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[XXL]

Apple and Sony are working on Vision Pro support for PSVR2 controllers

But controller support doesn’t mean more games.

www.theverge.com

The Vision Pro could gain support for Sony PSVR2 controllers soon, according to Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. Apple and Sony apparently planned to announce support for the controllers “weeks ago” but have pushed back the rollout. Under this rumored partnership, Apple would begin selling Sony’s controllers, which aren’t currently available on their own.

Sony has apparently been working on adding the support for months, while Apple has asked third-party developers if they would take advantage of Sony’s VR controllers. That’s potentially great news for Vision Pro owners who wish the headset had more gaming chops. (There are precious few good, native visionOS games — Thrasher, a mesmerizing game where you fling a giant worm / dragon thing around a psychadelic space using just hand movements, comes to mind.)

Gurman writes that Apple also wants to use the controllers for more than gaming — the controllers will be able to navigate visionOS, and would offer more precise controls in apps like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Photoshop. Right now, you can pair a standard Bluetooth controller and navigate visionOS — tapping buttons to select things, scrolling with the analog sticks, and so on. They also work for gaming, but you’re mostly limited to iPad and iPhone games with controller support or made-for-iOS emulators or that native Virtual Boy one.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Flopception

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Part of Sony's strategy of decoupling their products to achieve maximum reach. Will also mean people will finally get their stand alone replacement controllers.

That Sony is still investing in VR as evidence by the hands free update, I'm convinced we're going to see a new model next year, with the massive discounting meant to phase out the current model.

 

[Unknown?]

Part of Sony's strategy of decoupling their products to achieve maximum reach. Will also mean people will finally get their stand alone replacement controllers.

That Sony is still investing in VR as evidence by the hands free update, I'm convinced we're going to see a new model next year, with the massive discounting meant to phase out the current model.

How would they improve it without justifying calling it PSVR3?

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I’m surprised Apple don’t just make their own

 

[FrankWza]

 

[lh032]

and i cant afford both

 

[Mibu no ookami]

How would they improve it without justifying calling it PSVR3?

It'll still play PSVR2 games, it'll just be wireless and MAYBE MAYBE play stand-alone games.

Same way they had revisions of the PSP and PSVita. Same way they had revisions of other PlayStation systems.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I’m surprised Apple don’t just make their own

Requires a lot of R&D for something that's not going to sell you a lot of units. Much easier to farm some things out than to do it yourself. It's why Sony doesn't make their own CPUs and GPUs anymore.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

It also opens things up for a PSVR2 without sense controllers, which I thought Sony would have done a lot sooner, i.e. a bundle with Gran Turismo 7 to be paired with a racing wheel like they did on PSVR1.

You could probably sell the PSVR2 without controllers for 250-275 and really rack up sales of people who already have racing wheels and just want to play GT7. Put a bundled PSVR2 without controllers and GT7 for 300.

Also surprised they never did an RE4 bundle. There were better ways of promoting this than Call of the Mountain.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Requires a lot of R&D for something that's not going to sell you a lot of units. Much easier to farm some things out than to do it yourself. It's why Sony doesn't make their own CPUs and GPUs anymore.

Well if vr gets popular enough in the future for them they will just go in house

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Well if vr gets popular enough in the future for them they will just go in house

That's a possibility, but near term, they really need to reduce costs, so it makes sense to go with something ready-made.

I could also see them working with Sony to release a high-end gaming VR headset with trickle-down effects for PSVR.

 

[LectureMaster]

 

[Unknown?]

It'll still play PSVR2 games, it'll just be wireless and MAYBE MAYBE play stand-alone games.

Same way they had revisions of the PSP and PSVita. Same way they had revisions of other PlayStation systems.

Well they did revise PSVR1 similarly to their revisions of PSP and Vita but it just made minor upgrades such as those handhelds. It didn't fundamentally change the product. I could see it being minor but nothing making it wireless.

