A new report alleges that PSVR 2 will largely become a home for big-budget, AAA games – as well as ‘hybrid’ titles that will be playable on both PSVR 2 or with a more traditional TV screen – when it comes to PS5.
The new report, from YouTube channel PSVR Without Parole, comes from information supposedly released by Sony via a virtual summit, in which it told game developers what they can expect with PSVR 2. One of the more interesting details was an increased focus on games that can be played either in VR or on a regular gaming TV, ensuring titles can reach players with or without a PSVR 2 headset.
Interestingly, the report also notes that Sony plans to offer separate downloadable versions for both TV and VR-compatible releases, ensuring players who opt for one aren’t forced to download files for the other.
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The report also states that Sony is planning to divulge specs and launch plans early next year.
Some additional specs are also included in the new PSVR 2 report, including that the headset could feature a HDR-capable OLED screen, a lightweight fresnel lens (a more compact lens than that featured in the original headset) and a field of view of 110 degrees, up from the original PSVR headset’s 100 degrees.
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Sony has yet to confirm any of these details, so anything here should be taken with a pinch of salt. But if the report is to be believed, then it sounds like Sony is hoping to angle PSVR 2 as more of a PS5 peripheral than a piece of gaming hardware in its own right.
By focusing more on high-quality, hybrid titles for VR, that means that for the most part, we might see games release with VR modes as opposed to being separate products entirely.
This actually isn’t anything new for Sony and PSVR. The PS4 headset largely featured a library of hybrid titles like Resident Evil 7 and Rez Infinite, both of which could be played with or without PSVR. While some dedicated VR experiences existed, such as Everybody’s Golf VR and the excellent Astro Bot Rescue Mission, a large portion of the device’s library was populated by hybrid titles.
We wonder, then, in a transition to hybrid games designed to work in both VR and on a TV, if we’ll be missing out on more unique experiences like the aforementioned Astro Bot Rescue Mission, which could only be played with a PSVR headset. A game that needs both VR and non-VR inputs could end up compromising on some of the quirkier possibilities of virtual reality gameplay.
That would be a shame, but it’s possible that developers like Asobi are already working on hybrid games that are playable on a TV, but potentially offer a different – or even a more fleshed out – experience when played with the PSVR 2 headset.
