Technologies

PSVR 2: Price, Games and Everything You Need to Know

The Sony PSVR 2 headset is on sale now for $550. We’ve reviewed it and played its games. Here’s what you need to know.

Sony’s first big accessory for the PlayStation 5, the PlayStation VR 2 headset, is here. We just reviewed it: It’s one of the best immersive gaming experiences we’ve ever had, and has some great games already, but it also costs more than the PlayStation 5 itself. Yeah, you read that right: The PSVR 2 costs $550. It’s expensive, but if you’re OK with tethering to a PlayStation 5 with a long cable, this could be the hardware for you, as opposed to waiting for the Meta Quest 3 or Apple’s expected VR headset.

The PSVR 2 isn’t wireless, but its higher-res HDR OLED display and advanced vibrating controllers, along with perks like eye tracking and in-headset rumble, give it a lot of hardware advantages. But its game library feels a little incomplete at the moment. If you’re interested in one, you might want to wait and see what other games arrive throughout the year.

Also, if you’re interested in comparing it to the Quest 2 (the most popular VR headset of the last few years), we’ve got you covered there too.

Sony has a whole FAQ library for tips and advice on the PSVR 2, which you should reference and dive into. Below are additional observations based on our time with it so far.

This is what comes inside the package: controllers, headset, earbuds and an extra USB-C-to-A cable.

Scott Stein/CNET

What’s in the box?

The PSVR 2 retail package has a cabled headset, a pair of Sense controllers, a pair of earbuds that connect to a headphone jack on the headset and a USB-C-to-A cable for charging the controllers and to initially pair to the PS5. A $50 charging dock, which can optionally charge up both your controllers at once, is sold separately.

You need a PS5 to use it

The PSVR 2 isn’t a stand-alone, self-contained headset like Meta’s Quest 2 (also known as the Oculus Quest 2) or Quest Pro. That means you’ll need to tether it to a PlayStation 5 (and own a PS5) to use it.

The PlayStation VR 2 looks, in a lot of ways, like the headset we wanted for the PS5 all along. It’s a long-awaited update to the PlayStation VR that Sony released for the PlayStation 4 back in 2016: A new design with a color scheme that matches the PS5, and a headband-type visor that’s similar to but smaller than Sony’s first PSVR. The high-res, vibrating, camera-equipped, eye-tracking capabilities of Sony’s second-gen PlayStation headset look like they fit the top-end specs anyone would dream of. However, the new PSVR 2 isn’t automatically backward-compatible with all the older PSVR games — the games will need to be updated by their developer in order to work.

The PSVR 2 needs a PS5. It’s cabled to it. But once you’ve set it up, you don’t need a TV.

Scott Stein/CNET

The PSVR 2 works much like other VR headsets, but with greatly improved display technology, eye tracking and advanced vibrating haptics and triggers in the controllers and headset that make virtual objects feel more convincing.

The VR headset’s eye tracking also enables foveated rendering, a technology that focuses only on where the fovea of the eye is looking to maximize resolution, getting more graphics punch with fewer pixels. (Dominic Mallinson, Sony’s PlayStation head of R&D, suggested eye tracking could be likely back in a 2019 conversation with CNET.)

PSVR 2 can scan your room, live-broadcast VR gaming

Passthrough cameras on the headset work like cameras on the Quest 2 and other VR headsets, showing the real world in your headset. The headset will also «mesh» your physical space, scanning walls, floors and obstacles like chairs and desks to get a clear sense of play space. It can create a boundary you can play in.

The meshing part is particularly interesting, because it’s something AR headsets and mixed-reality headsets do. It means the PSVR 2 could, theoretically, also have some mixed reality experiences like the Quest 2 is already playing with, although Sony hasn’t announced anything on that front yet.

One unique feature is a live broadcast mode, which will use the PS5’s TV-mounted camera to record yourself overlaid with footage from your live gameplay into a single stream. Mixed reality livecasting tools have been emerging for Quest 2, but no game console has ever had this feature before.

There’s a cinematic mode plus a VR mode

Sony also details two display modes for the headset: one, for VR, will display at 2,000×2,040 pixels per eye in HDR, at 90Hz or 120Hz. A 2D «cinematic mode,» much like what the original PSVR can do, plays movies and 2D games at 1,920×1,080 resolution in HDR at either 24Hz, 60Hz or 120Hz.

