Rejoice, ye Sony faithful, for the PS VR2 has arrived!
And it looks like Sony did the hard work of tearing it down for us.
PS VR2 is Sony’s second foray into the metaverse since the 2016 release of PS VR but the industry
has come leaps and bounds since then.
Even from the outside we can see some interesting changes.
The single element lenses from the last model have been replaced with fresnel lenses, definitely
a step up but still bulkier than the latest and greatest pancake lenses like those in
the Meta Quest Pro.
But here’s the thing, their decision to use fresnel lenses is part of a larger compromise
that’s helping Sony avoid the $1,100 to $1,500 price tags we’re seeing on some of
the newer headsets.
In a nutshell, that’s what this VR headset is: a balance between new and expensive, and
old and affordable.
What I’d like to know is: what I can do to fix this $550 compromise if it breaks.
Separating the front end from the headband is as simple as removing a cable and pressing
down on this hidden lever.
Too easy!
And with the front separated it’s time to remove the light blockers—so far I haven’t
even had to use any tools yet.
Alright now I need to get a few screws out so we can remove some of the plastic.
Five screws and a few clips later and we can remove the front plastic plate.
It’s at this point that I get some really strong Quest 2 vibes off this headset, the
layout seems familiar yet less cluttered—if only the Quest 2 was half this easy to disassemble.
Case in point, the bottom camera is held down by two screws, a couple of ribbon cable connectors,
and comes away as a single module.
Compare this to the Quest 2 or Quest Pro’s garish mix of ribbon cables covered in thermal
paste.
Sony even explains in their video how they used rubber grommets to avoid having to glue
parts down which is music to my ears!
The upper cameras are secured by a couple screws and a ribbon cable and come away individually.
The integrated tracking cameras on the PS VR2 are new to Sony’s VR line, replacing
the external tracking camera used with the original PS VR.
Just a few screws and I can remove the fan, vent, and this module holding the microphone.
With the mainboard out I can take a peek under the heatsink to get our first look at the
IC running the show, and it looks like a PS5 SouthBridge IC.
We’ll have a detailed chip ID on our blog soon so be sure to check back if you want
to find out what else is on this PCB.
You’ll notice how uncomplicated this board looks relative to the Quest Pro.
That’s because the PS VR2 is a tethered headset, it’s not capable of standalone
processing like the Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets.
The obvious benefit of that design decision is that it’s cheaper to produce but the
downside is that you’ll always be leashed to a PS5.
I need to remove a couple more bits of plastic here to get my first look at the display panels.
Check out those notches on the panels, they’re designed to fit around your nose allowing
for finer IPD adjustments.
Speaking of, that IPD adjustment knob is next and removing it gives us access to the horizontal
bar that the screens slide on.
Getting the optical assembly out just needs a little flexing of the plastic and out they
come!
On to the meat and potatoes of this teardown, the fresnel lenses and tapered panels.
Comparing the PS VR2 and Quest Pro lenses clearly shows the space saving benefits of
pancake lenses—but don’t be fooled into thinking one is better than the other, each
technology has tradeoffs.
Pancake lenses come at a cost because they need brighter panels that operate at much
higher resolutions.
The specifics are beyond the scope of this video,
But if you’d like to know more check out Karl Guttag or Brad Lynch’s blogs for a
deeper analysis, but suffice to say that the LCD panels used in the Quest Pro perform similarly
to the panels in the Quest 2, despite costing more.
What would a high end solution look like?
Well that would be high resolution microOLED panels combined with pancake lenses.
That’s what it would take to reduce the screen door effect that's prominent in OLED
panels while addressing the size, weight, and contrast issues of using fresnel lenses
and LCD panels.
Bear that in mind when you see next-gen headsets priced at $3,000 and above.
With the PS VR2, Sony has chosen nominal resolution and high contrast OLED screens to compensate
for cheaper fresnel lenses.
The 2000x2040 pixel-per-eye is already a huge upgrade over the PS VR’s 960x1080 panel,
but thanks to the excellent OLED contrast, you have a truly stunning visual experience.
Tethering the headset, as opposed to providing it with a dedicated SoC, further reduces the
build complexity.
The result is that you have a headset that can deliver stunning colors at a price point
below $1,000.
And that’s the compromise, a balance of color quality, manufacturing cost, visual
clarity, and freedom of movement.
Now the eye-tracking is the same style as the Quest Pro: a series of IR LED emitters
are placed around the edge of the lens with a single IR camera offset on the side to collect
the light that bounces back.
It’s a fun technology that’s made its way into most newer headsets but I’m delighted
to see that Sony has managed to completely avoid adhesive—Meta Quest Pro, take note.
On the headband, it’s nice to see easily detachable cushions that’ll make cleaning
and replacement a cinch.
This should be standard on every component that makes contact with skin.
Now here’s something pretty cool that separates PS VR2 from all other mainstream VR headsets—haptic
feedback inside the headset!
It’s just a simple rumble motor, but Sony is clearly after immersion.
Time to git gud gamers, headshots are about to suck a lot more.
Now let’s see how Sony’s PS VR2 Sense controller measures up to the competition.
My goal here is to look at battery replacements, and maybe check out the thumbstick and adaptive
trigger.
We’ve got the familiar tracking ring which is decked out with IR LED’s all the way
around.
All screws and no glue makes me a happy fixer—Valve Index take note.
That said, Sony’s teardown made removing the tracking ring look a little too easy—it’s
pretty difficult but definitely possible.
Unlike lighthouse-style tracking, what’s called outside-in tracking, the headset itself
reads these IR LED’s to figure out which way you’re looking.
This style of tracking is called inside-out tracking and, you guessed it, it’s another
compromise between accuracy and cost—and maybe even convenience.
Who wants yet another box to mount on a wall?
We break things so you don’t have to, and a bit of the plastic housing is our first
casualty on the way to the battery.
Let’s take a look at that 520 mAh battery.
This tiny accessible bundle of energy can last about 3 hours according to reviewers.
Not bad at all!
Sony glazed over this next bit and it’s not hard to see why.
Getting the triggers and thumbsticks is not only fiddly, but these sticks aren’t Hall
sensor-based which means they’re prone to drift.
Go checkout our stick drift videos if you want to know more about why stick drift occurs
and how manufacturers can permanently fix the issue.
Let’s have a look at those adaptive triggers.
It’s a modified version of the DualSense adaptive trigger but it works the same way.
So there you have it, a truly great VR experience and also a pretty comfortable teardown experience—this
device was seemingly designed with repairability in mind.
From the thoughtful use of clips and rubber standoffs instead of glue, to a deliberate
controller design with a relatively easy battery replacement—a hearty “well done” to
the teams involved.
We hope to see Sony follow through and support their engineering teams’ fantastically accessible
design by providing replacement parts to the general public.
As for me, I’m going to put this thing back together and see what worlds I can visit.