No PSVR 2 backwards compatibility, according to Sony.
There will not be automatic backwards compatibility, according to Sony, which is bad news for anyone who intends to purchase PSVR 2 and already has a sizable collection of virtual reality titles from the original generation.
As stated on the Official PlayStation Podcast by Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of platform experience at PlayStation, “PSVR games are not compatible with PSVR 2 since PSVR 2 is meant to give a genuinely next-generation VR experience” (opens in new tab).
“PSVR 2 has much more advanced features, like [an] all-new controller with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, inside-out tracking, eye tracking, 3D audio is coming together and 4K HDR, of course,” he continued. “This means developing games for PSVR 2 requires a whole different approach than the original PSVR.”
As a result, the only way original PSVR games will work on PSVR 2 is if the creators expressly recreate or patch their titles for the system. Some titles, like No Man’s Sky, have already been announced for PSVR 2, but it’s likely that others won’t go through with the expensive endeavour, particularly if they didn’t do well on first-generation hardware.
It’s a big bummer for people who will use the second-generation headset to explore PlayStation VR for the first time. SuperHot, Blood & Truth, Resident Evil 7, Farpoint, Beat Saber, Hitman 3, Tetris Effect, Moss, and, of course, Astro Bot’s premiere game before the cute robot arrived as a pack-in title on PS5 are just a few of the very excellent titles on the original PSVR.
Others look unlikely to be transferred; Farpoint, which benefited from the “Aim” attachment for the PlayStation Move controller in the form of a rifle, seems especially doubtful.
Even while Sony provided a special adapter that customers could obtain for free, maintaining both isn’t exactly what you’d call a practical option. You can still use the original PSVR with PlayStation 5. With the headset, splitter box, camera, and (optional) Move controllers, PSVR takes up a lot of room. Although it may technically be feasible to keep PSVR 2 linked to the PlayStation 5 since we are still unsure of how to do so, most users aren’t going to want to due to the bulky hardware.
Because of everything said above, Sony is under more pressure to provide a great launch selection for PSVR 2 when it launches in 2019. New gear may feel difficult to market if there are no established brands or golden oldies to rely on, especially if it turns out to be as pricey as we worry.