Playing 2D games on the PSVR 2 does feel better than you’d think, but movies and TV shows don’t look as good as a large, nice TV (to our eyes). However, this means you could use the PSVR 2 as a self-contained gaming display for the PS5 to play games on while the TV is off or playing something else (or if there’s no TV at all, provided you already set up the PSVR 2 with a TV the first time).

The PSVR 2 has a cable. You have to learn to live with it.

Scott Stein/CNET

Headset specs

OLED displays, with 2,000×2,040-pixel resolution per eye, 90Hz and 120Hz frame rates
110-degree field of view
Eye tracking and foveated rendering
Adjustable lens separation
In-headset vibration
3D audio
Built-in microphone and audio-out headset jack
Four external cameras for tracking
Single USB-C connection
Sense controllers with USB-C ports, Bluetooth 5.1, rechargeable batteries, 6DoF tracking, finger tracking using capacitive touch buttons and infrared, haptics and specialized haptic triggers like the DualSense controller

Eye tracking comes built in, via infrared cameras around the lenses.

Josh Goldman/CNET

Headset design: Vibrations, eye tracking, moving lenses

Even if Sony’s PSVR 2 headset looks bulky in the photos, it’s actually a lot more comfortable than the Quest 2. An adjustable headband, similar to the PSVR’s original design, means it’ll tighten around the head like a visor instead of using an elastic strap to squeeze your face. The headset can move closer to your face, and lens distance can be adjusted for different IPD levels (interpupillary distance, or the space between eyes). The headset also works really well for my glasses, fitting over my wide frames easily with soft rubberized sides to block out light, and the hardware feels comfortable over longer game sessions.

The headset supports headphones with a standard headphone jack, and has one cable that tethers to the PS5 via USB-C, via a jack that seems to come out of one side of the headband. That’s a lot fewer wires than the breakout box needed for the original PSVR. Included earbuds are fine, but there aren’t any ambient speakers like the Quest 2 has. You can connect Sony’s wireless Pulse headset, too, which sounds better.

Built-in eye tracking promises to deliver better graphics, and possibly allow eye control and eye contact in VR games. Eye tracking isn’t common in consumer VR headsets yet, but the technology should be arriving on other mainstream headsets, and possibly Apple’s as well. It worked well enough with my glasses.

The headset’s four tracking cameras allow movement in VR to be tracked without using a TV-connected camera bar. The tracking should work in a similar way to other VR headsets. It’s possible that the cameras could allow some pass-through mixed reality, too, blending VR with what the cameras see onto the headset’s display.

Some people have reported that the headset has a limited «sweet spot» to make things look good with their eyes, and I’ve seen it take some adjustment to get my eye/head fit just right. However, the headset still feels better over my glasses than other VR headsets with the exception of the Quest Pro.

A look at the hardware from above.

Scott Stein/CNET

How long is the cable?

The USB-C cable attached to the PSVR 2 headset is about 15 feet long, long enough for us to comfortably move around a roughly 7-by-7-foot play space, which is about what Sony recommends for full-motion VR gaming. There are ways to play standing or sitting down, too, but much like other tethered VR headsets, that heavy cable can sometimes get tangled under your feet or around your legs.

Is the PSVR 2 eyeglasses-friendly?

Yes, very. I wear chunky glasses, and the wide headset fits over my glasses just fine. Your mileage may vary, but it felt like the best over-glasses fit of any VR headset around. Unlike the Quest 2 (which doesn’t accommodate all glasses sizes), the Quest Pro (which fits over wide glasses but can can be a bit stiff to take on and off), and some headsets like the Vive XR Elite that don’t work with glasses at all and use prescription adjustment instead, the easy-to-adjust visor design here was welcome.

Horizon Call of the Mountain is one of the most eye-catching launch games, but its climbing and bow-and-arrow action might not be for everyone.

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Launch games: Lots of options

Sony’s own exclusive, Horizon Call of the Mountain, remains the PSVR 2’s splashiest game, but other games have been announced as well. No Man’s Sky, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners — Chapter 2: Retribution, Resident Evil Village, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, Demeo and Gran Turismo 7 are some of the early standouts.

For more, check out CNET’s favorite PSVR 2 games so far.

However, some bad news for original PSVR owners: Sony confirmed that original PSVR games aren’t necessarily PSVR 2-compatible unless the games are specifically updated.

