Virtual reality has experienced something of a cooling period during the latter half of 2017. After 15-plus months of being the “it” product, seizing the attention of venture capitalists around the globe, market excitement about virtual reality seems to be at one of its lowest points since Palmer Luckey kickstarted the Oculus Rift in 2012. But a new round of PlayStation VR hardware suggests Sony isn’t ready to give up on the VR marketplace yet.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. If annual phone updates and incremental console upgrades have taught us anything, it’s that consumers have grown comfortable with half-step improvements to gadgets they already own. But you’re not going to get one from Sony. The company hasn’t announced any sort of upgrade program for existing PlayStation VR owners, but did go out of its way to confirm the newer headset’s processor can’t be installed in the old shell. The entire PSVR catalogue will be compatible with both headsets, and that will presumably remain true throughout it’s life, but we’ll notice some performance differences. Rounding out the bad news, Sony doesn’t have a timeline for the updated headset’s retail debut and we still don’t know if it’ll have the same price as the older model.
On the plus side, Sony did confirm plans to redesign the device’s packaging, making it slightly easier for consumers to know whether they’re buying the original headset (CUH-ZVR1) or the revised edition (CUH-ZVR2). The improved headset also features new stereo headphone cable integration and a “slimmer” connection cable for your favorite headphones. The upgraded PSVR also sports a new Processor Unit with support for HDR pass through. That last bit won’t have much impact while the headset is in use; however, it does mean PS4 Pro owners won’t have to disconnect their PSVR to benefit from the console’s HDR-support in other games.
Strangely, Sony has only confirmed plans to release the updated PlayStation VR hardware in Japan and North America at this time. It’s not clear why the console manufacturer’s European and Australian offices haven’t confirmed similar updates in those regions. But perhaps we’ll hear something later this week/month. Sony doesn’t have long before holiday shopping begins.
PlayStation VR is currently available at retailers around the globe.
