PlayStation VR 2 Unboxing – First impressions of the new generation headset design

We’re less than two weeks away from the launch of PlayStation VR 2, but Sony has now provided us with a review unit for their next generation virtual reality headset. We’ve now been able to make a PlayStation VR 2 unboxing and take a first look at the new console hardware’s design.

The PlayStation VR 2 headset itself will be immediately familiar feeling to anyone that’s seen or used the original PlayStation VR. There’s the same two-tone black and white plastics and rubbers that are now emblematic of PS5 (even if they started with PSVR), there’s the same halo design for securing it to your head, and the display itself is then dangled in front of your eyes, easily moved in and out for comfort.

There’s been a lot of refinement compared to the original 2016 PSVR, building on from the tweaks made to the v2 PSVR headset released in 2017. The power button and a function button are on the underside of the headset, the latch to release the headset to move in and out is now on the top, and there’s a 3.5mm jack on the rear of the halo with mounting points for the included earbuds. Perhaps the most interesting change is that the rubber seal to block outside light from your VR experience is now flanged, which is going to be much more flexible and allow for a better for more people.

The two biggest changes, though, come from the shift to inside-out tracking – there’s now four cameras on the face of the camera that makes it look a little like a porpoise or beluga whale – and the PS5 being able to handle all of the VR processing, meaning you need just a single USB-C cable and not a crazy tangle of cables and breakout boxes. Disappointingly, this USB C cable is not detachable from the headset, and could be a point of failure.

The inside-out tracking also leads us to the new Sense VR controllers. These promise haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and more, so they’re basically half of a DualSense controller – should they be SingleSense instead? – but most importantly, they adopt a more modern VR controller design with a hand grip inside of a ring. Some versions of this have the ring around the analogue stick and buttons, but that can lead to bumping your headset when playing games that have you look closely at whatever’s in your hands. The Sense controller puts the ring around your hand, closer to the wrist, so it shouldn’t get in the way in those kinds of situations.

Coming from the PS Move controllers, it’s great to finally have analogue sticks on a PlayStation VR controller. They’re diminutive little things, though, seemingly even smaller than the 3/4 size Nintendo Switch Joy-Con – hopefully the modules are more robust. Next to them are two PlayStation symbol buttons and a menu button apiece – Cross, Circle and Options on the right, Square, Triangle and Share on the left – with both having a PS button to reach the system menus. There’s also adaptive triggers, which look to have a shorter travel than the DualSense equivalents, while L1/R1 has been transformed into grip buttons for your middle fingers.

From the unboxing alone, it’s clear to see how Sony has overhauled and refined their version of virtual reality. In a lot of ways they’re catching up with various PC-based and standalone headsets, but that shouldn’t diminish what looks to be a refined, high-end VR experience.

Stay tuned to TheSixthAxis as we get stuck in with reviewing PlayStation VR 2 and all the games coming to it in the launch window.

* This article was originally published here