A newPlayStation VR2trailer from Sony touches on the virtual reality platform’s various features. The originalPlayStation VR’s release on the PlayStation 4 proved that there’s an audience for virtual reality games on consoles, though perhaps not as large of an audience as Sony hoped. Nevertheless, Sony’s hoping the PlayStation VR2 on PlayStation 5 will continue to grow the platform, and it’s hoping the updated PlayStation VR2 hardware will help attract new players.
The PlayStation VR2 is tentatively scheduled for release on February 22, just over two weeks from now. The virtual reality headset and its Sense controllers are being bundled together and sold for $549.99. Unfortunately, thePlayStation VR2 will not be backward compatible with PlayStation VR titles, but a launch line-up of over 30 titles should prove an exciting crop for early adopters.
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Sony’s latest trailer for the PlayStation VR2 offers a succinct argument for why PlayStation 5 owners should consider picking up the VR platform at launch. In less than two minutes, the trailer focuses onseveral of the PlayStation VR2’s key selling points. Hardware features include a “4K HDR Display, referring to its two 2000x2040 OLED displays, “Tempest 3D AudioTech” for 3D audio via headphones, “110° Field of View” compared to the 100° FOV of the original PlayStation VR, “Foveated Rendering,” “Eye-Tracking,” and even “Headset Feedback” providing rumble to players' skulls.
The PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers are also a key focus of the new trailer. Features including “Haptic Feedback,” “Adaptive Triggers,” and “Finger Touch Detection” allowing for in-game natural hand gestures are all spotlighted. Hands are how players interact with virtual worlds and the more realistic hand presence is, the more immersed players can feel. It’s understandable why Sony is focusing on the Sense controllers just as much as it is the headset itself. Plus, Sony has to separate the PlayStation VR2 headset’s Sense controllers from theoriginal PlayStation VR’s awkward Move wands.
One other aspect of the trailer worth calling attention to is the use of footage from upcoming PlayStation VR2 games. For each feature touched on, some gameplay is shown.Games includingHorizon Call of the Mountain,Gran Turismo 7,Resident Evil Village’s VR Mode,Dark Pictures: Switchback VR,Pistol Whip,Crossfire: Sierra Squad,Firewall Ultra, andAfter the Fallare all shown, at least briefly.
Not everyone is ready to try virtual reality yet, but this short trailer for Sony offers a compelling summary of what the PlayStation VR2 offers for PS5 users who think they might be ready. The PlayStation VR2 is a clear step forward from the first PlayStation VR and a true competitor to modernPC VR headsetsin form and function. It’s expensive, though, and may be lacking a system-seller launch game. It’s still impressive technology, nonetheless.
