The PlayStation VR (PS VR) is a virtual reality headset created by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released in October 2016 and works with the PlayStation 4 console. It is also compatible with the PlayStation 5. Sony later released its updated version, the PlayStation VR2, in 2023. Worldwide sales of the original PlayStation VR reached at least 5 million units.
The headset features a 5.7-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 1080p. It includes a processor box that allows video to be displayed on a television, processes 3D audio effects, and connects to headphones via a 3.5mm jack. The headset also has nine LEDs on its surface to help the PlayStation Camera track the user’s head movements in all directions.
In some games and demonstrations, players wearing the headset can interact separately from others who are not using the headset. The PlayStation VR system can show the same image on both the headset and a television, or display different images for games that require teamwork or competition. The system supports multiple controllers, including the DualShock 4, PlayStation Move, or PlayStation VR Aim controller.
History
Sony's interest in head-mounted display technology began in the 1990s. Its first commercial product, the Glasstron, was released in 1997. One use of this technology was in the game MechWarrior 2, which allowed users of the Glasstron or Virtual I/O's iGlasses to see from inside the cockpit of a vehicle, using their own eyes to view the battlefield through the craft's cockpit.
The PlayStation VR was originally called Project Morpheus during development. In early 2014, Sony Interactive Entertainment engineer Anton Mikhailov stated his team had worked on Project Morpheus for over three years. Mikhailov explained that the PlayStation 3 Move peripheral, introduced in June 2009, was designed with future head-mounted technology in mind. "We planned and built it to be a VR controller, even though VR was not widely available at the time. As engineers, we believed it was the right choice. At the time, we did not have a consumer project to work on, but the Move was created with that vision." Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony's worldwide studios, noted the project started as a grassroots effort by engineers and programmers, which became more focused in 2010 after the Move controller was released. Sony also stated that all games must maintain at least 60 frames per second at all times.
Project Morpheus was first announced at The 2014 Game Developers Conference. SIE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida introduced the device on March 18, 2014, and described it as "the next innovation from PlayStation that will shape the future of games."
On September 15, 2015, it was announced that Project Morpheus would officially be named PlayStation VR. Later in 2015, Sony acquired SoftKinetic, a technology startup specializing in visual depth-sensing gesture recognition, for an undisclosed amount.
On October 13, 2016, Sony released the PlayStation VR at a price of $399 in the US, €399 in Europe, £349 in the UK, and ¥44,980 in Japan.
On April 16, 2019, Mark Cerny confirmed the PlayStation VR would be compatible with the PlayStation 5. This includes new PlayStation VR hardware designed for the PlayStation 5, which Sony plans to release after 2021. This hardware was announced as the PlayStation VR2 at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show.
Hardware
The prototype shown at GDC 15 had an OLED screen with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels, which provided 960 × 1080 pixels per eye. It used an RGB subpixel matrix and could display content at 120 frames per second. The headset had a field of view of 100°, 6 degrees of freedom head-tracking, stereoscopic 3D, and unwarped output to a TV. This allowed others to see what the headset user saw or let someone play against the user with a standard PS4 controller.
In September 2015, developers could choose from three rendering modes: native 90 Hz, native 120 Hz, or a mode that used motion interpolation to display 60 Hz gameplay at 120 Hz. This interpolation required few system resources and had a latency of less than 18 milliseconds. The same technique was used in the native 120 Hz mode to keep the frame rate steady. Sony said the interpolated 120 Hz mode was likely to be a popular choice for games.
PlayStation VR games could send different perspectives to the headset and television. Shuhei Yoshida, president of SIE Worldwide Studios, explained that a demo called Monster Escape showed how VR could create an asymmetric "social experience." He also mentioned Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes as another example of a VR game that focused on interaction.
Setting up the headset required several cables. The HDMI cable that connected the console to the TV was moved to a processor unit, which then connected to the TV with a second HDMI cable. A power cable and a Micro USB cable connected to the console. The headset used a double cable: one HDMI and one proprietary cable. Near the headset (at chest height when worn) was a small box with a power button, microphone, volume controls, and a headphone jack. The PlayStation Camera (CUH-ZEY1) connected to a proprietary port. The first model, CUH-ZVR1, did not support HDR video pass through.
