Despite the PS5 restock situation continuing to be a challenge, Sony appears to be turning its attention to the console’s first landmark peripheral as the PSVR 2 looks to be on track for a 2022 launch.
According to hardware analyst Brad Lynch, the virtual reality headset will soon be entering mass production with Chinese manufacturer Goertek tasked with ensuring there’s enough stock to satisfy the demand (likely an impossible task). Lynch notes that production of the device will begin “soon."
Goertek, Chinese manufacturer, will be in charge of mass producing Meta Cambria and PS VR 2 (soon!)Goertek sold off Pico to Bytedance earlier this year, but signed a deal to continue producing Pico headsetsAlso expected to supply components for Apple AR/VR HMDJanuary 1, 2022
The headset being prepared for mass production would indicate that Sony is planning a full reveal in the near future. After all, it’s highly likely that the design and specifications of the headset would leak once the hardware is being mass-produced, and Sony will obviously want to showcase the headset before that can happen.
We currently don’t know a great deal about the follow-up to the original PSVR headset. It’s not even been officially confirmed what it will be called, beyond a vague codename NGVR (which stands for next-gen virtual reality). However, there has been plenty of speculation and a few tantalizing leaks over the past few months.
It was reported last month that PSVR 2 could sport OLED microdisplay technology. This would allow the headset to offer 4K resolution, 3D imagery without pixelation, and low latency. That would be a significant step up from the original PSVR’s often fuzzy and unfocused images. Sony took to the stage at CES 2022 to confirm the specifications of the headset, and we're extremely impressed.
The design of the headset itself remains a mystery, but a patent uncovered last November may give us an indication of what we’ll actually be strapping to our face at some point in 2022.
Sony has at least showcased the new PSVR 2 controller in an official capacity. These orb-shaped controllers look a significant improvement on the PlayStation Move controllers used by the current PSVR. And the controllers will reportedly offer some of the best features of the PS5 DualSense controller including adaptive triggers and haptic feedback.
We’ve already formed our list of what we want to see from the PSVR 2. One of our biggest wishes is an easier setup process. While the original PSVR is a nightmare of cables and breakout boxes, it's been confirmed that the PSVR 2 will offer a one-cable setup. Hopefully, we don't have to wait too much longer for Sony to fully lift the lid on its next virtual reality device.
Assuming the PSVR 2 does launch this year we expect it will quickly become another tech item that is extremely hard to buy thanks to the ongoing global chip shortage. We definitely aren’t looking forward to hunting down PSVR 2 restocks in the months after release.
