If you’ve been patiently waiting for Sony to announce a PSVR 2 pre-order date, there’s a strong chance we might hear more about the upcoming virtual reality headset soon.
Prominent insider Tom Henderson shared on Twitter that Sony has begun sending out emails titled “Introducing PlayStation VR2”, which could indicate a PSVR 2 State of Play or showcase event is on the way.
Henderson noted that both Greg Miller of Kinda Funny and GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb have heard similar rumblings when it comes to PSVR 2, further strengthening the possibility that Sony is indeed planning to give gamers a much-needed deep dive into its new VR headset.
Sony sent out a new email yesterday named "Introducing PlayStation VR2" - There was a similar email a couple of weeks prior to the PS5 pre-launch, too.It could indicate there are plans for a PSVR2 showcase soon as both @GameOverGreggy and @JeffGrubb had heard.April 2, 2022
A PSVR 2 State of Play would make sense considering that select developers have already been hands-on with PSVR 2 at GDC 2022 and that dev units have supposedly been sent out to certain studios.
PlayStation VR2 has been tipped to release towards the end of 2022, supply issues permitting. Considering that we still haven’t seen the headset in action, only screenshots of the controllers and the device itself, it makes sense that Sony will hold an event that will give us a proper look at what we can expect. It could also be the ideal opportunity for Sony to announce a PSVR 2 pre-order date and release date ahead of time.
But is it too soon for PSVR 2?
VR headsets are more popular than ever right now, thanks in part to the success of the Oculus Quest 2 – or Meta Quest 2 as it’s now known. A growing number of companies are also investing in VR and the Metaverse, which means there’s certainly more demand for PSVR 2 than there was when Sony made its first foray into VR in 2016.
However, the biggest barrier to entry right now for PSVR 2 isn’t convincing people of the wonders of virtual reality, it’s the fact that PS5 consoles are still hard to come by. The continuing PS5 supply issues have resulted in a slump in sales and momentum for Sony’s console, as more readily available hardware like the Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch outsold the PS5 in the US during March.
If Sony can’t rectify its PS5 supply problems, then PSVR 2 sales will inevitably suffer as result. The larger the install base the PS5 has, the more chance the PlayStation VR2 will have at being successful. It’s an expensive peripheral after all.
Sony will, of course, have to ensure there’s plenty of enticing software to encourage people to pick up its new device in the first place. We already know that a VR spin-off game based on Horizon Forbidden West is on the way, and we expect popular titles could have VR modes added, similar to what we saw with the original PSVR.
If a PSVR 2 State of Play is announced, we hope that Sony will provide a comprehensive overview of the headset, controllers, and games we can expect. More importantly, though, we’ll be waiting to hear that all-important price point and PSVR 2 pre-order date.
