In less than two weeks, PlayStation VR2 will get new life. The second-generation PlayStation virtual reality gaming headset will receive compatibility support, allowing owners to play Steam VR games such as Half-Life: Alyx. Ahead of the release, Sony has released a new app on Valve’s digital distribution store that gives a bit more details about PSVR2 compatibility on Steam.
According to the Steam listing, users will need to use the PlayStation VR2 app for the initial setup to play Steam VR games on PSVR2. The app is also used to update firmware for the PSVR2 hardware, and allows users to adjust settings like screen brightness and establish the device’s play area from the SteamVR dashboard.
The Steam listing also lists the system requirements for running Steam VR games on PSVR2, which remain unchanged from what Sony previously confirmed: For best performance, it recommends that your PC gaming rig be equipped with a newer GPU such as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, or RTX 40 series.
To run Steam VR games on your PSVR2, you’ll need to buy a VR-enabled gaming PC or laptop, plus this $60 adapter. | Image courtesy of Sony
As previously suggested, the Sense controller is compatible with Steam VR games, as confirmed by the Steam listing. However, as Sony made clear last month when it announced the $60 PC adapter needed to run PSVR2 on PC, using a head-mounted display with PC limits some key features available in PSVR2, such as eye tracking, adaptive triggers, and headset feedback. You do get the 110-degree field of view, finger touch retention, and 4K resolution, though.
The app is set to be released on August 6th, a day before the PC adapter officially launches. The device aims to increase the versatility of the $550 VR gaming headset as Sony looks to expand the PSVR2’s game library without limiting it to the PS5 gaming hardware ecosystem.
Expanding the versatility of PSVR2
The PSVR 2 was released last year, and despite its impressive technical specs, the headset seems to have lost steam since its release date of February 2023. In an interview with the Financial Times last December, Eric Rempel, head of global business at Sony Interactive Entertainment, said virtual reality is “a bit of a tricky field at the moment.”
Last month, Android Central reported that Sony was “slashing funding for VR games” and that there was “little opportunity” for first-party VR games in the future. Additionally, the outlet claimed in its report that there are only two first-party PSVR2 games currently in development.
In their 9/10 rating for PSVR2, IGN said: “With premium visual quality and the immersive tactile Sense controllers, PlayStation VR2 is a quantum leap forward from its predecessor, setting a new standard for console VR gaming.”
Taylor is a reporter for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter. thank you.
