New PSVR controllers suggest PS5 headphones do not require external sensors

A month after Sony officially announced a new generation of PlayStation VR hardware for the PS5, Sony today unveiled additional details of the new handhelds designed to work with the upcoming device. As previously announced, the new controllers integrate some of the unique features of the PS5’s standard DualSense controllers. These include adaptive triggers that can apply varying voltages depending on the situation in the game, as evidenced by PS5 games such as Astro’s playroom. The new PSVR controllers also contain haptic feedback that is ‘optimized for its form factor’. The technology seems to go beyond the general rumble of earlier controllers to make ‘every sensation in the gaming world more impact, texture and nuance’, as Sony puts it.

The new PSVR controller also reflects features found on other virtual reality controllers such as the Oculus Touch, including the “spherical shape” created by the hand-circle tracking ring. The new controller has ‘finger detection’ for the thumb, forefinger and middle finger when resting on the appropriate parts of the controller, no push of a button is required. A ‘Grab Button’ on the inside of each controller can also be accessed with the middle finger to pick up objects in the game. Sony also promises that the controller is ‘well balanced and comfortable’ in tests with a variety of hand sizes.

Each controller also has an analog stick and two full-size face buttons, a major upgrade over the aging PlayStation Move bars. The Move controllers were originally designed for use with the PlayStation Move camera and PS3 games with a flat screen PS3 and were somewhat uncomfortable when they called for manual detection for many original PlayStation VR games.

Sony also confirmed today that the new controllers will be ‘detected by the VR headset’, indicating that users do not need a PS5 HD camera or any other external sensor to use manual tracking in 3D space. It is not yet clear if the headset itself will use an external camera for detection, but current standalone headphones such as the Oculus Quest line have shown that it is possible to get quality head detection in affordable headsets that use only internal sensors .

While the PS4’s DualShock controller has been used in many PSVR games for limited position detection (and analog stick / button access), the new controllers seem to be able to completely replace the case on the PS5. The fate of PSVR’s existing rifle-like Aim controller is also unclear among the new hardware.

PlayStation VR’s millions of sales have made it a relative success in the still niche world of virtual gaming. But the limited attachment speed of the hardware (compared to the total universe of PS4 owners) puts it somewhere in the series of failed additions such as the Sega CD and 32X.