The games that are already here, or are announced already as coming in the future:

Horizon Call of the Mountain
Gran Turismo 7
Resident Evil Village
Puzzling Places
What the Bat?
Demeo
Star Wars: Tales From the Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition
Moss and Moss Book II
Firewall Ultra
Creed: Rise to Glory
Beat Saber
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord
Among Us VR
Vacation Simulator
Job Simulator
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR
Pavlov
Fantavision 202x
Kayak VR: Mirage
Rez Infinite
Synth Riders: Remastered Edition
The Last Clockwinder
Tetris Effect Connected
Townsmen VR
Thumper
Crossfire: Sierra Squad
The Light Brigade
Cities VR
Cosmonius High
Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue
Jurassic World Aftermath Collection
Pistol Whip
Zenith: The Last City
After The Fall
Tentacular
NFL Pro Era
No Man’s Sky
Before Your Eyes
Song in the Smoke: Rekindled
The Tale of Onogoro
Kizuna AI: Touch the Beat
Dyschronia: Chronos Ultimate
Altair Breaker
2MD VR Football

PSVR 2 FAQs

Are there any bundled discounts?

The price of the PSVR 2 and PS5 together is over $1,000, and that’s not including games. We don’t know yet if Sony will package these together into a more affordable set, but anything would help. Sony is bundling Horizon Call of the Mountain with the PSVR 2, but the added $50 cost doesn’t really mean a discount per se.

What exclusive games will it have in the future?

There are a ton of launch games already coming, but many of these games are ports of existing VR hits. Sony has a few exclusives (Horizon and Gran Turismo, notably). We’ll see how many more exclusives, or updates to older exclusive PSVR games, end up emerging.

Is it backward-compatible with all the old PSVR games?

No, at least not without an update. Sony confirmed that older games will not be automatically compatible. Some older games are getting PSVR 2 updates, which are either free or for an added cost. Hopefully this trend continues, because there are hundreds of still-good games that even work on the PS5 with older PSVR hardware that will otherwise be stranded.

Is there any chance it could be wireless in the future?

Not right now. This PSVR 2 headset is tethered with a USB-C cable, and doesn’t have its own battery. It’s hard to imagine a 360-degree Beat Saber with that USB-C cable attached, but PC VR headsets are cable-tethered, too.

Technologies

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

Here’s what you need to know about new features and upcoming updates for your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.

iOS 17 updates

Using iOS 17

Getting started with iOS 17

Make sure to check back periodically for more iOS 17 tips and how to use new features as Apple releases more updates.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

+15 More

See all photos

Technologies

Get Ready for a Striking Aurora That Could Also Disrupt Radio Communications

Don’t expect the storm to cause a lingering problem, though.

A geomagnetic storm is threatening radio communications Monday night, but that doesn’t mean you should be concerned. In fact, it may be an opportunity to see a colorful aurora in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a geomagnetic storm watch after witnessing a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Saturday. The watch, which was issued over the weekend and will expire after Monday, said the onset of the storm passing over Earth on Sunday night represented a «moderate» threat to communications. As the storm continues to pass through, it could deliver a «strong» threat on Monday night that could cause radio communications to be temporarily disrupted during the worst of it.

Even so, NOAA said, «the general public should not be concerned.»

A coronal mass ejection occurs when magnetic field and plasma mass are violently expelled from the sun’s corona, or the outermost portion of the sun’s atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, the ejection occurs with no real threat to Earth. However, in the event the ejection happens in the planet’s direction, a geomagnetic storm occurs, and the Earth’s magnetic field is temporarily affected.

In most cases, geomagnetic storms cause little to no disruption on Earth, with radio communications and satellites affected most often. In extreme cases, a geomagnetic storm can cause significant and potentially life-threatening power outages — a prospect that, luckily, the planet hasn’t faced.

Switching poles

Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch, with the north pole and south pole swapping positions. During those cycles, the sun’s activity ramps up as it gets closer to pole-switching time. The height of its activity is called solar maximum, and scientists believe we either may be entering the solar maximum or may be already in it.

During periods of heightened solar activity, sunspots increase on the sun and there’s an increase in coronal mass ejections, among other phenomena. According to NOAA, solar maximum could extend into October of this year before the sun’s activity calms and it works towards its less-active phase, solar minimum.

Even when geomagnetic storms hit Earth and disrupt communications, the effects are usually short-lived. Those most affected, including power grid operators and pilots and air traffic controllers communicating over long distances, have fail-safe technologies and backup communications to ensure operational continuity.

