Now that the PS5 is starting to find its way into homes across the world, Sony has begun the process of priming players for new sets of peripherals that might be coming to the next-gen console. Specifically, fans are getting their first looks at PS5's VR support, something that the system can currently accomplish with some of the PS4's hardware.
The difference, however, is that PlayStation VR will be seeing an upgrade as Sony moves from the previous incarnation of the system to a new peripheral made specifically for the PS5. While some announcements have given players a small idea of how VR will be progressing with the next-gen console, a handful of patents, including one sporting a banana as a controller, may paint a clearer picture.
The Banana Controller
Looking at what Sony might have in store for the future of VR, the best place to start is the PlayStation's upcoming banana controller that could replace the current Move peripheral. Shared in a recent patent, this "banana controller" isn't so much an oddly shaped device, but an example of a camera-based system that is able to read inputs based on the position of a household object. The system will be able to tell the position of an object in the player's hand, such as an orange, a coffee mug, or even a banana, and track how it moves and rotates, translating this into an input in-game.
This system can be used both with or without positioning software or hardware inside of the object, meaning that even something as innocuous as a banana can act as an improvised controller. The key here being that this system can also work with a device that has some sort of internal positioning capabilities, like a motion controller that can sense when the object has been tilted or moved in 3D space. All of this is powered by the ability to recognize and follow non-luminous objects, something that the current version of PlayStation VR can't accomplish.
Non-Luminous Vs PlayStation Move
The way that the current PlayStation Move controllers work is that a camera attached to either a PS4 or PS5 can read the lights that are present both on the controller and on the PlayStation VR headset. Unfortunately for this current version of VR, the light tracking can be less than ideal, especially in areas with multiple light sources competing for the camera's attention, or two players on different consoles in close proximity to each other. This is where the non-luminous controllers come into play with Sony's latest patent giving the PS5 the ability to work regardless of light source and without interfering with nearby consoles.
By assigning inputs to the position of an object in the player's hand, the system only needs to focus on the one object at a time, instead of trying to read everything that can be interpreted at once. The result could be less crossover and a more responsive input, since it isn't based on the general position of a large light, but on the overall pose of the entire object. Sony could even put this system in place for monitoring the movement of the PlayStation VR headset as well as the controllers, which could even give players 360 degree movement while in VR.
Positioning System Combined with DualSense Hardware
It's already been announced that the new PS5 VR controllers will utilize features from the DualSense, but Sony hasn't exactly been clear about which features those are. Most fans wouldn't be wrong to assume that the developer would want to include things like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers to VR, especially with how immersive these features can be. However, the features transferring from the standard controller might actually be ones that have been a part of the DualShock line since the PS3.
The PS3 introduced a feature known as Sixaxis to the PlayStation's controller line, a motion control capability that the DualShock 4 and DualSense have both kept in future console generations. While the feature isn't utilized as often in modern games, it's application could combine with the positioning system from the banana controller to give two-fold movement inputs. This means that the motion tracking inside of a new PS5 VR controller could fill in any gaps from the inputs of the positioning system and vice versa for more accurate communication with the console.
Xbox's Kinect Cautionary Tale
Some players familiar with the Xbox line of interactive peripherals might recognize this type of position tracking system as a similar type to that of the Kinect. Considering that this device has a history of being incredibly buggy and not exactly reading positions or even the existence of a human body correctly, Sony pulling the same tech into PS5 might be worrisome. In fact, Sony should be worried about this new banana controller going the way of the nearly dead Kinect system, especially when seeing the way that it almost killed the Xbox One out of the gate.
Of course, visual tracking has come a long way since the Kinect first launched, and Sony's newest innovations could be going well beyond the limitations of the old peripheral. At this point, the Kinect has become a gimmick for let's players and streamers more than it has become the household necessity that Xbox intended it to be. However, from the looks of what fans have seen of the upcoming systems coming to PS5 consoles, it seems that the similar capabilities are only a small part of the equation.
Sony's Layered Innovation
The banana controller is only one example of how this new positioning system can be used in any practical application, though it isn't the end-all be-all of PlayStation VR 2. This is one of many systems that could be coming together to make for the most immersive VR experience to date, especially for those found on console. Sony has a number of features that will layer together to make for a more complete picture when everything finally comes together.
It might still be a while before players get a complete look at how Sony intends to reinvent PlayStation VR, but at there is plenty of information available to start piecing the puzzle together. Between the banana controller, rumors of new headsets, and DualSense features, it looks like the future of VR could come within striking distance of PC quality. That being said, with PlayStation VR being made for console, this might be the most affordable way to get the type of experience that some higher end rigs are capable of achieving.
PlayStation VR for PS5 is in development by Sony.