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Despite the new exciting release of the powerful plug-and-play VR headset PSVR 2, we can’t help but look ahead and delve into everything we know about the upcoming PSVR 3.
Information is sparse, but we will update this article as new insights and leaks are released.
To gauge the release date for the follow-up of the excellent plug-and-play PSVR 2, we will have to look at the upcoming PlayStation 6 and its speculated release. When Microsoft attempted the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, a leaked report from the British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had Sony state that the purchase shouldn’t occur earlier than 2027 as PlayStation has an agreement with Activision-Blizzard to house the Call Of Duty games on its consoles until the expected release of a new PlayStation console. A date that was redacted in the report. Still, this indicates that the new PlayStation 6 is expected in 2027 or 2028.
So, based on the expected release of PS 6, we shouldn’t anticipate the PlayStation VR3 any earlier than 2029 or 2030. This is further speculated based on the three years between the PlayStation VR and PS 4 and the two years between PSVR 2 and the PS 5.
If the release date is correct, a significant eight-year gap will exist between the current PSVR 2 and a potential PSVR 3. Therefore, we suspect a PSVR 2 Pro or Slim version to release with specific upgrades.
We expect a PSVR 2 Pro or Slim to feature the pancake lens, allowing it to shed many grams of weight while slimming its size substantially. Notably, a PlayStation 2 Slim version was released four years after the baseline PlayStation 2, while the PlayStation 3 Slim was released three years after the standard PS 3. PSVR 2 will likely get the same treatment.
Another feature likely to be adopted on the PSVR 2 Pro or Slim version is full-color video passthrough for mixed reality gaming. MR is rapidly developing, with new VR headsets like Meta Quest Pro, HTC Vive XR Elite, Lynx R1, and Lenovo ThinkReality VRX: mixed reality is becoming one of the sticking features of 2023.
However, for now, Sony is likely patiently seeing how MR develops and how VR gamers either welcome or disregard MR gaming before deciding to implement high-quality video passthrough into the PSVR 2 Pro.
Finally, relating to the murmurs we hear in the VR industry of introducing an external computing device to standalone VR headsets for increased performance, similar to how the Magic Leap 2 works. We could see a standalone PSVR 2 Pro version with a computing add-on for improved all-in-one performance. While you can connect your PSVR 2 Pro to your PS5 for a better VR gaming experience, similar to the handheld Nintendo Switch.
Jakob Pii is the Head Writer at VR Expert and currently lives in the UK. He started his career in VR gaming in 2015 and has stayed in XR since, from exposure therapy in VR to 360-degree video documentaries. He is fascinated by how emerging technologies change how we live, play and work.
