Sony recently unveiled that the PS5 is, to no one’s surprise, officially called the PlayStation 5, and that the console will receive its formal, official unveiling next year. Alongside that also came information on the console’s new controller, but for those concerned with less traditional methods of playing games, there’s some interesting information here as well.
It’s no secret that Sony are big fans of virtual reality, and that even though a PSVR 2 headset won’t launch alongside the PS5, the console will continue supporting VR nonetheless. And it’s also safe to assume that there will eventually be PSVR 2- and a new patent (via Lets Go Digital) filed by Sony may have clued us into the sort of improvements we can expect to see in it.
The patent mentions a headset with two cameras on the front and one on the rear, while a PS Move-style controller also comes with a camera of its own. The front-facing cameras on the headset are particularly interesting, because the patent mentions they’ll enable something called “transparent view”.
These cameras will allow players to see their surroundings through the headset, with each camera projecting an image to an eye each, creating a stereoscopic 3D effect. These cameras can also work for augmented reality purposes. Meanwhile, an additional external camera – like the PlayStation Camera that the current PSVR headset uses – can also be used.
Finally, it also seems like Sony is targeting wireless headsets for the next generation of PSVR, as one would expect. The patent mentions headsets receiving and sending data via Bluetooth and having their own power supply.
Of course, as is the case with any patent, there’s no guarantees that this will lead to an actual product. Companies protect their tech with patents all the time, and not all of them always materialize as actual products. Still, the improvements mentioned here seem very much in line with what would be expected improvements, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them all being used in PSVR 2, whenever it comes out.
Earlier this year, more patents hinted at some interesting improvements for PSVR controllers, including per-finger tracking and hand detection. Read more on that through here.