PlayStation VR2: A First Look at the Next-Gen Headset

The first virtual reality headset from Sony was introduced two years ago. The Before Times was a simpler age of graphics with a hint of a real world apocalypse on the horizon. People are more interested in escaping into virtual worlds.

Sony will be releasing a completely new virtual reality headset for the PS5. It is more capable than the previous one. Journalists were given a hands-on look at the game. There was a demo at Sony Interactive Entertainment.

I don't know when PSVR2 will go on sale, how much it will cost, or how long it will last. All of those things are being kept under wraps. The company has said that the system will be out in a couple of years. If you know the price of the new headset, you can deduce what it will cost. I think the new PSVR2 feels right around there, but of course that is just a guess.

The new headset has some obvious improvements. There is no need for an external box to connect the headset to the console. Plug the goggles into the PS5 and it will be ready to use. The headset has two screens, one for each eyeball.

Is it the good news? Good luck finding one of the ones that work with the PSVR2. White with black accents is the only color choice. There is no wireless option. You will whack the cord with one of your hands. The PSVR2 doesn't need a Facebook account to use.

You can apply directly to the forehead.

You can use the see-through mode with the press of a button on the headset. People who don't want to accidentally punch holes in their television feel like this is an absolute necessity. It's easy to modify the play area. You can use the controller to map out the specific area in which to do your flailing after you spin around. A vertical grid will show you where the boundary is in virtual space when you get to the edge of your flail zone. The view will switch to see-through mode if you go too far outside the line.

A technique called foveated rendering, which tracks the wearer's eye movements to render the most visual detail right in the area of the display where the eyes are focused, is used in PSVR2 headsets. The effect is similar to a depth of field in a photo or video, where the main subject is in focus and the rest of the background is obscured. It frees up computing resources that can be used to render the graphics you are looking at in higher fidelity if you simplify the rendering of the graphics you aren't looking at. The technique left me feeling like a lot of the virtual worlds around me were out of focus.

Virtual reality hasn't caught on as quickly as its proponents hoped, because many people don't want to wear a big rig to their face The new headsets are lighter, but the bulk is still a problem. Sony wouldn't give a specific weight for the headset, but it is light and comfortable. After wearing the headset for four hours, I began to feel the strain on my body. I could feel a small hole in my skin where the headset had been. You can adjust the straps and view box, but I couldn't get it to work. After I emerged from each of the virtual worlds, I felt unwell.

The demos had some technical problems. If I gestured too hard or turned my head too quickly, the game would stop. There are demo bugs that will be worked out.

Take complete control of the situation.

Sony used the first- generation headset with the Move controllers, but the newVR2 Sense controllers are a step up. The controllers have white circles on their handles. The PS2 Sense controllers have the same features as the PS5 controllers. The company should have kept the dualsense name for the controller that is actually two parts. The controllers have the same finish as the dualsense units. One of the Sony reps gleefully pointed out that the roughness was made up of small shapes on the PS3 button. The bottom of a dual sense controller has a matt finish. That is crazy.

The button layout on the controllers didn't feel as intuitive as the PS5 controller There is a circle and X button on the right controller and a square and triangle button on the left. There are two buttons on the controller and one on the handle. There isn't a D- pad. Sony wouldn't say how long the battery will last.