PlayStation VR2 seems to be the end of Sony's virtual ambitions – sells all patents to Meta

Sony's PlayStation VR2 was ground-breaking in a number of ways when it arrived as a PS5 add-on in 2023. Its eye-tracking and foveated rendering technologies were particularly innovative.

However, the headset failed to set the world alight and now it seems Sony is ready to throw in the towel. It has reportedly sold its virtual reality patents to Meta.

According to ZDNet in Korea, more than 40 VR patents have been bought by Meta for potential use in future extended reality devices. This includes technologies related to head-mounted systems.

They have been listed as changing hands by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, so that's about as clear cut as it gets.

That's not to say the existing PSVR2 will be impacted though, although it's been a while since PlayStation has highlighted new games coming specifically for it.

There are still plenty of titles to play and the headset is still sold by retailers, such as Amazon. It also works particularly well with the PS5 Pro, we've found. But sadly it seems its days are numbered.

Sony's VR journey

Sony released its first PlayStation VR for the PS4 a decade ago and sold more than five million units before it was discontinued in 2024. The PSVR2 essentially replaced it the year before, but one issue is that the new headset was exclusive to the PS5 and could not play titles released for its predecessor.

That meant game availability was limited, unless developers upgraded their own titles.

It hamstrung the new model and it has reportedly sold less than half the amount of units of the original – even though it was better technically in just about every way.

It will be interesting to see if the existing version will work with the PS6 when it eventually arrives, or whether Sony is simply ready to cut its losses. Either way, if you want a next-gen headset, it looks like a Meta Quest will be your best bet.