PS5’s PSVR Upgrade Needs Better Controllers, Untethered Headset

The virtual reality space in gaming has been going from strength to strength in the last few years, with games such as Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Resident Evil 7, Half-Life: Alyx, and many others showcasing the potential of the technology, and the hope remains that in the coming years, it will only continue to improve. In the console space, Sony and PlayStation have been its biggest (and only) supporters (unless you count Nintendo’s cardboard efforts), and with the PS5 confirmed to feature PSVR support, it’s clear that they’re going to continue investing in it.

Even though a PSVR 2 is a ways off yet, when it does arrive, what sort of improvements should we expect to see? We recently conducted at interview with Schell Games, a studio driven to improve accessibility in VR titles that is currently working on adding accessibility VR upgrades to early access sword fighting title Until You Fall. Talking about PSVR and its next gen upgrade, they discussed the improvements they would like to see, such as better controllers and, of course, a wireless headset.

“If I could have anything from PSVR, it would be a re-think of the controllers, specifically the addition of sticks and squeeze sensors,” said Harleey Baldwin, VP of design. “If I could have two things, it would be to untether the headset somehow. I know I sound like a broken record, but the change in experience is profound. That freedom is hard to explain if you’ve not had it, and hard to imagine giving up if you have.”

Meanwhile, Alexis Miller, director of product management, had similar things to say, mentioning that such improvements will be necessary for PSVR given its competition in the market.

“I’d love to see some reimagining with their controllers,” Miller said. “PlayStation appeals to a wide audience, so wouldn’t it be great if their controllers could be more easily usable by more players? I also think it’s time to make their headset cordless. Given the competition now, they can’t make an argument for needing the cord for quality purposes.”

While there has been no word from Sony on a next-gen PSVR headset yet and what improvements it could bring with it, patents filed by them have pointed to the same. And sure enough, improved controllers and a wireless headset have been among the many improvements that seem to be making the cut- though of course patents don’t necessarily represent what a final product will look like.

Our full interview with Schell Games will be going live soon, so stay tuned for that.