Sony announced its PlayStation5 next-generation VR headset
in February 2021 and talked about some of its advanced features like a better
field of view and higher resolution. But now, a story from UploadVR have given
detailed information about these features of the VR headset by Sony. According
to UploadVR, the new Sony VR headset will boast a 4K resolution, eye-tracking,
and a vibration motor to enable the haptics.
The Announcement by
Sony
In February, Sony announced that it is working on a
next-generation VR headset for the PS5. The company did not give any
information on the release date for the same but confirmed that 2021 won’t be
the year for its launch. According to Sony, the headset will be a single cord
high-resolution headset, with an improved field of view. The announcement from
the company also included the release of the new development kits for its
next-gen VR headset as well as the new VR controller, including some of the
DualSense PS5 controller’s features.
The In-depth Reveal
of the Features
Though the announcement by Sony did not include much about
the features of the upcoming VR headset, the latest story by UploadVR gives a
more extensive view of its major highlights.
The Resolution: UploadVR
first talk about the high resolution of the headset, as it will boast a 4k
resolution of 4000 x 2040 providing each eye with the 2000 x 2040 pixels
experience. The first PlayStation VR only featured a 960 x 1080 pixels per-eye
resolution. The resolution is even higher than the 1832 x 1920 pixels per eye
resolution of the Oculus Quest 2. The higher the resolution better it will
avoid the “screen-door effect” for the users giving them an even more realistic
experience.
Separate Adjustable
Dial for IPD: According to UploadVR reveal, the new Sony VR is also
including a more adjustable dial for matching the IPD (interpupillary
distance), i.e. to precisely measure the distance between the pupils of the
eyes of the users. This way, the VR captures a perfect 3D image for the users.
Eye Movement
Tracking: The new VR headset is enabled to track the eye movements added
with the Foveated Rendering feature. According to UploadVR, the new headset
will use eye movements as the input. The eye input of the users will also make
the eye movement of their Avatar’s in the game look more realistic to the other
players in the game.
Foveated Rendering:
Then comes the super-popular graphical technique foveated rendering, which will
render a more powerful GPU to the point the user is looking at. This way, GPU
will be used majorly on the part where the user is focused, providing them more
detailed scenes, and lesser GPU resources will be used on the other parts of
the scene.
The Oculus Quest and Quest 2 also have included such feature
with a similar name, ‘fixed foveated rendering’. But the said feature is
selected manually, and the user though gets a better vision where their gaze is
focussed, but the rest of area lacks in resolution and the user can see that.
But the foveated rendering included in the Sony VR headset is capable of
adjusting the resolution wherever the user gazes.
Inside-Out Tracking: The
previously launched VR sets are known for having “outside-in tracking”, which
means that there had to be some sensors set up in the play area to track the
controllers and their position while playing. But the new Sony VR headset will
include special cameras to track the controllers, eliminating the need of
setting up external sensors.
Other than that, according to the alleged sources, the new
VR headset from Sony is also going to feature haptic feedback via an inbuilt
motor to provide the users with a better in-action experience. Also, the
company has eliminated the juggling with wires as the headset is connected to
the PS5 system only through a single USB type-c cord.
It has been four years since Sony came with its original VR
headset and looking at the new features of the upcoming one, we can clearly say
that the company has put all its learning from the past in improving the new
gadget for its users in every which way. Now, we just need to wait for the
launch of the actual headset and see if it works as expected or fails the
expectations of its users.
Yashica is a Software Engineer turned Content Writer, who loves to write on social causes and expertise in writing technical stuff. She loves to watch movies and explore new places. She believes that you need to live once before you die. So experimenting with her life and career choices, she is trying to live her life to the fullest.