 

[onQ123]

How about Non-VR PS5 support

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Well they did revise PSVR1 similarly to their revisions of PSP and Vita but it just made minor upgrades such as those handhelds. It didn't fundamentally change the product. I could see it being minor but nothing making it wireless.

Times change and you have to adapt to the market. There is no way if Sony is serious about VR (and it appears that they are) that it can wait until 2029, 2030 (if not later) to put out a wireless VR headset.

The PS2 Slim integrated ethernet into the console. The PS3 removed hardware PS2 BC. PSP Go couldn't play UMDs. PSTV was a Vita in a completely different form. To suggest that Sony doesn't do major revisions isn't really accurate.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Sony/Apple

 

[ReBurn]

That's cool. Does that mean they're going to finally sell the controllers on their own?

 

[Unknown?]

Times change and you have to adapt to the market. There is no way if Sony is serious about VR (and it appears that they are) that it can wait until 2029, 2030 (if not later) to put out a wireless VR headset.

The PS2 Slim integrated ethernet into the console. The PS3 removed hardware PS2 BC. PSP Go couldn't play UMDs. PSTV was a Vita in a completely different form. To suggest that Sony doesn't do major revisions isn't really accurate.

PS2 integrated a feature already available, the other two lost features. I feel like they would have learned from their mistakes like they did with PS5's disc drive. All they should do is offer some sort of dongle that has wireless. Stupid to manufacture a whole new model so quickly that can be applied to existing product.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

PS2 integrated a feature already available, the other two lost features. I feel like they would have learned from their mistakes like they did with PS5's disc drive. All they should do is offer some sort of dongle that has wireless. Stupid to manufacture a whole new model so quickly that can be applied to existing product.

Sounds like maybe you're an early adopter who will be upset that their version is deprecated and won't get new features.

A wireless dongle doesn't make sense because you're also going to need to add in battery.

A revised model can fix a lot of issues people have with the current model. Different lenses, wireless, having to own a PS5.

The OG PS5 Digital can't use the disc drive attachment. That's just a reality. Sony could have released a USB-C disc driver reader and it could have worked on all models. PS5 Pro has features that aren't included in the PS5 too.

 

[Don Carlo]

Interesting to see how this will play out

 

[existensmaximum]

So, Sony will do just about anything except porting games from PSVR1 or funding new PSVR2 first party exclusives?

 

[Mibu no ookami]

So, Sony will do just about anything except porting games from PSVR1 or funding new PSVR2 first party exclusives?

Let's focus on what you've said here.

What is the value in porting PSVR1 games? Most of which didn't sell well. That includes Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Blood and Truth, and I'll even throw in Deracine. There weren't that many Sony first party VR games on PSVR1 in the first place.

As for funding PSVR2 first party exclusives. Notice how oddly specific you got there. You're essentially saying Sony should force an internal development studio to make a VR game. With Call of the Moutain and GT7, they've probably already put more funding into development than they did during the PSVR1.

It's difficult enough for studios to get their AAA games out let alone mess around with VR. Sony Bend, Media Molecule, and even Firesprite which is basically the VR studio are all on the ropes.

 

[Aces High]

Well if vr gets popular enough in the future for them they will just go in house

We're at least 10 years away from end-user VR to be succesful.

And the engineers working on these things know that.

As long as VR is using a stereoscopic flat screen setup, it will cause side effects like eye strain, nausea, simulator sickness and headaches. And there's nothing you can do about it.

Lightfield VR could be the awaited breakthrough, but that's way too expensive right now and requires much more computational resources. Consumer-grade GPUs are not strong enough for it and won't be for a long time.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Lightfield VR could be the awaited breakthrough, but that's way too expensive right now and requires much more computational resources. Consumer-grade GPUs are not strong enough and won't be for a long time.

Never heard of this

So it solves the nausea issues?

Is this tech more demanding than RT?

So we are like 15 years away?

 

[existensmaximum]

Let's focus on what you've said here.

What is the value in porting PSVR1 games? Most of which didn't sell well. That includes Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Blood and Truth, and I'll even throw in Deracine. There weren't that many Sony first party VR games on PSVR1 in the first place.

