VR gaming isn’t really something everyone is fond of, if we are being honest. But there is a huge enthusiast community out there that loves hanging out inside the virtual world. Oculus Quest and PSVR are some of the most notable VR headsets available in the market. Earlier this year, PlayStation VR 2 got announced, providing a much-needed refresh to the original.
New PlayStation VR 2 Trailer
PlayStation VR 2 upgrades the original PSVR with quite a list of new features. Sony has been teasing new features since the announcement. Finally, we have a brand new trailer that seems to showcase many of the features of the new headset.
Changes in the PSVR 2
The trailer ‘Feel a New Real’ showcases the most prominent changes in the PSVR2. Following are some of the notable changes:
Display and Lenses
The original PSVR is renowned for being the only headset in its class available on the market without Fresnel lenses, which are known to induce glare (in exchange for other benefits). On the other side, PSVR 2 will switch to Fresnel lenses like the rest of the industry.
Additionally, PSVR 2 keeps the eye-relief option from the first PSVR, which helps adjust the vision for comfort and accommodates users who wear spectacles. The display will feature 4K HDR content consisting of 2 2000*2040 OLED displays.
Moreover, the field of view of the headset has also been increased. The original PSVR had a FOV of 100°, while PSVR 2 will feature 110°.
Enhanced Eye Tracking
The PSVR was one of the early VR headsets that integrated eye-tracking. The feature is being improved in this generation by using ‘Foveated Rendering’. It is a rendering approach that significantly lowers the image quality in the periphery vision while using an eye tracker that is built into a virtual reality headset to minimize the rendering burden.
Since our eyes only see sharply in a fairly small central region (the fovea), rendering scenes in high detail in your peripheral vision is a waste of computing power. If you can track exactly where the user is looking, you can render the center part of each frame in high detail while reducing detail in the periphery where it won’t be noticed. This feature can greatly improve the details of images that are in our peripheral vision.
Improved Controllers
The controllers have been improved too. A finger touch mechanism has been added that enables new tactile interactions when using something like a gun, for example. Adaptive triggers are another feature making their way from PlayStation 5’s Dual Sense controller.
Adaptive triggers let you feel the actual recoil of a weapon inside the game. If you are using a bow, you will feel the tension in the triggers as you press them. They can become stiff and soft depending on the action.
Audio and Headset Haptics
Sony is adding a new tempest 3D audio tech feature to the PSVR2. However, that is only supported if you have an analog or stereo headset separately, which is a real bummer. The front of the headset, which goes over your forehead, contains haptic motors that provide you with sensory feedback in supported games. The controller also features haptic feedback for more immersion. You can read more about the PSVR 2 here.
Note: Most of the features on the list are dependent on in-game support. You need a PlayStation 5 to use the PSVR 2.
Horizon: Call of the Mountain and Resident Evil 8 are the most prominent names available on the PSVR 2 when it launches. A big caveat of the headset will be that it won’t support backward compatibility, which is a real shame. PlayStation VR 2 is expected to launch sometime in 2023, although no solid release date has been announced yet.
Which is your favorite feature coming your way with the PSVR 2? Let us know in the comments down below.
