets of Pompeii, explore the tomb of Nefertari, float over the International Space Station or watch a movie on a 350-inch cinema screen… These are some of the things you can do from your favorite armchair, thanks to the magic of virtual reality.
But as the company itself recognizes in the press release, both in resolution and in screen quality, tracking and cable connection, they have become very outdated with respect to current glasses like Oculus Quest 2 or HP Reverb G2.
Join PS VR 2 with more resolution, more field of view, haptic controllers and quality tracking, coupled with the power of the PS5, they will take console VR gaming to another level.
Sony has not clarified whether the glasses will be able to work autonomously, or they will only work with PS5. A rising trend with the Quest 2, and that perhaps Sony is considering it.
The bad news for fans is that these new PS VR 2 will not come out in 2021. But the note assures that “the developer community has already started working on the development of new virtual reality worlds,” which indicates that they could be ready early next year.
We are left with the last sentence of the press release: “With both PlayStation VR and the next-generation virtual reality system we are building, our commitment to virtual reality as a medium for gaming is stronger than ever.”
Sony is firmly committed to virtual reality because she is convinced, like all those who enjoy this incredible medium, that it can provide unique experiences that are worth enjoying. Hopefully Microsoft and Nintendo will follow in their wake.
