Sony shows off new PlayStation VR2 headset with slimmer and lighter design

Back during this year’s CES, Sony announced that they will be launching the PlayStation VR2 headset, but didn’t reveal much else about it. Sony has now revealed the new PS VR2 headset’s design, as well as tease some of the upcoming new features that will come with their upcoming augmented reality accessory.

According to their post on the PlayStation blog, the new PS VR2 headset has an orb-like look. Sony claims that the circular orb shape represents the 360-degree view you can feel once you start playing games in VR. It’s also pretty obvious that the PS VR2 headset’s design takes on the same design philosophy as the PlayStation 5. You can see it with the white colourway, a switch from the black that was all over the original PS VR headset.

Sony also adds that the roundness of the design of the PS VR2 headset matches the rounded edges of the DualSense controllers as these are meant to have constant human contact, in contrast to the PS5’s flat edges as the console is meant to be placed on a flat surface. There’s thousands of tiny PlayStation symbols on the front and back bands of the PS VR2 headset too, just like on the PS5 console and the DualSense controller.

As for ergonomics, Sony has apparently took into consideration about the fit of the PS VR2 headset, with extensive testing done so that the headset will feel right on a variety of head sizes. There will be an adjustable scope too that can adjust the scope area closer or further away from your face, while the stereo headphone jack position has been kept in the same place so that players with muscle memory of it from the original PS VR headset will still be familiar with it.

Other new features include a lens adjustment dial for a more optimal view when using the headset, along with a new built-in motor for improved headset feedback. The PS VR 2 headset will be lighter and slimmer than its predecessor too, with vents on the headset for ventilation when using it.

“When I started to work on the design for the PlayStation VR2 headset, one of the areas I wanted to focus on first was the idea of creating a vent in the headset to let air out, similar to the vents on the PS5 console that allows airflow. Our engineers came up with this idea as a good way to allow ventilation and avoid having the lens fog up while players are immersed in their VR games.

I worked on many design concepts to achieve this, and in the final design, you can see there is a little space in between the top and front surface of the scope that contains the integrated ventilation,” – Yujin Morisawa, Sony Interactive Entertainment Senior Art Director

Unfortunately, Sony did not give us a timeline on when they plan to launch the PS VR2 headset. They did however hint again at some of its features, which include 4K HDR rendering with up to 120Hz refresh rates, enhanced inside-out camera tracking and headset feedback. It shouldn’t take them too long though, as game developers have already been sent PS VR2 development kits to help them optimise their video games for the headset so that it’ll be usable the moment Sony launches it. It’s been five years since the original PS VR headset appeared, and for those who are into the world of VR gaming, the PS VR2 headset could be a new standard in virtual reality.