PSVR 2 launch includes only a handful of exclusive titles

Those who purchase the PlayStation VR 2, available next month, won’t be able to play their existing PSVR library on the new headset. But they will be able to purchase more than 30 titles on the headset’s February 22 launch and a total of 37 within a month of that launch, Sony announced today.

The initial PSVR 2 lineup is overwhelmingly a sort of “greatest hits” collection of titles available on existing VR platforms. Almost all of the headset’s launch window titles are also available on SteamVR, the Oculus Quest platform, or the original PSVR.

Of the handful of PSVR 2 exclusives, the previously revealed Horizon VR: Call of the Mountain stands out as a first-person adventure in the vein of Half-Life: Alyx. As far as third-party exclusives, Supermassive’s The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR is an on-rails VR roller-coaster akin to the similar Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, while Fantavision 202X is a fully 3D take on the infamous, fireworks-filled PS2 launch title (and will also work without a headset).

Of the remaining PSVR “exclusives” for the time being, two take the form of free VR-compatible updates to existing flat-screen PS5 titles: Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village. Then there’s the haunting narrative of Before Your Eyes, which launched on Steam and mobile in recent years but will make its VR debut on the PSVR 2 next month, using the headset’s eye-tracking cameras to monitor the player’s time-controlling blinks.

While existing PSVR games won’t work by default on PSVR 2, a handful of developers are offering free upgrades for those who purchased games on the older headset: NFL Pro Era, Pistol Whip, Puzzling Places, Song in the Smoke: Rekindled, Synth Riders, and Zenith: The Last City. Those who own Rez Infinite or Tetris Effect: Connected on PSVR, meanwhile, will be able to upgrade to a PSVR 2 version for just $9.99 each.

In addition to eye-tracking and “passthrough” cameras, the $550 PSVR 2 sports a 2000×2400 per-eye resolution, 100-degree field of view, support for HDR colors, and a set of headset motors for tactile effects. The new headset also connects to the PS5 via a single cable, replacing the mess of cables, junction boxes, and external cameras needed for the original PSVR on the PS4.

Here’s a full list of the PSVR 2 launch titles announced so far, including a reference for which other platforms have seen the same games.