PlayStation has some bad news for anyone that’s heavily invested in the original PlayStation VR headset and its ecosystem. Specifically, the company has confirmed that PlayStation VR video games will not be compatible with the PlayStation VR2, meaning that anyone that’s previously bought them will not be able to then play them on the PSVR2 when the new headset launches early next year.
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“PSVR games are not compatible with PSVR2, because PSVR2 is designed to deliver a truly next-generation VR experience,” said Hideaki Nishino, SVP of Platform Experience, as part of a new interview on the official PlayStation podcast. “PSVR2 has much more advanced features like all-new controllers with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, as I said, and inside-out tracking, eye-tracking in it, 3D audio is coming together […] So this means, developing games for PSVR2 requires a whole different approach than the original PSVR. These features actually enable developers to create the worlds that feel more vivid and alive and bring players closer to the gameplay experience than ever.”
If you are at all interested in the PlayStation VR2, the whole interview is worth a listen, but that exchange around the 29:12 mark in the podcast makes it inescapably clear that PSVR2 will not feature backward compatibility for PSVR games. While it still leaves the door open for ports from the PSVR to the PSVR2 — there doesn’t seem to be any reason why that couldn’t happen — it does offer bad news to anyone that was hoping to just jump into their favorite PSVR games with the new PlayStation VR2 headset.
At this point, it is unclear when exactly the PlayStation VR2 and PlayStation VR2 Sense controller will actually release. PlayStation has only given the release window of “early 2023” thus far. That said, the specifications for the device have already been released. It has now been confirmed that titles released for the original PlayStation VR headset will not be compatible with the PlayStation VR2. You can check outย all of our previous coverage of PlayStation’s VR attempts right here.
What do you make of the fact that PSVR games won’t be compatible with the PSVR2? Do you think that will mean there will be a number of ports made for the new headset? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter atย @rollinbishopย to talk about all things gaming!
[H/T Wario64]
