PlayStation VR2 does not support backwards compatibility with existing PSVR first generation games. This is not necessarily a disadvantage for developers. This gives them the opportunity to focus on the new hardware and its features, which in turn benefits the players.
While several developers have announced in recent weeks that their PSVR games will be upgraded for the successor PSVR2, the new virtual reality headset does not offer any basic backward compatibility.
This means that buyers of the 600-euro hardware cannot easily take their PSVR collection with them to the new VR generation. Since PlayStation VR2 works differently and includes new features, it’s a pretty plausible obstacle. In addition, PSVR2 supports a significantly higher resolution.
The lack of backward compatibility is not a disadvantage for all developers. Enhance producer Mark MacDonald emphasized that he was basically happy that PSVR2 didn’t offer anything like that.
“The great thing about it is that it was kind of the justification we needed to make a full version for the PS5,” he explained in an interview with games industry. “We’re really excited because superficial things like resolution and framerate are very important in games like Tetris Effect: Connected and Rez Infinite, where syncing of sound and graphics and sharpness are a big part of the experience.”
Ultimately, PSVR2 game developers had no intention of bringing fast ports to the hardware so owners of the new system could play the games they already own on the first model. Rather, it should be the very best versions that also use the new functions of the headset, according to the Gamesindustry report.
PSVR2 offers new features
New PSVR2 capabilities include significantly higher resolution and eye tracking with foveated rendering, which only needs to render full quality in the areas the player is looking at, which can lead to an overall better result.
The range of features also includes the new Sense controller with touch recognition and inside-out tracking, which does not require an additional camera. The same applies to the haptic feedback. They’re features that PSVR games can’t handle.
Also to Jake Kazdal, CEO and Creative Director of 17-Bit, that Song in the Smoke for PSVR launched, it was more of an opportunity to create the best version of the game. The team was previously hampered by the limitations of the first generation of PlayStation VR, not least the aging PlayStation Move controllers.
“Because the PSVR 2 version is one clean thing, we’re able to exploit the hardware in ways we couldn’t before,” said Kazdal.
More PlayStation VR2 news:
PlayStation VR2 will be released on February 22, 2023. Purchasing the hardware eases the customer’s account by at least 600 euros. For 50 euros more, players can purchase a bundle that, in addition to the headset, includes the VR adventure “Horizon: Call of the Mountain”, which was recently released received an initial age rating.
More PlayStation VR2 news.
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