Will room-scale tracking be supported on PS5 VR (PSVR 2) Let's discuss! - Android

Best answer: Most likely. Right now, we don't have an official answer from Sony regarding PS5 VR room-scale tracking specifically. Still, Sony has revealed several tidbits of information suggesting players will have significantly enhanced freedom of movement compared to the original PSVR.

PS5 VR room-scale tracking taking a walk

One of the biggest detractors from full immersion on the original PSVR was the limited range of movement options. While some of the best PSVR accessories, like the PlayStation Aim controller, enabled unique experiences that made specific VR games feel quite realistic, you still could only move so far or turn so much before being yelled at by the game. Other VR systems like the Oculus Quest 2 let players play anywhere and move as much as they want, so it makes sense that PlayStation gamers would want the PS5 VR — or PSVR 2 — to work the same way.

Sony has been rather coy with specific details on their next-generation VR system, but we know several things that help paint a clearer picture of what to expect from the biggest player in the VR market. So far, Sony has only detailed the new PS5 VR controllers, and it's the new tracking method for these controllers that give us the biggest hope for PS5 VR room-scale tracking.

Those new controllers sport a unique ring design all around them, haloing around your hands and wrists while you hold each controller. Sony says these controllers are tracked by the headset thanks to these rings, which means that Sony uses an inside-out tracking solution similar to what's on the Oculus Quest and Rift S line of products. Inside-out tracking is just a fancy term that means the VR headset has cameras on it used to track controllers and the space around them.

It goes without saying, if Sony is using cameras on the headset to track the controllers in 3D space, then there's no reason Sony won't be using those same cameras to track where you are in the room. The original PSVR used a dual-camera solution positioned under your TV, giving it stereoscopic accuracy much in the way your eyes would. The problem here is that it can't move with you and can't see all the room angles, giving it a limited range of movement.

Cameras on the PS5 VR headset would be able to accurately track every movement you make, from crouching down to avoiding enemy fire, bending over to look under a table to find that hidden clue, or grabbing another arrow from the quiver on your back thanks to front- and rear-facing cameras. Those rear-facing cameras would significantly improve the range of motion that even Oculus Insight tracking currently provides, as there can be dead zones when controllers are held above heads or behind backs.

PS5 VR room-scale tracking a snag in the cord

While several clues point to Sony's next-generation PS5 VR system giving players grander freedom of movement, one detail dashes our hopes just a bit. In Sony's official PS5 VR announcement, the company stated that the headset would connect to the PS5 exclusively with a single cable. While that's an impressive improvement over the original PSVR — which required a two-plug cable to connect to a processor unit, which also requires several additional cords to be connected — many gamers were hoping to hear that the PS5 VR would be completely wireless.

While we're only aware of the PS5 VR wired version, there's little reason to think that Sony won't offer some sort of wireless version, as well. Whether this comes as a premium model that will cost a bit extra or an optional accessory attached to the PSVR 2 is anyone's best guess. Regardless of these options, though, having any model with a cable means that there's certainly going to be a somewhat limited range of movement, even if it only means that you can't venture further than 15 feet away from your PS5 at any given point in time.

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The PS5 enhances the current-generation PSVR, and it also opens the way for the next-generation PSVR 2. Keep in mind, the popularity of PS5 paired with low stock has made it difficult to find for many — but you can sign up for notifications to stay on top of restocks.