PlayStation VR2 will not be backward compatible with PSVR; Sony has revealed the company’s next virtual reality headset.
According to Neowin, Sony is expected to launch the next generation of virtual reality gaming headset PS VR2 early next year. However, gamers who want to continue playing the VR games they purchased for the PS VR version will probably need to keep the old device.
This is because games developed for PS VR will not be compatible with PS VR2. In other words, the next generation of VR headsets won’t be backward compatible, PlayStation senior vice president of platform experiences Hideaki Nishino has confirmed.
“PS VR games are incompatible with PS VR2 because the new version is designed to deliver next-generation VR experiences. The PS VR2 has more advanced features, such as an all-new controller with haptic feedback and compatible triggers (Adaptive Triggers), external space tracking, motion tracking, and more. Eye movements, 3D audio, and 4K HDR. This means developing games for PS VR2 requires a different approach than PS VR.”
PS VR2 has brand new hardware. Even the controller is completely different from PS VR’s controller. Since this is a hardware-level issue, it’s unlikely that Sony or the game developers will make any effort to ensure PS VR games are playable on PS VR2.
There may be some titles that will be backward compatible with the PS VR generation. However, developers building new games for PS VR2 will need to overhaul every aspect of that game to make sure it works on both headsets.
Several confirmed PS VR games for PS VR2, but the list is rather small. As a result, gamers who want to play their entire PS VR library will need to use first-generation VR headsets.