Sony has unveiled a brand-new PlayStation VR controller for use with its next-gen headset. The controllers will feature some of the same functionality as the PS5's DualSense controller but will have a few new tricks up their sleeve as well.
How will the next-gen PlayStation VR controller work?
In a blog post on the official Sony website, platform planning and management, VP Hideaki Nishino goes into some detail about the new controllers. They're essentially two wireless handle-style peripherals with an "orb" design that encircles your hands as you play. Sony says it's designed the controller with ergonomics front and center, having tested "a range of hand sizes" in order to find the optimal fit for as many people as possible.
These new next-gen VR controllers will feature the same adaptive triggers and haptic feedback as the DualSense. Sony says it's tuned the haptic feedback for the new controllers' shape and form factor. In addition to these features, the new controllers will also have finger touch detection. This makes them able to detect your fingers without pressing buttons, allowing you to make "more natural gestures" as you play. The new PlayStation VR headset will track the controllers via a tracking ring situated at the bottom of the controller. Otherwise, you'll find the same buttons and triggers as you would on the DualSense; the Create button is on the left controller, and the right controller houses the Options key.
When will we know more about next-gen PlayStation VR?
At the moment, Sony's next-gen PlayStation VR headset is still very much in the development phase. In the blog post, Nishino says that prototypes of the new controller will be available for developers "soon" and that there's "still much more to share" about next-gen VR on PS5. We'll have to wait and see what else Sony has to say about its new VR headset.
The next generation of PlayStation VR was announced last month. It won't be available to PS5 users anytime soon; Nishino says that the second generation of PlayStation VR isn't coming out in 2021. However, it will be a simpler affair than its PS4 predecessor, connecting to the PS5 with a single cord rather than the multi-wire arrangement of the current PSVR set. We'll bring you more on this as soon as we get it.
Are you looking forward to playing the next generation of PlayStation VR? Let us know in the comments below!
