Key takeaways
- Sony’s new patent hints at interchangeable prescription lenses for a possible new VR headset.
- The patent aims to reduce bulk and weight by wearing both prescription glasses and a VR headset.
- Despite the PS VR2’s struggles, Sony’s innovation in the VR space speaks volumes.
A new one Sony The patent outlined an intriguing new prescription lens feature that points to the company’s research efforts related to a new VR headset. This feature will require hardware that is not currently supported on Sony’s current generation VR headset, the PlayStation VR2.
Sales of the PlayStation VR2 have fallen in the months since its launch on February 22, 2023, leading many to believe that Sony plans to scale back its VR development efforts. Many attribute the VR headset’s lackluster sales to its $549.99 launch price and lack of compelling first-party and third-party titles during the launch year. In March 2024, Bloomberg reported that Sony would end production of the PlayStation VR2, a year after the launch of the VR headset. This was due to low interest from players, leading Sony to hold a large amount of unsold PlayStation VR2 stock. Despite this, the VR headset has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in recent months, thanks to steep discounts and the release of an official PC adapter for the PlayStation VR2.
According to a new patent from Sony, the company has explored a system to detect prescription lenses included in a new VR headset. The patent was refiled on March 4, 2023, and made public a year and a half later, on September 5, 2024. As shown in the patent, the main goal of this system is to reduce overall weight. Wearing a VR headset like PlayStation VR2 and vision correction glasses at the same time. In an effort to increase comfort and overall convenience, the system allows users to insert prescription lenses into sockets on a head-mounted device (HMD) instead of wearing traditional eyeglasses. Features like eye tracking and focused rendering will still be supported in this new VR headset, as HMD will carry over many of the processes found in the PlayStation VR2.
A Sony patent hints at a new PlayStation VR headset with interchangeable prescription lenses
It’s worth noting that the headset shown in the patent is not a PlayStation VR2 headset, as Sony’s current VR headset lacks a socket for interchangeable prescription lenses. The patent could describe a feature for an all-new revision of the PlayStation VR2 to capitalize on its recent success over the summer, or the patent could refer to a next-generation VR headset currently in R&D. Sony.
Despite the PlayStation VR2’s poor first year performance, the patent confirms to fans that Sony is still trying to innovate in the VR space. The features and hardware shown in the patents aren’t guaranteed to come to fruition, but it could be a sign that PlayStation fans can expect more VR devices in the future.
PlayStation VR2
PS VR’s successor, the PlayStation VR2, is Sony’s virtual reality headset. Debuting in February 2023, the hardware is designed as an accessory for the PlayStation 5 and requires the PS VR2 Sense controller.
- brand
- Sony
- operating system
- Orbis OS
- Resolution
- 2000 x 2040 per eye
- App Store
- PlayStation Store
- Ports
- USB-C
- HDR support
- Yes
- Original publication date
- February 22, 2023
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $549.99
- Weight
- 560 grams
- Dimensions
- 212 × 158 × 278 mm
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