Sony is expected to launch the PS VR2, the next generation of the PlayStation Virtual Reality (VR) gaming headset, early next year. However, players who want to continue playing VR games purchased for PS VR headsets will need to keep their old hardware.
Games developed for the PS VR headset will not be compatible with PS VR2. Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of platform experience at PlayStation, confirmed that the next-gen VR gaming headset is not backwards compatible. Nishino said: “PS VR games are not compatible with PS VR2 because PS VR2 was designed to deliver a truly next-gen VR experience. PS VR2 is a brand new controller with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, it combines inside-out tracking, eye tracking, 3D audio and, of course, much more advanced features like 4K HDR. This means that game development for PS VR2 requires a completely different approach from the original PS VR.”
Yes, reportedly the PS VR2 headset has completely new hardware. Even its controllers are designed completely different from PS VR controllers. As this is a hardware-level change, it’s unlikely that Sony or game developers will make an effort to make games made for the PS VR headset playable on PS VR2.
Confirmed on Sony's Official PlayStation Podcast: PSVR games are not compatible with PSVR2
(Around 29:10)https://t.co/4BBjwlwitR pic.twitter.com/Dx4AWj3QYg
— Nibel (@Nibellion) September 16, 2022
There may be some game titles that may be backwards compatible with current generation PS VR titles. However, developers developing new games for the PS VR2 title will need to rework nearly every aspect of the game to ensure their creations work reliably on both titles. It is highly probable that they will not incur this cost.
Meanwhile, some games running on PS VR will have PS VR2 versions, but the list is pretty small. So it looks like gamers hoping to play all the PS VR libraries will need to keep their hands on the first-gen title.
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