Highlights
- Sony is exploring bringing PS VR 2 to PCs to expand user base beyond PS5 owners.
- PS VR 2 launched in 2023 as an upgraded version of Sony’s original VR headset. Now, PC compatibility could boost sales and game variety for users.
- By allowing PS VR 2 to connect to PCs, Sony targets broader access to VR games and market growth.
Sony could be bringing its immersive PlayStation VR 2 (or PS VR 2) virtual reality headset to PCs soon. The company said that it’s exploring ways for players to use the PS VR 2 hardware on PCs, which could open up new audiences for the currently console-exclusive hardware platform.
PlayStation VR 2 first launched in February 2023, and was the PS5-based successor to Sony’s original PlayStation VR hardware. PS VR 2 is a significant hardware upgrade compared to the first PS VR platform, employing new tech to bring it up to par with current premium virtual reality hardware such as the Meta (or Oculus) Quest 3. Unfortunately, sales of the PS VR 2 hardware have struggled, in part due to a general slowdown in the market for VR, as well as the fact that the hardware is currently exclusive to the PS5, leaving out users interested in PC exclusive VR games and software.
Two PS VR2 Games Show Why Sony’s VR Strategy is Great
The fact that two of the most well-received PS VR2 titles didn’t start life as VR games shows that Sony’s two-screen strategy is the right approach.
When is PS VR 2 Coming to PC?
That could change as early as this year, according to a PlayStation Blog update posted on February 22, 2024. The blog was mainly focused on promoting new and upcoming titles for the sizable PS VR 2 game catalog. However, the blog did contain an announcement saying that Sony is testing the ability for PS VR 2 players to “access” games on PC, the better to bring more “game variety” to PS VR 2 owners beyond what’s approved for sale on the PSN store. The same announcement indicated that Sony is targeting a 2024 release window for a potential PC compatibility update.
Meanwhile, the rest of the blog post highlighted new and upcoming PS VR 2 game releases. These included a free update for zombie shooter Arizona Sunshine 2, a diorama-style city-building game called Little Cities: Bigger!, the same-day launch of spell-casting-focused action game The Wizards – Dark Times: Brotherhood, and an action-RPG called Soul Covenant from Japan-based studio Thirdverse.
While the market for virtual reality has cooled somewhat, the technology has been around long enough to prove that it has staying power as an enthusiastic niche. And nowhere is the VR niche scene more active than on PC, thanks to experimental software and games and social programs like VRChat. Leaving the otherwise powerful PS VR 2 hardware locked on the PS5 prevents PS VR 2 owners from experiencing that active scene, especially since some developers have difficulty justifying potentially costly ports to the PS5. Adding PC compatibility to the PS VR 2 hardware could have the dual benefit of giving PS5 owners access to new games they couldn’t get otherwise, and also improve sales of the hardware itself from PC owners looking for an alternative to market-leading headsets like the Quest line or Valve’s expensive Index.
PlayStation VR2
The successor to the PS VR, the PlayStation VR2 is Sony’s virtual reality headset. Debuting in February 2023, the hardware is designed as a companion piece for the PlayStation 5 and requires the PS VR2 Sense controller.
- Brand
- Sony
- Original Release Date
- February 22, 2023
