While we’ve still yet to see Sony’s PSVR 2 headset itself, the controllers for the PS5’s virtual reality device have already been revealed. However, a recently uncovered patent for the PSVR 2 controllers shows Sony’s next-gen virtual reality gear in more detail.
Over at the WIPO IP Portal (the World Intellectual Property Organization), a new patent filing has been made public. Filed on February 26, 2021, and made public on December 2, 2021, it shows detailed diagrams of the PSVR 2 controller, including button placements, how it will be easier to detect by the PlayStation HD Camera, and a trigger-like grip.
According to the filing’s abstract, “the present invention improves the stability of detecting a light-emitting unit by using a camera.” Image 23 of the patent's drawings shows numerous black dots which seem to indicate tracking points on the device.
The patent also describes a trigger-grip-like controller, with a ring that sits behind the buttons and the user’s thumb, and the drawings show three additional buttons that can be pressed using a player's middle finger, ring finger, and little finger.
Controllers compared
The new patent appears to be a match with the existing PSVR 2 controllers that Sony has already been showing off, moving away from the wand-like PS Move controllers that accompanied the original PlayStation VR kit in favor of a more compact, orb-like device that's akin to Valve's Index controllers.
Of course, as ever, a patent is no indication of a product to come – it’s merely a way for a company to protect its inventions and ideas, and potential iterations on other devices that are in existence. But with VR remaining a relatively experimental medium there’s room for a variety of input ideas to be explored. We’ll be keeping an eye out to see if everything in this patent is included in Sony's next-gen VR controllers once we get more details.
