Sony Patent Teases Major PlayStation VR Controller Upgrade

The PlayStation 5 launches in less than two months. Sony has, to this point, held two major PS5 events showcasing the console’s hardware and a variety of upcoming next-generation games. Yet one PlayStation-related topic has been left conspicuously unmentioned, that being PlayStation VR. Yet despite the silence about the state and future of PlayStation VR, Sony continues work behind the scenes. As proof, another PSVR-related patent for VR controllers has just been discovered.

The patent in question is for a PlayStation 5 VR Tracking Controller, a completely reinvented controller compared to the current PSVR’s Move controller. Like with modern PC VR controllers, the new PS5 controllers shown in the patent come in a set of two so that there’s one for each hand. Each features a grip with buttons and a joystick for the thumb, as well as buttons on the back for the index finger. The patent also apparently has an option for a touch sensor, which would presumably track the basic movements of the other fingers.

Then comes the VR tracking part of the controller. Like the Oculus Touch controllers, the patented PS5 VR controllers have a halo that loops over the back of the player’s knuckles. This halo is covered in small light-emitting nodes. These light nodes can be tracked by a camera or cameras for presumably 1:1 hand movement that would be much more reliable than the current Move controllers.

The PS5 VR Tracking Controllers don’t feature any cameras themselves, of course. Assumedly, PS5 owners would be able to use a distinct camera like the one offered for the PS4 for tracking. Alternatively, a previous patent for a PlayStation VR 2 headset showed that it also had a camera built into it. That way, it could track the player’s hands even if they turned completely away from the static camera. There could be problems with this arrangement, like if the player moved their hands toward their back or above them, but perhaps Sony has other plans for those situations.

It bears repeating that this is just a patent. It doesn’t imply that a product is coming, outside of the work that went into developing the technology in the first place. Sony may have decided not to continue pursuing VR in the time since, though that would be contradictory to recent official statements regarding the future of PlayStation VR. Alternatively, Sony may have moved in a different direction regarding VR technology.

If Sony is moving forward with VR for the PlayStation 5, however, it’s unlikely to be a PS5 launch technology. Rumors hint that VR could make a return in 2021 after Sony’s built up a solid player base for the PS5 and supply isn’t a pressing issue. Needless to say, the PS5 would be able to support much more powerful VR technology than the PS4. The controllers shown here are just the start. Hopefully, Sony will share more information about its PS VR 2 plans sooner rather than later.

The Playstation 5 releases November 12.

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