PSVR 2 release window is 'early 2023', Sony confirms
Expect the PlayStation VR 2 pre-order date at the top of 2023
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: PSVR 2 news
📆 Sony says its PlayStation VR 2 headset is ‘coming in early 2023’
🥽 This means Sony’s PSVR 2 headset will miss the holidays
💿 But it’ll improve supply and launch with more virtual reality games
💰 No word on the PSVR 2 pre-order date or price yet
The PSVR 2 pre-order date remains unknown, but we now have it on the record that the PlayStation 2 VR headset will release in “early 2023,” according to Sony.
Sony teased the launch window of its PS5-compatible virtual reality headset via its Twitter and Instagram accounts, and, yes, this announcement means you won’t be able to buy a PSVR 2 during the holiday shopping season, as many consumers were anticipating.
Sony’s Black Friday deals push will instead involve hype for God of War Ragnarok (which tops our PS5 games 2022 list) and sales of older PS5 games (many on our best PS5 games list are already discounted). Sony will also focus on ensuring it has more PS5 stock in time for the holidays.
Why is PSVR 2 releasing in 2023?
Today’s PSVR 2 news isn’t a surprise. My daily PS5 restock analysis shows that Sony continues to struggle to supply US retailers with consoles, almost two years since the video game system first went up for pre-order. PS5 Digital is especially hard to find in stock in 2022 as Sony isn’t making enough of them. And PlayStation 5 sells out instantly when it’s available to purchase at MSRP without a bundle.
It’s only when GameStop or Sony Direct pairs the PS5 with games and accessories that the console stays in stock for longer than a few minutes due to the higher price tag. It doesn’t make sense for Sony to introduce its next-gen VR headset in 2022, then. 🙅♂️
Moving the PSVR 2 launch date to early 2023 also gives developers a chance to prep VR launch games. So far, the confirmed PSVR 2 games list includes Horizon Call of the Mountain, Resident Evil Village, No Man’s Sky, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Chapter 2, Resident Evil 4, Among Us VR, Ghostbusters VR, and Firmament. I also suspect a healthy number of older PSVR 1 games will become PS Plus free games, assuming the PSVR 2 is backward compatible, as it’ll be an easy way to buttress the VR games list and drive PlayStation Plus memberships.
PSVR 2 pre-order and price still unknown
The two big questions on gamers’ minds right now are these: how much will PSVR 2 cost, and when will we be able to put money down on a Sony PSVR 2 pre-order? Sony hasn’t budged on answering either of those questions.
When the PS5 went up for pre-order, it happened two months before the console’s release date. Sony first named its product “PSVR 2” at CES 2022, so maybe we’ll get an update around that time for a March 2023 release.
Regarding the PSVR 2’s price, Sony’s top consumer VR rival is the Meta Quest 2 headset (previously known as the Oculus Quest 2) has given Sony the green light to charge more than consumers may have expected.
Meta raised the price of Quest 2 by $100 in August, bumping the price of the popular 256GB model to $499.99 instead of $399. This price increase gives Sony more wiggle room, especially with shipping and manufacturing costs continuing to rise (so much so that Sony has refused to rule out a PS5 price increase).
If Meta Quest 2 had remained $399, Sony would have to think about how to price the PSVR 2 more competitively. Now, it might be able to charge just as much for what is bound to be one of the best PS5 accessories as the Disc console itself. We’re still hopeful the headset will cost $399, but a $499 price tag isn’t unlikely.
Updated: August 23, 2022