Sony announces PlayStation VR2 adapter for PC for August

Sony will release an adapter on August 7, 2024 that will allow the PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset to work on PC.

After announcing upcoming PC support for the headset in February, A PlayStation Blog The post confirmed today that the fully confirmed adapter will be available for $59.99 on the August date. The adapter connects to the single USB-C connector on the PSVR2 and allows owners to play PC VR games like Half-Life: Alyx without a pre-required PC VR headset (such as Valve Index or Meta Quest).

The adapter doesn’t come with everything needed to be plug-and-play, as gamers will also need to purchase a DisplayPort 1.4-compatible DisplayPort cable (the most obvious being a VR-ready gaming PC). A Steam account is required to play SteamVR games as well.

The minimum requirements to run the PSVR2 headset on PC have also been shared (and can be seen below), but Sony has not provided any information on the recommended or high requirements. Equivalent Intel Core i5-7600 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 or equivalent graphics card and at least 8GB of RAM required.

Since the PSVR2 is designed specifically for the PlayStation 5, Sony has offered a disclaimer that users who want to purchase the adapter “will notice that some key features” such as HDR, headphone feedback, eye tracking, and adaptive triggers, are not available when playing on PC. . However, some of the “High-Resolution and Sensory Immersion” features on the PSVR2, such as a 110-degree field of view, finger touch detection, Transparent Display, and 4K resolution, will be available.

The announcement comes just days after Sony submitted the adapter for certification from South Korea’s National Radio Research Agency website.

A new lease on life for PSVR2

Sony is likely hoping that the PC adapter, along with upcoming games like Metro Awakening VR, will breathe new life into the year-old headset. The device appears to have lost momentum despite its technical prowess, though Sony hasn’t shared numbers since revealing the PSVR2 had sold 600,000 within six weeks of its February 2023 launch.

During an interview conducted with him last December Financial Times, Eric Lempel, head of global business at SIE, explained that VR gaming was “a bit of a difficult category right now.” In January, Tracing the path to virtual reality Amazon sold the PSVR2 and Meta Quest 2 and 3 headsets, and I discovered that both Meta headsets have significantly outsold Sony’s consoles. in March, Bloomberg It was reported that Sony has temporarily halted production of the PSVR2 to clear its backlog of unsold units.

Despite the PSVR2’s tough first year, PC VR support makes it all the more enticing and justified due to its hefty price tag. It expands the library significantly, allowing the device to be more versatile in terms of platform compatibility and enabling PSVR2 owners to access PC VR games like Half-Life: Alyx, assuming they don’t already own a PC VR headset.

In our review of the PSVR2, IGN wrote: “With first-class visual quality and immersive touchscreen controllers, PlayStation VR2 represents a quantum leap over its predecessor, setting a new standard for VR console gaming.”

Taylor is a reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @Ty Nexter.