Last month, Sony briefly introduced us to the next generation of virtual reality on its platform, and today it has revealed the new PS VR controllers. The new, hand cage-like design brings much of the DualSense PS5 controller sensibilities to the table with haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, finger touch detection, and more. Head below for a closer look.
The new PS VR controllers are here!
The first thing you’ll likely notice here is the unique design Sony refers to as an orb shape. It claims users can “hold the controller naturally, while playing with a high degree of freedom.” Sony has tested users with a wide-range of hand sizes, according to today’s PlayStation Blog post, as well as implementing “decades of insights from controllers across all PlayStation platforms.”
Here’s a breakdown from Sony about the actual feature set. There are Adaptive triggers, similar to those found on the DualSense controller:
If you’ve played a PS5 game, you’ll be familiar with the tension in the L2 or R2 buttons when you press them, such as when you’re drawing your bow to fire an arrow. When you take that kind of mechanics and apply it to VR, the experience is amplified to the next level.
Gamers can also expect to see Haptic feedback to make game worlds even more immersive:
The new controller will have haptic feedback optimized for its form factor, making every sensation in the game world more impactful, textured, and nuanced. When you’re traversing through rocky desert or trading blows in melee combat, you’ll feel the difference, magnifying the extraordinary visual and audio experience that’s so central to VR.
A sort of finger touch detection is also present here that Sony describes as allowing the controller to “detect your fingers without any pressing in the areas where you place your thumb, index, or middle fingers.”
The new PS VR controllers are tracked by the “new VR headset” (as of yet unannounced) through some kind of tracking ring across the bottom of the gamepads/orbs. But there also more traditional controls here as well including action buttons and analog sticks:
The Left controller contains one analog stick, the triangle and square buttons, a “grip” button (L1), trigger button (L2) and Create button. The Right controller contains one analog stick, the cross and circle buttons, a “grip” button (R1), trigger button (R2) and Options button. The “grip” button can be used to pick up in-game objects, as one example.
9to5Toys’ Take
Well, it’s not the headset itself and there are no details on special game projects as of yet, but it likely won’t be long now. At first glance, the new PS VR controllers look a bit odd, although they do seem as though they will be conducive to an immersive experience with free-flowing hand and arm movements. But only time will tell now.
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