PSVR 2 vs Oculus Quest 2: All of the specs compared

Sony shocked us all when it unveiled new details about the upcoming PSVR 2 VR headset at CES 2022, but how does it compare to one of the most popular headsets on the market, the Oculus Quest 2?

We’ve rounded up all the details right here, so you can find out which will be the best VR headset that you should buy in 2022.

Specs

Sony’s PSVR 2 has some very strong specs, especially when compared to rivals such as the Oculus Quest 2.

The PSVR 2 not only has a superior resolution (2000 x 2040 per eye compared to the Quest’s 1832 x 1920) but it’s also packing an OLED display which will likely see substantially better contrast and colour accuracy than the LCD panel of the Oculus.

Sony hasn’t improved the refresh rate for the PSVR sequel, but 120Hz is plenty high enough. The Quest 2 has the exact same refresh rate, so neither headset gets an advantage here.

The PSVR 2 does have a larger field of view though, which means you’ll get a wider view of an in-game environment at any given time.

Sony has also confirmed that the PSVR 2 will feature eye tracking, which will not only allow your in-game avatar to copy your eye movement, but also allows for features such as foveated rendering, which dynamically improves the image quality of any in-game object that you’re looking at, resulting in a more efficient performance.

The rumoured Oculus Quest Pro headset has been tipped to feature the foveated rendering technology too, but the existing Quest 2 isn’t capable since it lacks eye-tracking cameras.

The specs suggest that you’re going to get a better picture quality with the PSVR 2 compared to the Oculus Quest 2. The power of the PS5 will also enable developers to create more graphically impressive games, while the Oculus Quest 2 is limited to the GPU power of its integrated Snapdragon chip, unless you’ve got it tethered to a PC.

However, the fact that you can use the Oculus Quest 2 independently is undoubtedly the headset’s greatest strength. You don’t need to worry about cables or buying an expensive console / PC. Sony has improved the experience of plugging the VR headset into the console since you only need one cable with the upcoming headset, but a connection to the PS5 will still be mandatory.

Design and controllers

The Oculus Quest 2 has a great design, as it’s light and sleek enough to easily slip over your head and wear for long periods without causing pain to your neck.

Unfortunately, Sony is yet to reveal what the PSVR 2 will look like, so it’s impossible to compare the design to the Oculus Quest 2 right now.

We’re expecting a similar design to the original PSVR, although Sony may well tweak it so it features a similar design language to the PS5.

While we haven’t seen the headset’s design, Sony has provided a sneak peek at the new ‘Sense’ controllers. They look fairly similar to the Oculus Quest controllers, with small wands that you can hold in each hand.

Just like the Oculus Quest 2 controllers, the Sony Sense controllers feature Finger Touch Detection so it can recognise when your fingers are resting (and not pressing) on the buttons. This can be useful for copying the shape of your hand, whether you want to give another player a ‘thumbs up’ or you want to form a fist.

Sony is also borrowing the innovative haptic feedback from the PS5’s DualSense controller for the new Sense VR controllers, while also including adaptive triggers so game developers can create resistance when simulating the action of pulling a bowstring.

Games

This is an area that the PSVR 2 has oodles of potential, as Sony has a deep well of game franchises to make use of. A new game called Horizon Call of the Mountains has already been confirmed, and will be designed specifically for the PSVR 2 headset.

That’s the only game confirmed for the PSVR 2 so far, but we can see spin-offs for the likes of God of War, The Last of Us and Spider-Man potentially arriving in the future. But we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, as the original PSVR didn’t have many games from first-party PlayStation franchises.

The Oculus Quest 2 already has a great library of games, but when running independently, you’re limited to basic games such as Beat Saber and Superhot VR. It’s still possible to play games such as Half-Life Alyx too, although you’ll need to be tethered to a gaming PC.

The PSVR 2 has the potential to boast a far greater game library, but it just depends on how many game studios PlayStation can get on onboard for the platform.

Initial Verdict

We haven’t even see the PSVR 2 design yet, never mind tested it, so it’s not possible to claim any victor here. But by looking solely at the spec sheet, the PSVR 2 looks mighty impressive. It has the edge when it comes to screen quality, and the power of the PS5 should also allow it to run far more advanced games than what the Quest 2 can when running independently.

But success for the PSVR 2 hinges largely on price and game support. There are plenty of VR headsets with better specs than the Oculus Quest 2, but the headset has been very successful since it’s so affordable and accessible. The fact you can use it wirelessly without the need of a console or PC is a huge advantage. The PSVR 2 certainly has potential, but usurping the Quest will be no easy task.

It’s also important to remember that Meta is rumoured to be launching new Oculus Quest 3 and Oculus Quest Pro headsets, so they may well be the true rivals to the PSVR 2 rather than the existing model.