New PS5 VR details have been leaked from a private developer conference. Sony’s new virtual reality headset takes aim major improvements over its predecessor. It can not be a surprise considering that these devices have not received major news since their launch in 2016.
The ambitious goals that some gurus pointed out for consumer Virtual Reality have not been met by far. The offer is minimal and the revenue is residual, while important platforms such as Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality and Google’s Daydream VR have ended in fiasco. And we have no news about Apple’s rumored AR / VR device, except that even those from Cupertino are not clear about entering this segment despite Tim Cook’s declared enthusiasm
Only Facebook with the Oculus (breakthrough with the Quest 2) and HTC with the Vive have been able to maintain and still with minimal sales. Sony is the only one that has truly done business and the only one with a successful device for consoles, a PlayStation VR that has taken advantage of the huge installed base of the PS4.
PS5 VR
The next version (PSVR 2) is aiming for 2022. Under the codename ‘NGVR’ the development is quite delayed, perhaps influenced by a PS5 launch that has not been ideal due to the lack of stock. And obviously, Sony wants to take advantage of the sales of the new console and feed back its entire gaming ecosystem with a quality VR. The latest details come to us from the leak of a private developer conference.
The screen is the most important element of a self-respecting VR and this device will have a OLED display (probably manufactured by Samsung) which will offer a combined resolution of 4000 x 2040 pixels, a 110-degree field of view, 120 Hz refresh rate and HDR support.
Also very important are the controllers and those of PS5 VR will be of new generation adding some of the improvements presented in the PS5 DualSense such as haptic technology for its new trackpads. Thus, they will have capacitive touch sensors for the thumb, index and middle finger tracking.
They would also have the presence of several pressure, movement and elasticity sensors to detect and assist the user in the correct placement of the headset itself, and they would save the different profiles of each player with details about the size of the head, hair and other physical aspects that can influence the VR experience.
An updated virtual reality system as well need improved gaming experiences, and Sony is looking to bring triple-A titles to its virtual reality ecosystem. It’s a problem because the general little pull of VR does not invite developers to program games for a single platform. It is a workhorse that Sony will have to solve for this PS5 VR that should be available as soon as possible, in 2022.
