It’s been clear over the last few years that virtual reality is something that Sony plans to continue to keep investing in. But though the PS5 does feature support for the current PSVR headset, that’s only possible via backward compatibility rather than natively, leading many to wonder whether a new headset designed specifically for the PS5 is in the works.
That headset is indeed in the works, and Sony have officially confirmed that in a recent update on the PlayStation blog. Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of platform planning and management, confirms that the next generation of PlayStation VR is being worked on, and that it will bring “dramatic leaps in performance and interactivity”. He writes, “Players will feel an even greater sense of presence and become even more immersed in their game worlds once they put on the new headset.”
The new PSVR headset will boast enhancements to various things, including resolution, field of view, tracking, and input, while Sony are also emphasizing greater accessibility and ease of use. Crucially, it will connect to the PS5 with just a single cord, which is a huge improvement over the cumbersome setup process of the current PSVR.
Sony is also working on new VR controllers, which, Nishino says, will incorporate some of the DualSense’s unique features (presumably the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback) and will “focus on great ergonomics.”
Nishino goes on to clarify that there’s still a long way to go for the new PSVR’s development, and the announcement makes it pretty clear that this is a pretty early update. Neither a name, nor any images, nor a precise release date have been confirmed, though Nishino does confirm that it’s not going to launch in 2021.
Patent filings by Sony in the past have suggested various improvements to the controllers and headset that the next PSVR could bring. Though patents often have a way of not materializing in any form, they do at least provide some indication as to what sort of improvements Sony is working on.
