Sony has surprised us all week by unveiling its next-gen PlayStation VR controllers. The PlayStation Blog post stated that they will be sent to development partners at short notice, which may be why they decided to disclose them – there’s always a chance they’ll leak once they arrive in studios, right?
To be fair, I don’t think the bulbous accessories are that surprising, but that doesn’t make them any less exciting. We know they are tracked by the headset rather than a front-facing camera, allowing for true 360-degree entertainment. They also have many of the same features as the DualSense, so you get nice adaptive trigger effects and haptic feedback.
I’m especially curious about trying out the finger trace; I don’t think the blog post makes it particularly clear how this will work, but I do remember seeing some old PlayStation prototype videos that really piqued my interest at the time. Hopefully it has managed to deliver such technology. It’s worth noting that the analog sticks will also make a huge difference in the future.
By the way, I don’t think this setup is going to be cheap, which is why we’re looking at a seriously high price point for Sony’s next-generation PSVR headset. The only benefit of repurposing PS Move technology for its previous-generation virtual reality solution was that it undoubtedly had a factory full of PS3-era wands, and that really helped cut costs. This new one will be a major investment.
And that’s why software support eventually becomes so important. Rumors have it that some sort of Horizon Zero Dawn spin-off is in development for the new headset, and if that’s a full-fledged experience rather than a Link’s Crossbow Training-esque title, that’s the caliber of release that the headset will use. need. You have to imagine there is also a new Astro Bot rescue mission in the works.
But as for the main software, Sony has to bang on Valve’s door to get Half-Life: Alyx as the launch title. This was one of the best games of 2020, and while it didn’t win as many awards as it may have deserved due to its virtual reality niche status, it still managed to get a score of 93 on Metacritic.
The game is extraordinary: a full-fledged first-person shooter specially designed for virtual reality. Valve has always been open to the idea of bringing the game to PlayStation – in fact, designer Greg Coomer told us last year that “nothing is out of the question” regarding PSVR. At the time, he said it was targeting the SteamVR release.
The reality, of course, is that the original PSVR, paired with the PS4 with PS Move controllers, couldn’t handle the game’s ambition; the company’s next-gen headset, with all-new controllers and a next-gen console to power it, probably will. Technology is only as good as the power of the software support, and when it comes to virtual reality games, this is one of the best.
So I’m hoping and half pleading here: Half-Life: Alyx needs to become a launch title for the next generation PSVR headset. I don’t care what it takes or how much it costs, Sony needs to get Valve development kits ASAP and get it ready for day one. While I expect PS5’s virtual reality headset to be a pricey proposition, it will be worth it with releases like this in its library.
Would you buy Half-Life: Alyx for PSVR? Where is the Valve game among your most wanted titles? Shoot up the comments below.