Sony has unveiled the final design of its second-generation virtual reality (VR) gaming headset for the PlayStation 5 (PS5).
In a blog post Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president, platform experience said the PS VR2 is "a giant leap forward in the way we play games in virtual reality".
According to Nishino, the 'orb' shape of the headset is designed to match that of the VR2's new Sense controllers and is meant to represent the 360-degree view players feel in a virtual reality world.
The colours and style are also inspired by the PS5 family of products, something that was no accident, Nishino said.
"When our design team created the PS5 console, they also had the next generation VR headset in mind so you'll notice some similarities in the look and feel," he said.
"There was more emphasis on adding roundness to the design of PS VR2 headset since it is meant to have constant human contact, similar to the rounded edges of the DualSense controller and Pulse 3D headset."
One of the changes to the company's second-generation headset is the addition of a new ventilation design to help stop the lenses from fogging up.
Senior art designer Yujin Morisawa said that was one of the areas he wanted to focus on and got inspiration from the vents on the PS5 console.
"Our engineers came up with this idea as a good way to allow ventilation and avoid having the lens fog up while players are immersed in their VR games," said Morisawa.
"I worked on many design concepts to achieve this, and in the final design, you can see there is a little space in between the top and front surface of the scope that contains the integrated ventilation."
Other changes include a lens adjustment dial so users can optimise their view, a slimmer design that weighs less and a new built-in motor for haptic feedback.
"There are plenty of exciting new features to look forward to in the PS VR2 system, including stunning visual fidelity in 4K HDR and state-of-art graphical rendering and enhanced tracking such as inside-out camera tracking," Nishino said.
"Additionally, the PS VR2 system comes in a simple, single cord set up so you can connect to your games immediately.
"PS VR2 development kits are already in the hands of game creators, and we are excited for what they'll come up with to truly make virtual reality a remarkable experience for gamers."
Sony didn't reveal everything, however, including the release date and the price of the new product.
The first-generation PS VR was released in New Zealand on October 13, 2016 with an RRP of $630.
While there is no other VR kit on the market for a gaming console, the wireless Oculus Quest 2 from Meta launched in Aotearoa on October 13, 2020, with the entry level model costing $569.
Sony has been vague about release information for its latest product, simply stating: "We look forward to sharing more details with you about PS VR2. Stay tuned!"