As for funding PSVR2 first party exclusives. Notice how oddly specific you got there. You're essentially saying Sony should force an internal development studio to make a VR game. With Call of the Moutain and GT7, they've probably already put more funding into development than they did during the PSVR1.

It's difficult enough for studios to get their AAA games out let alone mess around with VR. Sony Bend, Media Molecule, and even Firesprite which is basically the VR studio are all on the ropes.

So what you're saying is that you don't think they care about creating value for the PSVR2 owners who's only got a PS5? Yeah, I totally agree!

 

[I'm nobody]

Sony and Apple should work on a wireless VR headset for PS

 

[Loomy]

I’m surprised Apple don’t just make their own

Pretty sure apple is not spending as much on whatever computing they called this anymore. At least not for now. They massively missed the mark with this.

 

[Parazels]

Why is Half Life Alex not yet on PSVR2?

 

[Aces High]

Never heard of this

So it solves the nausea issues?

Is this tech more demanding than RT?

So we are like 15 years away?

More like 10 years. Maybe PS6 Pro timeline.

Light field rendering is much more demanding than real-time ray tracing (RT).

RT focuses on simulating realistic lighting and shadows for a scene.

Light field rendering involves simulating an entire field of light rays for every possible viewpoint.

So you need much more computational power and memory.

But in return it can solve nausea problems to a significant extent. One major cause of VR nausea is the convergence-accommodation mismatch, where your eyes focus at a fixed screen distance while trying to converge on objects at varying depths in the virtual world.

Light field technology eliminates this issue. However it won't solve all nausea issues. It's the next step for VR in general and can be a possible breakthrough for end-user VR.

 

[ArtHands]

So, Sony will do just about anything except porting games from PSVR1 or funding new PSVR2 first party exclusives?

Basically getting Apple to help offload the remaining controllers stock

Besides most of Sony’s VR studios are either closed or busy with other non-VR projects.

 

[cyberheater]

I hope virtual desktop ends up supporting this. It would be like a Quest3 on steroids.

 

[Ar¢tos]

If Apple is the one selling the controllers, I expect them to cost 300-400$.

 

[Bojanglez]

If Apple is the one selling the controllers, I expect them to cost 300-400$.

I know you're joking, but at least there is precedence for them selling Sony controllers at standard price.

Sony PlayStation® DualSense™ Wireless Controller

Raise your game with the Sony PlayStation DualSense wireless controller. It pairs directly with your compatible iPad, iPhone, Mac or Apple TV via Bluetooth. Buy online now at apple.com.

www.apple.com

 

[Mibu no ookami]

So what you're saying is that you don't think they care about creating value for the PSVR2 owners who's only got a PS5? Yeah, I totally agree!

I'm saying you have to weigh the use of resources.

These games never sold super well in the first place. They created an adapter so that people with PSVR1 could use their headset on PS5. They didn't have to do that, but they did, but somehow that isn't enough. They need to spend more money than they'll get back in return to port specific games? Make it make sense.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I know you're joking, but at least there is precedence for them selling Sony controllers at standard price.

Sony PlayStation® DualSense™ Wireless Controller

Raise your game with the Sony PlayStation DualSense wireless controller. It pairs directly with your compatible iPad, iPhone, Mac or Apple TV via Bluetooth. Buy online now at apple.com.

www.apple.com

I'm pretty sure Sony would match the price of the Meta Quest 3 controllers. So 75 dollars for a left or right controller.

 

[nemiroff]

I'm sure the twelve people on the planet who own a Vision Pro appreciate the effort.

 

[nemiroff]

So it solves the nausea issues?

A little bit of yes, but also mostly no.

Nausea in VR/AR today is mostly caused by a sensory conflict in the brain (visuals vs input from the vestibular system, often a lack thereof). Lightfield technology aims to address a smaller aspect of this issue by simulating more natural depth of focus, potentially reducing visual strain but not directly addressing vestibular conflicts.

