Innovating on Established Technology: PlayStation VR2

Virtual Reality (VR) started as a seemingly outlandish sci-fi concept. However, in recent years we’ve gone from a gimmicky headset that only a few enthusiasts own to immersive technological marvels that millions actively enjoy. With a steady increase in demand over the past six years, totaling 33.2 million users as of February this year, it’s safe to say that the interest in VR has and will continue to grow.

However, simultaneously, VR offerings range from a limited number of incredible technological masterclasses to glorified tech demos. This hurdle exists because VR game development is incredibly difficult and takes considerable expertise to create and release games on a new vehicle for the best experience.

That said, with the abovementioned audience growth comes innovation; the latest to do this is Sony with the PlayStation VR2. With this being their second plunge into the VR landscape, not only does the VR2 soar above the original, but as far as the technology goes, it’s possibly the best piece of tech on the market. With a lightweight design, innovative controllers, and accurate eye-tracking alongside high-resolution OLED screens, developers and designers have a lot more to play with.

Peeking Behind the Lens

It's crucial to note that any piece of technology, especially those within the same family, will have similarities. This could be because while we advance continuously and make strides, we aren't taking incredible leaps. In other words, the gap between advancements has gotten smaller over time, leading companies to innovate differently. Sony understands this and focuses on ensuring that the PS VR2 provides the most immersive VR experience to date with the following features.

• Improved Visual Fidelity & HDR Capability

  • With an impressive 4K, HDR-capable OLED display, developers can make their games look as graphically astounding as possible and have faith that the player will have a smooth experience thanks to its 90/120Hz compatibility.

  • Additionally, players can experience a developer’s title with a far less noticeable “screen door effect” due to the OLED display. The “screen door effect” is when the empty spaces between pixels distort the player it sees, making it appear like they are looking through a mesh door.

• New Sensory Features

  • Taking immersion to the next level, VR2 has implemented Sense technology into the controllers, resulting in haptic feedback and adaptive triggers that amplify the sensations and gameplay experience.

  • The headset also has a single built-in motor that allows developers to stimulate players even further!

• Eye Tracking & Foveated Rendering

  • It can detect the motion of a player’s eyes and where they look. It does not only help with the overall experience by allowing their in-game character to look around as they do but also heightens their emotional responses and realism factor.

  • Alongside eye-tracking, the headset uses foveated rendering. This technique allows for optimized performance as it functions by keeping the area the user is looking at in crisp focus while their peripherals are blurred.

These features work in tandem to make the experience for the player significantly more user-friendly and engaging. As a result, designers can focus on harnessing these features to make the most immersive and captivating VR games they can, ultimately addressing the primary issue: a lack of games. With that challenge met through a collaborative effort between the designer and seasoned developer, there’s sure to be more adopters of the technology to justify the development in a monetary sense.

Projections by Zippia have concluded that the VR industry will reach a global worth of $26.9 billion in less than half a decade. With the accessibility and singular hardware configuration knowledge needed to develop titles for this VR headset, the question isn’t “if people will adopt it,” but a matter of “when will people adopt it?”

Playfully Immersive: Taking VR to the Next Level

While virtual reality and other forms of hands-on entertainment have been seemingly getting stagnant in terms of evolution, the fine-honing and creative innovation provided by the PlayStation VR2 can be what designers have been looking for to make their ideas a reality. While VR game development is a laborious and complicated task overall, the possibilities that a software designer and experienced VR game developer can come up with together are limitless.

Ultimately, this collaborative effort can face the biggest challenge this headset has. With more game releases that can fully leverage the features of this technology to its greatest extent, the more revenue a designer can make.