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Sony planning PSVR 2 and PS5 VR headset patent surfaces

The patent product could be a successor to Sony's PSVR headset for the PlayStation 4 (Image source: Sony)
The patent product could be a successor to Sony's PSVR headset for the PlayStation 4 (Image source: Sony)
A recent Sony patent for a virtual reality headset with haptic feedback indicates strongly that the company is working on a successor to the PSVR, despite saying that it had no plans to do so. The patent illustrations indicate that the purported PSVR2 will be far lighter and thinner than the original. But, with no official announcement from Sony, it's up in the air as to when (or if) the PSVR2 will arrive.

Patent documents and illustrations uncovered by Dutch outlet LetsGoDigital indicate that Sony could be working on a new PlayStation VR headset, contrary to its earlier claims. A patent application filed by Sony in 2016 investigates "pressure sensing to identify fitness and comfort of virtual reality headset," and was granted recently. 

The illustrations accompanying the patent appear to show an HMD device with a much slimmer profile than the PSVR. The pressure sensor device might be intended to help players find a proper fit, minimizing discomfort while using the HMD. 

On the surface, this is the strongest evidence we have yet that Sony is working on a PSVR successor. However, the information here comes with some major caveats. For starters, the patent was filed in 2016, the same year that the PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive were released. This was the honeymoon period for modern VR, well before stagnation set in. Sony may well have been working on a PSVR successor earlier and later discontinued the project, considering the current of the VR industry. 


At this point, we can't tell for sure whether the patent represents a future PSVR successor for the PlayStation 5 or a Sony pipedream that was never meant to be. 

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 11 > Sony planning PSVR 2 and PS5 VR headset patent surfaces
Arjun Krishna Lal, 2020-11-26 (Update: 2020-11-26)