PSVR 2 will feature a single cable connection - Android

Best answer: No, the second-generation PlayStation VR will not be wireless. It will, however, feature a single cord and a "simpler" connection to the PS5.

PSVR 2 Not ready to cut the cord....yet

When it launches on the PS5 sometime after 2021, the PlayStation VR 2 will not be wireless. Sony revealed this somewhat disappointing news when it officially announced the PSVR 2. While many gamers were hoping that Sony would follow Facebook's lead in delivering a totally wireless VR solution, it seems that the technology just isn't ready for wireless VR from a PlayStation console at this time.

In many ways, Sony is actually following Facebook's lead on more powerful VR experiences by announcing that a single-cable solution will be employed with the PSVR 2 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. While Sony is still playing coy with many details on the second-generation PSVR, the announcement on February 23, 2021 suggests that Sony will be using a similar solution. Since the PS5 has USB Type-C ports — the same port that's used on PC to link up VR headsets — it's pretty easy to assume Sony will be ditching the processing box from the original PSVR and using only one long cable, instead.

PSVR 2 Will it ever be wireless?

While it certainly looks like the PSVR 2 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 Ocober 2019 when a patent confirmed what Mallinson was saying.

Given that the PSVR 2 isn't slated to release until sometime in 2022, at the earliest, it would be a bit surprising to see Sony only launch the headset with a wire attached. Oculus Quest and Quest 2 gamers are able to play PC VR games wirelessly now 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. Given the unreliability of this solution, neither Facebook nor Sony are likely to make it an official way to stream wireless VR games any time soon.

The only other option that we're aware of at the moment is a solution that was 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 PSVR 2 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 either alongside the PSVR 2's launch, or sometime in the future.

PSVR 2 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 PSVR 2 could possibly be over the original. Right now, we know that the PSVR 2 will bring a higher-resolution display, wider field of view, brand new controllers inspired by the PS5's DualSense controllers, and likely plenty of surprises by the time it finally launches. In addition to that, VR games will be built with the PS5's hardware power in mind. That means a significant upgrade over what players have gotten used to on the current-generation PSVR, which was already a bit of a stretch for the PS4 hardware when it launched in 2016.

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