Sony developed PSVR2 for a PlayStation 5 cable connection as it warns original VR games will be difficult to port

Scheduled for a February 22, 2023 release, the US$549 PlayStation VR2 headset's development has begun concurrently with the PlayStation 5 hence it won't feel as an afterthought like its predecessor which uses multiple cables to connect. According to Sony's SVP of platform experience Hideaki Nishino, the company started developing the PSVR2 about six years ago when it started work on the PlayStation 5 with the goal to craft the perfect match of console and virtual reality device.

This, in fact, led to the single USB-C port at the front of the PS5 designed precisely for connecting a PlayStation VR2 cable. Asked why didn't they go for a wireless connection, Mr. Nishino said that Sony is still researching the technical aspects of it, but, given the very high PSVR2 image resolution, at the moment nothing beats a physical cable connection.

Given the tangle of wires needed to connect the original PSVR to the PlayStation 4, a simultaneous development of the PlayStation 5 and the PSVR2, albeit by two different teams, has been a godsend for headgear's aesthetics and ergonomics, he added. Speaking of ergonomics, Sony's chief of platform experience noted that the PSVR2 looks similar to its predecessor at first because they found the design's weight balance and skin comfort pretty great to begin with, so they stuck with it.

Apart from the single USB-C cable connection of the PlayStation VR2 headset with the PS5, and the promise of enough units to go around when it launches (unlike what happened with the PlayStation 5 stock), Mr. Nishino hinted at a lot more PSVR2 release titles than initially teased. "I can't talk about specifics yet, but there are still more unannounced titles that I've been able to experience the demo version of, in addition to those that have already been announced, so please look forward to it," he said.

As for the PlayStation VR2's compatibility with the original PS VR titles, porting won't be a simple job, he warned, since both the controller tracking hardware and the image rendering principle are rather different, so it would be a tall order to adapt older games for taking advantage of the PSVR2.

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