But geomagnetic storms aren’t only about radios. In most cases, they also present unique opportunities to see auroras in the night sky. When the storms hit, the plasma they carry creates a jaw-dropping aurora, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors. Those auroras can be especially pronounced during the most intense phases of the storm, making for nice stargazing.

If you’re interested in seeing the aurora, you’ll need to be ready. The NOAA said the «brunt of the storm has passed» and even if it lingers into Tuesday, there won’t be much to see after Monday night.

Technologies

Last Total Solar Eclipse for 20 Years Is Coming: How to See and Photograph It

It’s your last chance until 2044.

Get your eclipse glasses ready, Skygazers: the Great American Eclipse is on its way. On April 8, there’ll be a total eclipse over North America, the last one until 2044.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and turning an otherwise sunny day to darkness for a short period of time. Depending on the angle at which you’re viewing the eclipse, you may see the sun completely shrouded by the moon (called totality) or some variation of it. The more off-angle you are and the further you are from the path of the eclipse, the less likely you’ll be to see the totality.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. The Great American Eclipse will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and then traverse the US in a northeasterly direction from Texas to Maine, and on into easternmost Canada. If you want a good look at it, but don’t live in the path of totality, you shouldn’t wait much longer to book accommodation and travel to a spot on the path.

Or how about booking a seat in the sky? Delta Airlines made headlines for offering a flight that allows you to see the entire path of totality. Its first eclipse flight, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit sold out quickly. But as of Monday, Delta has added a second flight from Dallas to Detroit, which also covers the path of totality. The airline also has five flights that will offer prime eclipse viewing.

Not everyone can get on one of those elusive eclipse-viewing flights. Here’s a look at other options to nab a chance to see this rare sight and what to know about it.

Total solar eclipse path

The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. The eclipse will then make its way over San Antonio at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on April 8 and move through Texas, over the southeastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas by 2:50 p.m. ET.

By 3 p.m. ET, the eclipse will be over southern Illinois, and just 5 minutes later, will be traveling over Indianapolis. Folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 p.m. ET, and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York, by 3:20 p.m. ET. Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will be seen over northern New York state, then over Vermont. By 3:35 p.m. ET, the eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the Eastern coast of North America.

Best places to watch the Great American Eclipse

When evaluating the best places to watch this year’s total eclipse, you’ll first want to determine where you’ll have the best angle to see the totality. The farther off-angle you are — in other words, the farther north or south of the eclipse’s path — the less of an impact you can expect.

Therefore, if you want to have the best chance of experiencing the eclipse, you’ll want to be in its path. As of this writing, most of the cities in the eclipse’s path have some hotel availability, but recent reports have suggested that rooms are booking up. And as more rooms are booked, prices are going up.

So if you want to be in the eclipse’s path, and need a hotel to do it, move fast. And Delta’s eclipse-viewing flight from Dallas to Detroit has just four seats left at the time of publication.

Eclipse eye safety and photography

As with any solar eclipse, it’s critical you keep eye safety in mind.

During the eclipse, and especially during the periods before and after totality, don’t look directly at the sun without special eye protection. Also, be sure not to look at the sun through a camera (including the camera on your phone), binoculars, a telescope or any other viewing device. This could cause serious eye injury. Sunglasses aren’t enough to protect your eyes from damage.

If you want to view the eclipse, you’ll instead need solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Anything that doesn’t meet that standard or greater won’t be dark enough to protect your eyes. Want to get them for free? If you’ve got a Warby Parker eyeglasses store nearby, the company is giving away free, ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores from April 1 until the eclipse, while supplies last.

If you don’t have eclipse viewing glasses handy, you can instead use indirect methods for viewing the eclipse, like a pinhole projector.

Read more: A Photographer’s Adventure With the Eclipse

In the event you want to take pictures of the eclipse, attach a certified solar filter to your camera. Doing so will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while you view the eclipse through your lens.

There’s also a new app to help you both protect your eyes and take better photos of the eclipse on your phone. Solar Snap, designed by a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event. After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately take better shots of the eclipse.

2024 eclipse compared to 2017

The last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017, and many Americans had a great view. Although there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 total solar eclipse and the one coming April 8, there are a handful of differences. Mainly, the 2024 eclipse is going to cover more land and last longer.

The 2017 eclipse started over the northwest US and moved southeast. Additionally, that eclipse’s path was up to 71 miles wide, compared with a maximum width of 122 miles for this year’s eclipse. Perhaps most importantly, the moon completely covered the sun for just 2 minutes, 40 seconds in 2017. This year, maximum totality will last for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.