After months of slowly cranking out new details surrounding the PS VR2 headset, Sony is now pulling back the curtain on two of the most important details surrounding the new device: its price and release date. $549.99 USD is the official MSRP for the new VR headset—more than a PS5 console itself. Pre-orders will go live this month, and customers will be able to finally experience the new headset for themselves on February 22, 2023.
With the $549.99 asking price, you’ll get the PS VR2 headset, along with the new PS VR2 Sense Controllers, and Sony-made stereo headphones.
To charge the controllers, Sony is selling the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller charging station as a separate SKU that will run you $49.99 USD. Thus, the price for the total package (before tax) is actually $600 USD. This means that if you buy a PS5 Disc Edition and the full PS VR2 package, you’ll be paying around $1000 (not including any games, PS Plus Subscription, etc.)
In other words, prepare for some monetary damage.
Pre-orders for the PS VR2 will go live “solely through PlayStation’s online store at direct.playstation.com” as of November 15, 2022. This will apply to customers in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg, specifically.
As for customers “in other markets”, as Sony puts it, the new VR headset “will be sold at participating retailers, with pre-orders beginning on November 15.” As to exactly which retailers will be carrying out the pre-orders, information will be released locally by the retailers themselves.
The new PlayStation VR2 headset builds upon the foundation established by the original PS VR by introducing all-new “Sense Technology”.
This allows for new, more advanced features and functionality, including “headset feedback, eye tracking, 3D audio, and the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback from the PS VR2 Sense controllers.” Altogether, this is meant to a provide a richer, more pronounced sensory experience than what the original PS VR headset for PS4 was ever able to produce.
Sony has released key specs for the headset, as well. It features an OELD display, with a panel resolution of 2000 x 2040 per eye. The panel sports a refresh rate capable of both 90Hz and 120Hz with adjustable lens separation. FOV comes in at around 120 degrees. The headset also has vibration. Four cameras are used for headset and controller tracking with an IR camera for eye-tracking each eye. The sensors include a six-axis motion sensing system and an IR proximity sensor.
Considering all of the tech that’s being packed into the new PS VR2, its price shouldn’t come as too much of a shock. That said, considering that competing popular VR headsets like the all-new Meta Quest Pro from Facebook are starting at prices like $1,499.99 for just the headset itself, Sony is undercutting the competition by a great degree.
Much like the PS4 + original PS VR headset proved to be a very economical entry-point into the world of virtual reality, so does the PS5 + PS VR2.
True, it is a bit more expensive than the PS4 package, but it does look set to provide a much more advanced experience. This is thanks to not only all of the tech within the PS VR2, but, of course, also the greatly more powerful capabilities of the PS5.
Source: Sony
