Sony has taken the covers off the VR controller for the PS5, and it’s supposed to bring over some of the DualSense’s new features to offer a “visceral” experience in VR games. Sony hasn’t actually revealed what the PS5 VR headset will look like, but we’re getting the first official look at Sony’s new VR controllers today—along with a breakdown of features we’ll be looking forward to.
Before we go any further, here are some photos to whet the VR appetite:
The PS5 VR controller will come with the same adaptive triggers that you see (or feel, rather) on the Sony DualSense controllers—which offers tension-based feedback when pressed. How does this actually affect gameplay? Well, Sony says that in a scenario where you’re drawing a bow to fire an arrow, the tension in the trigger buttons will simulate that feeling—and this also applies to the VR controller.
“The first thing you’ll notice with our next-gen VR controller is the unique design, which takes on an “orb” shape that allows you to hold the controller naturally, while playing with a high degree of freedom. There are no constraints with how you’re moving your hands, providing developers with the ability to create unique gameplay experiences.”
– Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Planning & Management
Haptic feedback has also been tweaked for the orb-shaped controller, while Sony says that its VR controller will be able to detect your fingers, even if you aren’t pressing down. This is supposed to make the experience more natural during gameplay. Plus, of course, if you look really closely, you’ll see the usual cross, circle, triangle, cross, and square buttons, along with an R1 button that functions as a “grip” button.
A lot of its success will depend on the actual implementation and optimisation of these features within next-gen VR games on the PS5 platform, of course. Hideaki Nishino, Senior VP of Platform Planning & Management at Sony, explains:
“We’re thrilled with the controller we developed, but what matters now is how game creators will take advantage of the features to design the next generation of VR experiences. Prototypes of our new VR controller will be in the hands of the development community soon, and we can’t wait to see what ideas they come up with and how the controller helps bring their imagination to life!”
– Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Planning & Management
In any case, Sony isn’t actually launching the PS5 VR headset in 2021. However, it looks like progress is chugging along, and we’re definitely looking forward to trying out some next-gen VR gaming—and when we do, we’ll be sure to share our experience.
