Back when Sony first announced the PlayStation VR headset, there was a lot of buzz and excitement. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive had yet to fully get themselves rooted into the VR market. Was the PSVR going to be the headset to dominate VR?
Fast forward today and the PSVR has done remarkably well when compared to the hardware specs of the competitors. The backlog of games for the PSVR has grown rapidly making the PSVR a worthwhile investment for those looking to get into the VR market on a limited budget.
Despite the success of the PSVR, the hardware is uses is quite limited. The screen resolution is half that of the competitors. This was done to keep costs down and because the PlayStation 4 did not have the horsepower to deliver full 1080p to both eyes. The PSVR was a perfect headset for the PS4, but what about the PS5? What’s next for Sony and VR?
Rumors about the PS5 have already started rolling in. We all know another console is coming, we just don’t know what sort of hardware it will have. If the last four consoles are anything to go by, the PS5 will more than likely be more powerful than the PlayStation 4. What will this do for the VR?
The PSVR will most likely stay with the PS4. The headset was built to make the most of the PS4 hardware and to cut costs, the headset is not future proof. A more powerful system won’t be able to deliver 1080p to each eye, because the resolution of the screen in the headset does not go that high.
When the PlayStation 5 launches, it will likely launch with the PSVR 2. There is no other way for Sony to stay in the VR market with the existing headset. Vr games will not get any better on the PS5 without a new headset to take advantage of the improved performance.
A new VR headset for the PlayStation highlights a very important question, will games from the PS4 work with the PS5? Backwards compatibility has become vital to the future of games consoles. Without it, we will see a decline in interest if people continue to lose everything. A faster and more powerful PlayStation that has a higher spec VR headset means that existing VR games will look better by default. An extension of the Ps4s “boost mode” on the PS5 will be all that is needed. Backwards compatibility is critical!
As of yet, there have been no credible leaks that reveal what sort of power we can expect from the PS5 and the same can be said for the next gen VR headset. With Sony missing from E3 this year, we may have to wait a little longer. All we know is that Sony have a strong future in VR and we can’t wait to see what comes next.