Apple and Sony Working on VR Gaming Controller Support for Vision Pro

[MacRumors]

Apple and Sony are collaborating to bring support for PlayStation VR2 hand controllers to the Vision Pro, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.

Sony PlayStation VR2 Sense Controller​

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that the partnership has been in development for several months and would introduce Sony's VR controllers as an optional accessory for Vision Pro users. Gurman notes that PS5 and Xbox controllers are already supported by Vision Pro, but they aren't optimized for virtual reality experiences, lacking the six degrees of freedom (6DOF) needed for precise VR gaming controls.

Given that Sony's VR2 controllers are currently bundled with the PlayStation VR2 headset, Sony would need to begin selling them as standalone accessories, and that would likely happen through Apple's retail and online stores.

Beyond gaming, the controllers could enhance productivity tasks and media editing in visionOS, says Gurman. This would allow users to navigate the operating system using the controller's thumb stick and directional pad for scrolling, while the trigger button could replace the finger pinch gesture for selection.

The timing of the announcement remains uncertain, and the companies have already postponed their initially planned reveal. The partnership comes as Apple faces challenges with Vision Pro adoption, with Gurman reporting that fewer than 500,000 units have been sold since its February launch, according to his sources.

Article Link: Apple and Sony Working on VR Gaming Controller Support for Vision Pro

 

[ipedro]

Apple acquires Sony’s PlayStation Division and Vision Pro would skyrocket. I guess we can settle for a deep partnership. Sony and Apple already work well together on displays.

 

[JCCL]

Apple buys Sony’s PlayStation Division and VisionPro would skyrocket. I guess we can settle for a deep partnership. Sony and Apple already work well together on displays.

Hope not. Sony is anti-consumer enough as it is.

 

[AlexStudios]

Finally.


Something good to come out for the Vision Pro.

 

[scupking]

All for an additional low price of $1,000

 

[sza]

Apple acquires Sony’s PlayStation Division and Vision Pro would skyrocket. I guess we can settle for a deep partnership. Sony and Apple already work well together on displays.

You must be daydreaming, right? Sony's Game & Network Services segment generates almost 40% of its total revenue. There's no way Sony would sell its gaming division. Also, there's no such thing as a "PlayStation Division".

For the "skyrocket" part, the price of Vision Pro clearly indicates that it is not intended for consumers. It was doomed from day one. From a business perspective, it's a terrible investment for Apple. And Apple may stop it completely. Check out this https://appleinsider.com/articles/2...oduction-and-may-stop-it-completely-very-soon

 

[cicalinarrot]

They met on a Microsoft haters' forum.

 

[CarAnalogy]

This is kind of reminding me of early iPhone. They had some hard opinions on what it would be that the market quickly corrected.

Apple went all in on Eyesight, big bust I bet we don’t see in any other versions.

All in on hand and eye gestures only. Perhaps a bit optimistic, now we are talking about controllers again.

I hope the next thing they change their mind on is locking it down to modified iPad apps distributed only via the App Store. Not holding my breath on that one.

 

[CalMin]

This needs to happen. Plus if we can get something like Valve’s Alyx running on AVP I might even sign up.

I am blessed to be able to afford an AVP but there isn’t a single reason I would buy one yet. We need a killer app, and if that killer app is a game then so be it. I know that’s not not what Apple’s vision is (pun intended) but they need people to buy these things and then developers and innovation will follow.

 

[XLogic]

How about vibration support for the $70 controller they’ve been selling for a decade. How about support for any single game on Apple Arcade, literally any one. Castlevania was deprecated over two years ago. Most of the rest of the good ones are gone or never finished. You want to pay $5000 a year for Barbie horse adventures how about just go buy a horse. Stupid. Fool me once

 

[XLogic]

This needs to happen. Plus if we can get something like Valve’s Alyx running on AVP I might even sign up.

I am blessed to be able to afford an AVP but there isn’t a single reason I would buy one yet. We need a killer app, and if that killer app is a game then so be it. I know that’s not not what Apple’s vision is (pun intended) but they need people to buy these things and then developers and innovation will follow.

You do it.

 

[XLogic]

You must be daydreaming, right? Sony's Game & Network Services segment generates almost 40% of its total revenue. There's no way Sony would sell its gaming division. Also, there's no such thing as a "PlayStation Division".

For the "skyrocket" part, the price of Vision Pro clearly indicates that it is not intended for consumers. It

Apple acquires Sony’s PlayStation Division and Vision Pro would skyrocket. I guess we can settle for a deep partnership. Sony and Apple already work well together on displays.

I’m excited for you to learn about “Japan”

 

[jaw04005]

This is going to be as big of a dud as supporting gaming controllers on Apple TV. Unless Apple bundles gaming controllers or offers a SKU with them included, developers aren't going to support it.

 

[JapanApple]

This is good news.

 

[Kylo83]

Why don’t Apple just make their own, the quest ones are great, it’s better than using eye tracking

 

[spaxxedout]

It makes sense and is in-line with the other platforms. A lot of VR games would port well to the Vision Pro. I would think moving code from android to Vision OS would be more efficient than porting x86 code to Apple Silicon, but I've been wrong before.

 

[spaxxedout]

FWIW, it should be announced alongside native 2d game streaming from PS5 using the same, in-house adhoc wifi stack that Mac Virtual Display uses. That tech is already at ~10ms of latency, even with the 10K setting.

 

[XLogic]

This is going to be as big of a dud as supporting gaming controllers on Apple TV. Unless Apple bundles gaming controllers or offers a SKU with them included, developers aren't going to support it.

How about supporting GAMES on the Apple TV, the thing that is literally an iPhone running iOS. Can you imagine.

 

[MikeAllaway]

I'm sure all 3 AVP owners are thrilled

 

[joecomo]

if we could have some decent games - I would be thrilled. Immersive experience would be unmatched by anything else

 

[Mr_Ed]

If true, wouldn’t this be at least a tacit admission that there are precious few use cases with mass appeal outside gaming for a device like the AVP in its present form?

 

[XLogic]

I'm sure all 3 AVP owners are thrilled

Whoever wins we lose babey !!!!!

 

[UltimateSyn]

If true, wouldn’t this be at least a tacit admission that there are precious few use cases with mass appeal outside gaming for a device like the AVP in its present form?

Not really, it just shows that one use case (gaming) would be vastly improved with physical controllers and buttons and Apple would rather integrate existing tech than spend R&D developing their own.

 

[gleepskip]

Why don’t Apple just make their own, the quest ones are great, it’s better than using eye tracking

MR rumor probably: Apple working on controllers for AVP, expected to ship in 2044.

"You're gonna love it!"

 

[bradman83]

Why don’t Apple just make their own, the quest ones are great, it’s better than using eye tracking

Economies of scale. The Vision Pro is already a super-niche device and controllers and other accessories would be a further subset of that already small audience. Economically it makes more sense to allow existing third-party products to work better with the Vision Pro than to design and manufacture an accessory that would likely never generate a return on investment.