Best answer: No, PlayStation VR2 will not be wireless. It will, however, feature a single cord and a “simpler” connection to the PS5.
PS VR2: Not ready to cut the cord … yet
When it launches on the PS5, the PlayStation VR2 will not be wireless. Sony revealed this somewhat disappointing news when it officially announced the PS VR2. While many gamers were hoping that Sony would follow Facebook’s lead in delivering a totally wireless VR solution, it seems that the technology isn’t ready for wireless VR from a PlayStation console at this time.
In many ways, Sony is following Facebook’s lead on more powerful VR experiences by announcing that a single-cable solution will be employed with the PS VR2 on PS5. Facebook’s official solution for playing PC VR games on the Oculus Quest 2 is via an Oculus Link cable, a single 15-foot-long USB Type-C cable. Since the PS5 has USB Type-C ports — the same port used on PC to link up VR headsets — Sony will be ditching the processing box from the original PSVR and using only one long USB-C cable instead.
PS VR2: Will it ever be wireless?
While PS VR2 won’t be wireless at launch, Sony has been working behind the scenes on a wireless headset for some time now. We first heard about the possibility in a May 2019 interview with Sony Global Head of R&D for PlayStation Dominic Mallinson, then later in October 2019 when a patent confirmed what Mallinson was saying.
Given that the PS VR2 isn’t slated to release until sometime in 2022, we could see a wireless option down the road at some point. Oculus Quest and Quest 2 gamers can play PC VR games wirelessly using Virtual Desktop, a third-party app that uses your home’s Wi-Fi network as a wireless connection point. While this method works incredibly well for many players, folks without the best Wi-Fi 6 routers will likely see stuttering and other nausea-inducing effects. Unfortunately, given the unreliability of this solution, neither Facebook nor Sony is likely to make it an official way to stream wireless VR games any time soon.
The only other option that we’re aware of is a solution employed on the HTC Vive several years back and utilizes a dedicated wireless card to stream a 60GHz signal to the headset and back. This is a pricier solution and, given Sony’s history with trying to keep costs down for its console hardware and accessories, is likely not going to be included in a base model. Given that the PS VR2 is already an add-on accessory for the PS5, it’s not unreasonable to expect that Sony could debut an adapter or second wireless model alongside the PS VR2’s launch or sometime in the future.
PS VR2: How big of an upgrade is it?
Since it’s not going to be wireless at launch, you might be wondering how much of an upgrade the PS VR2 could be over the original. Right now, we know that the PS VR2 will bring a 4K OLED display, 110-degree field of view, brand new controllers inspired by the PS5’s DualSense controllers, inside-out tracking, and eye-tracking. In addition, VR games will be built with the PS5’s hardware power in mind. This is a significant upgrade over what players are used to with the current-generation PSVR, which was already a bit of a stretch for the PS4 hardware in 2016.
Keyword: PS VR2: Is it wireless?