 

[Burger King]

Sony should consider adding to PSVR2 on PS5:
- VR video apps like Youtube
- big screen mode
- VR movies
- VR maps
...

 

[Bojanglez]

I'm sure the twelve people on the planet who own a Vision Pro appreciate the effort.

I think the point of the Pro was to get a high end target device in the wild to get devs thinking of potential Apps/solutions. There are a lot of corporates that see the value in these headsets (engineering, medical etc) so they will pay the price to explore it, the end game will be to make a consumer grade product based on the same tech. Knowing Apple it will still be expensive, but considerably cheaper than the Pro.

 

[Unknown?]

Sounds like maybe you're an early adopter who will be upset that their version is deprecated and won't get new features.

A wireless dongle doesn't make sense because you're also going to need to add in battery.

A revised model can fix a lot of issues people have with the current model. Different lenses, wireless, having to own a PS5.

The OG PS5 Digital can't use the disc drive attachment. That's just a reality. Sony could have released a USB-C disc driver reader and it could have worked on all models. PS5 Pro has features that aren't included in the PS5 too.

Nope, I just know what happens when companies abandon new expensive hardware. It even happens with price drops. None of what you're suggesting is even a big issue to users of the headset. I get it though, it can't stagnante like PSVR1 did. PSVR1 was decent in 2016 but by 2023 was horribly outdated, you can't wait that long to update.

Also your imagination is very short sighted if you don't think a battery pack could be conjured alongside a dongle.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Nope, I just know what happens when companies abandon new expensive hardware. It even happens with price drops. None of what you're suggesting is even a big issue to users of the headset. I get it though, it can't stagnante like PSVR1 did. PSVR1 was decent in 2016 but by 2023 was horribly outdated, you can't wait that long to update.

Also your imagination is very short sighted if you don't think a battery pack could be conjured alongside a dongle.

It’s not that I can’t envision it, but rather it would be an expensive product and not sure what you necessarily gain by pushing it out to market. It’s not the best way to achieve the desired effect.

 

[ArtHands]

Why is Half Life Alex not yet on PSVR2?

ask the people in this thread. Seems they are extremely confident that it is coming to PSVR2 soon

Rumor: 'Half-Life: Alyx' is coming to PlayStation VR2*

https://news.nweon.com/105409 https://news-nweon-com.translate.goog/105409?_x_tr_sl=zh-CN&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Well-known VR industry whistleblower Brad Lynch (Brad Lynch) recently posted a screenshot on Twitter . Among them, in a video introducing the upcoming PSVR 2 game on...

www.neogaf.com

 

[EDMIX]

Sony/Apple

that sounds like an expensive combination lol

 

[saintjules]

that sounds like an expensive combination lol

Indeed. I mean the Vision Pro is still $3499 right? I wonder how many have invested in this.

 

[XXL]

Sony should consider adding to PSVR2 on PS5:
- VR video apps like Youtube
- big screen mode
- VR movies
- VR maps
...

Completely agree.

 

[Zacfoldor]

With our flops combined...

Vision Pro still flops

 

[mckmas8808]

Part of Sony's strategy of decoupling their products to achieve maximum reach. Will also mean people will finally get their stand alone replacement controllers.

That Sony is still investing in VR as evidence by the hands free update, I'm convinced we're going to see a new model next year, with the massive discounting meant to phase out the current model.

I think you are crazy to think a PSVR3 is ever gonna release. But you do make good points about them clearly still being invested in VR in general, so who knows?....

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I think you are crazy to think a PSVR3 is ever gonna release. But you do make good points about them clearly still being invested in VR in general, so who knows?....

VR is going to grow substantially in the next 4+ years. I wouldn't count it out. It's a technology in its infancy against a technology in its maturity.

 

[mckmas8808]

VR is going to grow substantially in the next 4+ years. I wouldn't count it out. It's a technology in its infancy against a technology in its maturity.

Substantially?! Man......I like VR also, but I wish I had your level of positive outlook on it. I hope you're right.