On November 10, 2017, Sony released the CUH-ZVR2 model of the PlayStation VR. It had a slimmer, more streamlined cable with different connectors than the CUH-ZVR1 model and included integrated stereo headphones. The cable had no buttons, which were now located at the bottom of the headset, and the headphone jack was behind the buttons. The newer processor unit supported HDR video pass through. It also came with a second version of the PlayStation Camera (CUH-ZEY2), which had a cylindrical shape. The second version was not compatible with the first, meaning a V1 headset could not work with a V2 processor unit, or vice versa.
The Aim Controller is an optional, abstractly-shaped light gun-like peripheral that came with Farpoint and was sold separately for $59.99. It worked with some VR shooter games and felt more like a real gun than a traditional gamepad. It had all the functions of a DualShock controller and did not require a PlayStation Move controller, unlike the PS3-era Sharp Shooter accessory. It was praised by IGN as "a must-have for VR shooter fans on PlayStation."
On the front handle (closer to the user), the controller had standard DualShock action buttons (, , , ) around a clickable analog stick. On the back of the front handle was a trigger, and on the top of the gun was a PlayStation button, an extra button, and two small R1 buttons, one on either side. The back handle (away from the user) had a directional pad, another clickable analog stick, and the share and options buttons, with two extra buttons on the back, L1 and L2. Its model number is CECHYA-ZRA2, and it uses a 3V, 800mA battery.
Games and content
In March 2016, Sony reported that 230 developers were working on content for PlayStation VR, and 50 games were available by the end of that year.
Non-VR games can be played on PlayStation VR using "Cinematic Mode," which displays games on a virtual screen that looks like a movie theater screen in a 3D environment. This mode offers three screen size options, with the largest reaching 226 inches (18.8 feet) in virtual size. PlayStation VR also supports 360-degree photos and videos. Features like Share Play and Live from PlayStation work with the headset, and it can be used to watch 3D movies on Blu-ray 3D.
PlayStation VR works with the PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility, using a free USB to PlayStation Camera adapter provided by Sony to users who previously bought the PS VR. This option was available until November 26, 2024, and now the adapter is only sold by third-party sellers. No PlayStation 5 games currently support VR. If a PS VR game has a PlayStation 5 version, the PlayStation 4 version must be installed instead to play in virtual reality. The PlayStation 5 HD Camera is not compatible with PlayStation VR, so the PlayStation 4's PlayStation Camera must be used.
Both the regular PlayStation Move Motion Controller and the VR Aim Controller work with the PlayStation 5. Some games, such as Astro Bot Rescue Mission, require the DualShock 4 controller instead of the PS5's DualSense controller because of the light bar on the DualShock 4.
Marketing
The biggest challenge is helping people try virtual reality (VR). It is difficult to sell VR unless people experience it themselves. Watching others or reading about VR is not enough. Many people who have tried PlayStation VR have said they were impressed and smiled after using it. Therefore, trying VR is essential, and this is the main challenge.
Before the release, Sony believed that interest in the headset would increase gradually over time through recommendations from others.
PlayStation VR was first shown on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and as a playable version during E3 2014. The device was also displayed at Sony's PlayStation Experience Expo in Las Vegas in December 2014. Sony shared new details about Project Morpheus at the 2015 Game Developers Conference, matching the official schedule posted on their website and providing updated specifications.
In an interview with Nikkei Japan in March 2016, Sony mentioned the possibility of allowing PlayStation VR to work with a personal computer (PC). This would enable the device to be used with platforms beyond the PlayStation 4.
Reception
Most reviews from publications were positive. Critics commended the PS VR's physical design, ease of use, and availability. Compared to other headsets that need high-end computers, the PlayStation VR only needed a PS4. Most criticism focused on the system's performance, noting that the PS4 has less processing power than the high-end PCs required to run "PC VR" games, even though it offers "near to PC-quality performance."
As of February 19, 2017, PlayStation VR had sold over 915,000 units. Andrew House, the President and Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), the company behind the PlayStation VR, said the sales of the VR were much higher than expected. On June 5, 2017, the number of PlayStation VR units sold reached 1 million. Sony announced that PlayStation VR had sold over 2 million units and 12.2 million games on December 3, 2017. Sony also announced that PlayStation VR had sold-through more than 3 million units and 21.9 million games worldwide as of August 16, 2018, with the PlayStation VR sold-through number increasing to 4.2 million as of March 3, 2019. As of December 31, 2019, PlayStation VR had sold-through 5 million units.