PlayStation VR2 is a big deal for the virtual reality market, with the headset set to be one of the most technically impressive peripherals released. One major improvement over the first-gen device is the fact that PSVR2 supports USB-C instead of a proprietary cable – though PC support might still take years to accomplish.
As reported by RoadtoVR, those hoping to use their PSVR2 headsets to play virtual reality games on PC may end up disappointed as without any official PC support from Sony it could take developers up to half a decade to get the headset working on anything other than a PS5. This is according to Mediator Software who are responsible for the first-gen PSVR-to-PC convertor iVRy Driver for SteamVR, taking to Reddit to say:
“You would be wasting your money, as there is no guarantee you could ever use it on a PC, and quite a good chance that you won’t be able to. The original PSVR is (electronically) equivalent to a monitor and so it is relatively simple to get a video signal up on it. Reading sensors etc. took a lot of reverse engineering, and at least a year from release before anyone figured that out. It then took a couple more years before it was usable as a PC VR headset. Tracking and controllers (using the original hardware) is still very much a work in progress, over 5 years from release. That is without Sony making any effort to prevent non PS4 users from using it.”
Beyond this there is even more to consider, with Mediator Software continuing, “Even if they haven’t [encrypted headset data] it would take a lot of reverse engineering (read several years) just to get an image on the headset. Then there is the tracking, which would need to be developed, as there isn’t a ready-made SLAM tracker available for Windows (assuming of course the camera protocol was reverse-engineered). Then the controllers etc. etc.”
It is safe to say that despite using USB-C PC players will not be able to use the PSVR2, even if its hardware is superior to other headsets. Hopefully Sony does add PC support to the headset at some point in the future.
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KitGuru says: Are you excited for PSVR2? Would you like to see it support PCs? Do you think Sony will ever officially offer such support? Let us know down below.