Revealed during the Official PlayStation Podcast, PlayStation VR (PSVR) won’t play on the PSVR2, the latest PlayStation VR for the PlayStation 5. As for reasons why, Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Experience of PlayStation, had the following to say on the podcast:
PlayStation VR games are not compatible with PlayStation VR2 because PlayStation VR2 is designed to be a truly next-generation virtual reality experience. PlayStation VR2 has much more advanced features like an all-new controller with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, as I’ve said, and inside-out tracking in it, 3D audio is coming together, 4K HDR of course… so this means that making games for PlayStation VR2 requires a whole different approach than the original PlayStation VR. These features actually enable developers to create worlds that feel more vivid and alive, and bring players closer to the experience than ever. I believe that.
It’s a shame since the PlayStation 5 is backwards compatible to the PlayStation 4 game library, leaving VR games that released on the PlayStation 4 to be forever left behind. Feeling much like how the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation Portable (PSP) were handled.
The PSVR2 is set to launch in early 2023. The accessory looks to bring in juggernaut games such as: No Man’s Sky: PlayStation VR2, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution, Resident Evil Village, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition, and Horizon Call of the Mountain. Will PlayStation players still pick up the next VR generation or ignore it? You may want to hang onto those original VR headsets.