PSVR 2.0: Sony’s Beefing Up PlayStation VR for the PlayStation 5

PSVR is about to get more… PSVRier?

Today Sony announced that an updated, upgraded PlayStation VR headset is being worked on for the PlayStation 5. A blog post by Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President of Platform Planning and Management, confirms the next generation of PSVR is in the works, and discloses a few broad details about the new device. It sounds like the focus isn’t just enhanced performance, but also to make it easier to use, too. “We’re taking what we’ve learned since launching PS VR on PS4 to develop a next-gen VR system that enhances everything from resolution and field of view to tracking and input,” Nishino writes. “It will connect to PS5 with a single cord to simplify setup and improve ease-of-use, while enabling a high-fidelity visual experience.”

Nishino also reveals that a new controller is being developed for virtual reality, writing, “one of the innovations we’re excited about is our new VR controller, which will incorporate some of the key features found in the DualSense wireless controller, along with a focus on great ergonomics.”

No release date is mentioned, although the post explicitly rules out 2021 as a possibility. It would’ve made some poetic sense to release it this year—the original PSVR turns five this fall, and the new one is being made for the PlayStation 5, so, y’know—but obviously Sony wants to get this right. Although PlayStation VR is a nifty bit of technology, and one that made VR accessible to console owners who don’t want to deal with PC gaming, it already felt limited and out of date even before the PlayStation 5 came out. If Sony wants to keep pace with the general state of VR, it’s well past time for an upgrade.

Although there are no specifics, Sony’s promising the exact kind of updates PSVR needs to stay relevant: greater resolution, enhanced tracking, expanded field of view, a new controller custom-built for VR, and a single-cord setup that will make hooking the damn thing up to your console way easier. That single cord deal is probably the most exciting thing about this announcement: the current PSVR setup involves so many cables and other add-ons that I just keep the whole thing in my closet until I really need it. Otherwise it just clutters up my entertainment center.

That’s all we know now, but expect more from Sony on the next phase of PSVR in the future.