PS VR2 mass production has reportedly started, with ‘2m units planned for launch’

Sony plans to release 2 million PlayStation VR2 headsets during the new headset’s launch period, it’s been claimed.

Bloomberg reports that the manufacturer plans to have 2 million units ready by March 2023, suggesting it expects PS VR2 to sell faster than its predecessor.

By comparison, the original PlayStation VR, which was released in October 2016, took seven months to sell 1 million units.

Although VR2 has yet to receive an official release date, Sony has said it will launch in “early 2023”.

According to Bloomberg’s source, mass production of PlayStation VR2 headsets started last month and has reportedly not yet been affected by supply chain constraints.

It’s reportedly planned that the ongoing shortage of PS5 consoles is expected to be somewhat improved by early 2023, with Sony hoping the PlayStation VR2 release will spur on sales of both the headset and the console.

Sony said earlier this year that it will have more than 20 games ready for the launch of PlayStation VR2.

“Right now, there is a considerable amount of money being spent on partnerships with independent and other third-party developers to secure a considerable pipeline of attractive VR content at the launch of PlayStation VR2,” SIE president Jim Ryan said in May.

“That energy, that effort and that money will continue to grow as the installed base of PlayStation VR 2 headsets grows also.”

PlayStation VR2 owners will not, however, be able to play existing PlayStation VR games, after Sony revealed last month that the new headset will not be backwards compatible.

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PlayStation VR2 won’t be backwards compatible with PSVR, Sony confirms

Sony says it's because PSVR 2 is "designed to deliver a truly next-generation VR experience"

Speaking on the PlayStation Blog podcast, SVP of platform experience Hideaki Nishino said that “PSVR games are not compatible with PSVR 2 because PSVR 2 is designed to deliver a truly next-generation VR experience”.

He added: “PSVR 2 has much more advanced features like all new controllers with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers and inside-out tracking, eye tracking in the headset, 3D audio all coming together of course.

“So this means developing PSVR 2 requires a whole different approach from the original PSVR.”