Will PSVR 2 be backwards compatible? It better be…
While we’ve still yet to see the PlayStation VR 2 headset, aka the PSVR 2, in the flesh, this week saw Sony confirm the key specs for its PS5 virtual reality device at CES 2022. But one key feature of the PS5 add-on was notable for its absence: there was no mention of backwards compatibility with original PSVR titles.
Sony instead focussed on the new features of the headset — its 4K HDR OLED display, 110-degree field of view, 90Hz / 120Hz refresh rates and “new sensory features” including haptic feedback in the VR device.
When pushed for clarification on PSVR 2’s backwards compatibility status by games journalist Stephen Totilo, Sony’s public relations representative merely stated that “they have nothing further to announce at the moment.”
But with backwards compatibility such an easy PR win for the upcoming headset, you’d be forgiven for worrying about the reasoning not to discuss it as soon as possible in the headset’s hype cycle.
It’s unusual, given the fanfare and gratitude-filled reception Sony received from players when it confirmed that the PS5 would be backwards compatible with 99.9% of PS4 titles. You'd imagine that Sony would have been, as a result, equally bullish about confirming backwards compatibility support for PSVR 2 as early as possible, which points to a worrying conclusion that the PSVR 2 is not backwards compatible at all.
Certainly, there are a number of key differences that will need to be considered for backwards compatibility to be possible.
First of all, Sony would need to decide how to scale the lower-resolution games to a higher-end new display unit. On top of that, the tracking system used by the original PSVR used an external camera and on-headset lighting to help track player movements, while
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