PSVR 2 for PS5 aiming for Christmas 2022 release date – report

Assuming the PS5 shortage has eased up a little bit, it looks like Sony’s PSVR 2 could be the most requested gift under the Christmas tree in 2022.

Bloomberg reports that Sony is “aiming to release the successor in the holiday period next year,” citing sources familiar with the company’s plans who asked not to be named for obvious reasons.

Said sources also indicated that while other companies like Facebook and HTC have made the switch to LCD panels for virtual reality goggles, PSVR 2 will be sticking with OLED displays made by Samsung.

That means better faster response times and better contrast, although given the report suggests that other manufacturers had moved away from OLED because it’s easier to reach higher resolutions without prices spiralling out of control, we may find PSVR 2 is on the expensive side when it finally arrives. 

Of course, Sony has said very little about PSVR 2 so far, other than that it is officially in the works, but so far leaks have suggested a big upgrade on the original model. That’s hardly surprising given it will have been a full six years between launches if Bloomberg’s sources are correct, but it does sound like the experience will be enormously different when it arrives. 
For starters, picture quality should be vastly improved.

A recent UploadVR report suggested that the screen resolution will jump from 960 x 1080 per eye on the original model to 2000 x 2040 – which combines to a 4K display overall. To ensure things run smoothly, the device will apparently use foveated rendering – a technique which tracks the eyes and lowers the image quality for things you’re not looking directly at.

We’ve also heard that PSVR 2 might use inside-out tracking as seen on the Oculus Quest 2, with cameras on the headset itself, negating the need for the somewhat fussy PlayStation camera and potentially allowing for room scale VR gaming. That’s a big difference, given the original model required you to face the camera at all times.

We’ve reached out to Sony to ask if the 2022 release date cited by Bloomberg is something they’re working towards, and will update this piece with the company’s response.