It's been just under a year since Sony launched PlayStation VR 2. With that in mind, nobody in the world suspected that the Japanese tech giant would reveal another headset at CES 2024. Nevertheless, that's exactly what happened.
Now, before you get too excited, this new device isn't in the PlayStation family. In fact, it isn't targeted at a gaming audience at all. The visor, which doesn't even have a name yet, was initially shown off during the Siemens keynote presentation and got a brief mention in Sony's own CES talk as well.
Speaking honestly, these were both pretty future-facing presentations that didn't offer up much for us gamers to get excited about - besides one Sony exec bringing an AI-controlled car out on stage using a DualSense controller.
And yet, as a gamer and a lover of the best VR headsets, I got very excited when they rolled the concept trailer for Sony's new XR headset. It may be geared at 3D content creation and businesses, but it made me more hyped than the Apple Vision Pro's reveal.
Putting its intended audience to one side, this new headset looks like a stunning piece of kit. It sports Qualcomm's new Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 processor that's said to be faster than the Meta Quest 3's and is rumored to appear in Samsung's upcoming headset. Sony's new display features two 4K mini OLED panels, and it flips up and down so you can exit and re-enter the virtual space without the faff of taking off and putting on the headset.
No uncanny valley eyes poking through the front display to tell people around you how immersed you are.
For gaming, that display would be incredible, especially if you could hook it up to one of the best gaming PCs. In our PSVR 2 review, I found that the OLED display made a world of difference to visual fidelity in VR games, but also when playing non-VR games in Cinematic mode.
But the flip-up and flip-down feature? That would make the world of difference if you were mid-game and you needed to go and answer a knock on the door, or, like many people, you suffer from motion sickness and just need a sit-down.
Perhaps the thing that made me most envious of 3D content creators, is the controllers this headset comes with because they aren't your run-of-the-mill VR controllers. In one hand you hold a small pointer you feed your index finger through, using its tip as a touchpad. With your other hand, you wear a ring that looks like it can help to pivot and reorient things in front of you. The two combine using gestures and various touchpad controls to allow you to interface with the virtual world.
These are quite honestly ingenious inventions, and ones I honestly think the Apple Vision Pro will be missing when it launches on February 2. By all accounts, Apple has done some incredible work with hand controls, gestures, and eye tracking for its new headset, but when it comes to playing VR games, there's a really important synesthesia that takes place between your eyes, what you hear, and the feedback given to you by controllers. I'm willing to be proven wrong, but I think gaming on an Apple Vision Pro will lack the tactility the best PSVR 2 games benefit from.
Understandably, older VR controllers like the Meta Quest 2's are getting a bit clunky and out of date, but I don't think we should abandon them entirely. I think a minimalistic style of controller like Sony's seems to be the perfect halfway house. If that ring provides haptic feedback you can combine the natural feeling of hand controls with the tactility of PSVR 2's Sense Controllers.
Sony's second headset in as many years may not be a gaming device, but it's the sort of product you want to see at CES every year. It points to a really exciting path forward for VR and XR technology - and that's a market that's already getting pretty exciting.
In association with ROG Ally.
Genuinely thinking of picking up 3D content creation so you can make use of this headset? Take a look at the best gaming laptops, the best gaming monitors, and the best ultrawide monitors.
