AR, Haptics, Built-in Cameras, More Expected for PSVR 2

Patent Filing Reveals PSVR 2 Details

Sony’s original Playstation VR system may have led the VR hardware market thanks largely to the Playstation’s endless popularity among gamers but as far as general VR use went, PS VR wasn’t exactly the most satisfying experience. A patent filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment with the US Patent and Trademark Office on October 3^rd contains details about the next phase of the entertainment giant’s VR agenda. And from what’s now known about the PSVR 2, it’s likely to be the next gen hybrid gaming/entertainment VR device to reassert Sony’s dominance.

The Original Playstation VR system (Image: Sony)

Cameras Front and Back

Image: Sony/USPTO

Still very much geared towards the home VR gamer, PSVR 2 is now known to integrate a new multi-camera tracking system that places two in the front and one in the rear of the headset, as well as one in the controller. Additional LEDs aid tracking and motion capture. The front cameras are also involved in what appears to be the foundations of PSVR’s first real steps into Augmented Reality. Transparency mode, strongly suggested in Sony’s patent filing, would allow viewers to overlay virtual elements onto a real-world environment. Augmented Reality’s potential may still seem a long way from being achieved but the further integration of AR into all fields of VR entertainment, from in-game menu operation to gangbang porn, should be very exciting for the average VR consumer.

Aiming For Wireless Freedom

Image: Sony/USPTO

Along with tethered operation, standard for the original PSVR, wireless capabilities for the PSVR 2 are discussed in the patent. There’s still the required bluetooth connectivity, power source, and audio/video feeds to be taken care of before we can expect a fully wireless PSVR but Sony’s patent filing at least shows that’s it’s a strong possibility. “In operation, a video signal is provided for display by the HMD [head-mountable display]. This could be provided by an external video signal source such as a video games machine […] in which case the signals could be transmitted to the HMD by a wired or wireless connection.”

Image: Sony/USPTO

Following Sony’s announced haptic controller for the upcoming PS5, details have emerged of similar concepts being applied to PSVR 2 development. A “haptic glove” and “haptic suit” have both been mentioned in recent Sony-filed patents and strongly suggest PS5 and PSVR 2 will both make key use of this emerging tech. For anyone wondering how this all relates to your enjoyment of virtual porn, Sony offers a clarification: “a haptic device can simulate a texture of the virtual object, a shape of the virtual object, an amount of pressure virtually exerted on the user by the virtual object, an amount of movement such as vibration or other movements of the virtual object or a proximity of the virtual object to a second virtual object”.

A Playstation for Porn?

Apply this haptic tech to a VR porn experience and suddenly PSVR users will be feeling the weight of a performer press against their bodies, the suppleness of their favorite star’s breast in their hand, and even the difference between two VR stars’ handjob techniques. Or, if you’re into more experimental VR porn, the device will offer a tactile “response to being held, a response to being moved, a response to being crushed, a response to being tossed, a response to being dropped, a response to being felt, a response to being rubbed, a response to being squeezed, a response to being pressed.”

Image: Sony/USPTO

Image: Sony/USPTO

Virtual sex may not have been what Sony had in mind when developing the tech but as the porn world always proves, where there’s a will there’s a way. Sony’s Playstation 5 is due on shelves for the 2020 Holiday season with PSVR 2 is expected to follow.