It seems like the PlayStation VR 2 might finally be bridging the gap to PC gaming this year, though don’t get too excited just yet—you’ll probably need to invest in an extra piece of hardware to make it all work. A recent filing submitted to the South Korean government hints at a “PSVR2 adapter,” suggesting we’ll soon see a connector of some sort. This device will likely be essential for plugging your headset into a PC, letting you dive into your favorite PC VR games using Sony’s headset.
The PSVR2 has impressed many with its superb performance and design, but at $550, it’s a hefty purchase. The fact that it’s only compatible with the PlayStation 5 and doesn’t support PSVR1 games also makes it a tough sell for anyone other than the most committed PS5 enthusiasts. Earlier this year, Sony sparked excitement by promising more PC games would become accessible by February. Now, with a new certification from the South Korean National Radio Research Agency, we have a clearer picture of how Sony intends to extend the PSVR2’s capabilities to PC users. VR aficionado Brad Lynch first noted on Twitter that Sony is working on a “PlayStation VR 2 PC adapter,” with the certification dated May 27.
For the moment, that’s all the concrete information available. Given its name, the “adapter” could well be something similar to a USB dongle that connects directly to your PC. How and where Sony plans to distribute this adapter is still up in the air. A big question looms: will the PSVR2 fully integrate with PCs, allowing direct access to Steam VR via the headset, or will users need to stream games from their PC to the VR device, similar to how Meta Quest headsets handle Game Pass or Steam VR titles?
Knowing Sony’s track record, we might be looking at the streaming option. PlayStation has recently increased its efforts to release first-party games on Windows, like the well-received Ghost of Tsushima PC version. However, Sony also tends to require players to sign in with a PlayStation Network account for its cross-platform titles, such as Helldivers 2. This trend suggests they might not be thrilled about users accessing the headset’s features without some degree of oversight.
When it first hit the market in early 2023, the PSVR2 was priced at $550, but now you can find it for nearly $100 less. Reports suggest that Sony has reduced production of its VR devices, waiting for demand to pick up. Despite offering impressive twin OLED displays and decent eye tracking for a mid-range VR headset, it faces strong competition from the $500 Meta Quest 3, which offers superior AR passthrough features.
Should Sony decide to relax its tight control over its VR ecosystem even slightly, 2024 might just witness a revival in VR gaming. Meta recently laid out its plans for Horizon OS, a new operating system designed to let other VR developers create Quest-like devices. Companies like Lenovo and Asus are already on board, developing VR headsets featuring Horizon OS. If these ventures succeed, more might follow. Meanwhile, PlayStation has been adding VR games to its PlayStation Plus Premium lineup. But with a still limited selection, the best strategy to boost VR’s popularity is to allow access to a wider range of games, exclusives be damned.
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