Contact Sony ASAP to Get Virtual Reality on Your PlayStation 5

Whether you’re looking to explore virtual worlds for the first time or you’re the proud owner of a PlayStation VR headset looking to game on your brand-new PlayStation 5 console, you’ve got a little work to do. Right now, your PS VR headset won’t work with Sony’s next-gen machine—but you can fix your problem without paying for it.

The one thing you absolutely need to play PS VR on a PS5

To game in virtual reality on the PS5, you’ll need a critical connector that enables you to hook up your PlayStation 4 camera to your PlayStation 5. It’s a special “Camera adaptor” Sony is offering up to all PlayStation VR owners for free—yes, including free shipping.

To get your hands on one, send in a request via Sony’s official form. You’ll need to have your PlayStation VR serial number to verify that you own the device, which you’ll find this way:

Check the rear panel of the PS VR processor unit to find the serial number, which begins with the letter C, M, or P depending on your region.

If you’re having issues verifying that number, you’ll need to contact PlayStation’s customer service for help. Don’t dawdle: Getting your hands on the adaptor is critical, because it’s not something that will be included in the PlayStation 5 box by default. Sony expects to start shipping these out in mid-November (for the U.S.), and it could take up to two weeks for yours to arrive.

How to get started with VR gaming on PS5 if you’re new

First, and most obviously, you’ll need a PlayStation VR headset to experience virtual reality on your PlayStation 5. Buy one of the many bundles that Sony offers nowadays, and you should have (almost) all the gear you’ll need starting at around $350.

Otherwise, if you purchase (or previously purchased) a “core system,” which just gets you the headset for around $290, you’ll need to do a little more shopping. As Sony recently wrote, you’ll need the following items in order to use your PlayStation VR headset on a PlayStation 5 console:

• A DualShock 4 ($65) or PlayStation Move ($100) controller—or possibly both, depending on which games support each controller. For the full “VR” experience—waving your arms around to interact with environments—you’ll want to splurge for the latter.
• A PlayStation 4 camera ($60). Yes, the PlayStation 5 will have its own souped-up camera. You won’t be able to use it to play your PlayStation VR games. To do that, you’ll need the old-school PlayStation 4 camera, which, if I’m right, you’ll have to swap out for your connected PS5 camera whenever you want to game in VR.

In other words, don’t piecemeal together a setup if you have a choice. Buy a bundle in the first place and you’ll save $160 and get a game out of the deal.