Looking back at the PS4 launch it was clear Sony was planning ahead for VR, even if we didn’t know it at the time. That’s why the Dualshock 4 has the massive blue LED bar, after all.
Going into the launch of the PS5, PlayStation’s VR future isn’t entirely clear. The console supports the original PSVR headset, but there’s no sign of an upgraded PSVR 2, and apparently we shouldn’t expect one for some time.
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PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has told The Washington Post that VR still has a long way to go, but it will still be a “meaningful component” of interactive entertainment. Suffice to say, Ryan believes that VR won’t be making huge waves anytime soon, but it will happen at some point.
“PlayStation believes in VR. Sony believes in VR, and we definitely believe at some point in the future, VR will represent a meaningful component of interactive entertainment. Will it be this year? No. Will it be next year? No. But will it come at some stage? We believe that. And we’re very pleased with all the experience that we’ve gained with PlayStation VR, and we look forwarding [sic] to seeing where that takes us in the future.”
When that some point may be isn’t clear, but it suggests Sony won’t be announcing any next-generation PSVR headsets for a while. So PS5 owners will be stuck having to use the original PSVR that launched in late 2016. They’ll also need to ask Sony for a free adapter, otherwise they won’t be able to use the PS4’s camera with the new console.
Of course Sony’s competitors aren’t quite so reluctant to move forward with VR in the short term. Facebook keeps releasing headset after headset, like the newly released Oculus Quest 2, while newly discovered code suggests Microsoft will finally jump into VR gaming on the Xbox Series X.
Despite much speculation over the past four years, don’t hold your breath for a PSVR 2. Even though we seriously wish Sony would get it together and at least give us a headset without all those pesky wires. But in the meantime there are still plenty of fantastic PSVR games on sale right now, so you can still get plenty of mileage out of your existing headset.
