Of the many virtual reality (VR) veterans out there, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey’s opinion carries substantial weight. Even if he’s no longer directly involved in VR, when he says something is good people tend to listen. With CES taking place earlier this month plenty of attendees got to sample Sony’s PlayStation VR 2. Having also tried the upcoming headset, Luckey gave it his seal of approval.
“I was blown away when I used PSVR 2 recently!” Luckey said in a Twitter post. “The first PSVR was arguably the biggest success of the generation, this version will do even better.”
That’s quite the statement coming from the father of Oculus Rift, the headset widely accredited with reigniting consumer VR. And he’s completely right. The original PlayStation VR arrived in late 2016, the same year as Rift and HTC Vive. Unsurprisingly, thanks to PlayStation 4’s install base, the PSVR found a wider audience than its PC VR rivals.
Lots of good feedback
Sony’s long-awaited follow-up has been well received by the press, with the likes of Road to VR saying: “it’s clear it’ll be worth the wait.” PSVR 2 has seen a massive overhaul to bring it in line (and exceed) rivals. Boasting a 4K OLED display, the PSVR 2 has inside-out tracking, facial haptics, eye tracking, and brand-new Sense controllers to immerse players in the experience.
Much like PC VR headsets, PlayStation VR 2 has a cable, with all the processing power provided by PlayStation 5. This is going against the current trend of wireless headsets like Quest 2, Quest Pro and VIVE XR Elite to name a few. One benefit of the cable is the lack of a heavy battery. And by all accounts – including Luckey – having a cable doesn’t hamper the experience.
Palmer Luckey has refocused towards the defence sector, founding Anduril Industries five years ago but he remains a VR enthusiast.
PSVR 2 launches on 22nd February 2023. Have you pre-ordered one, what games are you excited for? Let us know.