It's official – PlayStation VR 2 is coming early 2023

The PlayStation VR 2 is coming early next year

(Image credit: Sony)

Sony's next PS5 VR headset will land early next year. Sony announced the news in a tweet from the official PlayStation Japan account.

The tweet translates as simply: "Early 2023 release #PSVR2"

2023年初頭発売#PSVR2 pic.twitter.com/z9Nha5EwfxAugust 22, 2022

Sony announced the headset back in January and has since been drip-feeding us tidbits about it. These include images of the design in February, more than 20 launch titles in May, and news of a Cinematic Mode in July.

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Cinematic Mode offers a flat virtual screen for movies and non-VR games, whereas VR mode is for gaming in 360 degrees. The former tops out at 1080p (with HDR support), while VR mode serves up visuals in 4K.

That's thanks to the PlayStation VR2's 4K OLED screens equipped with HDR support and 90Hz/120Hz refresh rates. They combine to create a 110-degree field of view with a display resolution of 2000x2040 pixels per eye.

PSVR2 also promises improved tracking of both your head and your controller, courtesy of cameras embedded in the VR headset. Look one way and it'll be reflected in the game without needing an external camera.

It brings new sensory features, too. The headset vibrates thanks to haptic feedback, so if you get shot in the game, a vibration will let you know about it. Or during a tense part of the action, your headset will throb along with the character's pulse.

New eye tracking also lets you carry out certain actions just by looking. So you could glance down to the left to reload your weapon, for example. And a see-through mode will let you use front cameras to see your surroundings without taking the headset off, so you can find your controller, say – think of it as like talk through or ambient aware mode on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, but for visuals, rather than audio.

Apple is rumoured to be working on a VR headset of its own. The latest rumours say it could launch in January 2023, so that might be a busy time in the VR space.

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Joe has been writing about tech for 20 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine (now defunct), Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more. His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.