Ben-DutkaSony hasn't formally unveiled finalized pictures of the retail version of PlayStation VR just yet.
But it seems one reporter who has seen the device has an interesting piece of info pertaining to size.
According to Polygon , the first retail edition of PlayStation VR will require an external processing unit, and that unit is "a bit smaller than a Wii."
The device uses the external processor to ease the burden of rendering those fancy VR graphics, and the headset plugs directly into the unit. Then the whole thing is connected to PlayStation 4. The reporter in question was speaking from memory after seeing PlayStation VR on display at a recent games event, so there's no way of knowing what he means exactly by "a bit smaller." For the record, the Wii is 4.5cm wide, 16cm tall, and 22cm deep; the PS4 is about three times that size, by the way.
Sony believes that once PlayStation VR is available, sales will "snowball," and one of the recently confirmed games will be Ace Combat 7 . Are you excited to try out this new tech?
Aha! Now that would explain a lot, and is really good news for the whole VR on PS4 topic.
Cause when the topic has been the PS4 VR set in the past I've not wanted to be a Debbie Downer and point it out, but based on the specs I always wondered how a PS4 would be able to deliver a good enough VR experience. The minimum requirements for other VR solutions are just so much higher.
But if we add an additional processing unit to the mix, it all makes a helluva lot more sense.
I would not be surprised if a major part of that external unit is an additional graphics chipset, so that we get one rendering unit for each lense.
Last edited by Beamboom on 12/17/2015 12:25:48 PM
I'm still skeptical. I'll be convinced if and when we start seeing full on AAA experiences that aren't slimmed down beside their standard tv based counterparts. If we can get something like Fallout 4 or Assassins Creed I'd be very much interested.
Ya didn't think it'd be a set of fancy glasses didja mate? We goin all the way to MARS b*tches!
They should also come with buckets. To hold the vomit. Of people who are sort of prone to migraines triggered by intense stimuli like VR.
…I'm just SO scared to try it.
Naaaah, Ben, Don't be a vomit weeny,
Just put on your scotch-guarded Nikes, say YES, & then go try it.
And of course if you don't wind up liking it, then you can always throw it into a tree.
BTW, I've been trying to read up on it everywhere I can and so far, everyone I've read who's tried it has come away impressed, & with no nausea what-so-ever(so far).
Last edited by BikerSaint on 12/17/2015 7:36:36 PM
I've read the same thing but I can pretty much guarantee they're all younger than me, and that really does matter, especially given my bad vision.
Just give me a good racing game in VR, and I'm all in!!
I believe they're already working on the next gran turismo so that would most likely be vr compatible.
So, I'm new… will we be able to play any game with it to get a little bit more immersion, obviously lacking some of the more in-depth features or will a game have to be specifically made to use these bad boys?
I think games will have to be developed specifically for VR.
I suppose they could patch existing FPSes to handle head movement with the VR headset, but might be a bit herky-jerky given that Sony has said games should be aimed at 90+fps to have an enjoyable VR experience.
^What he said.
I don't know if I can handle more wires.
So, how does this thing connect to the PS4 anyway?! Through USB? Somehow I don't see how it can have external GPU processing that's supposed to work in tandem with the PS4 CPU & GPUs in realtime through USB… doesn't seem in any way realistic.
The only thing that makes sense technically is that the external brick has enough CPU power to only process the signals from the headset and feeds it to the PS4 through USB basically like a controller.
I think I read somewhere it's more for video signal processing, like for output to the TV.
The PS4 graphics chipset can not produce two high resolution images of decent quality at a high enough frame rate for VR to work properly – it's just not capable – let alone serving a *third* 2D screen. So logically it *has* to be some sort of extension to the graphics capabilities.
It might be what it needs, but I just don't see how it's technically possible without some special direct pci-express-bus-port which obviously the ps4 doesn't have, so it's either over hdmi or usb as an option, and I don't see how USB would be fast enough to transfer any kind of processed video data..
The only processing it could reasonably do externally like that is non-time-critical stuff..
The HDMI-port is obviously able to serve processed video, and that port can also handle two-way communication. But I agree, it will be very interesting to see how this is solved.
But either way: They've clearly solved it somehow. The outlook for this product to work well is imo much higher now with this additional info. Also according to the weiter of the linked article the physical experience of wearing this device is really good, and I am really more optimistic than I've ever been in regards to PS4 VR.
Last edited by Beamboom on 12/18/2015 10:04:55 AM
Yes, hdmi has the bandwidth but AFAIK hdmi can't be used for normal data transfers, so unless the external box is actually like a full mini ps4 that doesn't actually need to communicate with the ps4 to process everything I don't really see how they can use it for video, but…
But yeah it's clearly used for some kind of processing to ease the load of the ps4 cpu or gpu, how well it works I guess is yet to be seen 🙂
Mainly, will we actually see proper full PS4 AAA-titles for VR or will it be like Move with only very limited support by mostly small & simpler games… so far I haven't heard any mentioning of VR with a major AAA-game.
And sadly that could be a processing issue, if you think about that the PS4 is just powerful enough to process most games in 1080p at around 30fps, and they're talking about 90fps recommended for VR, so we're talking 3x the power of the ps4 to process VR in those games properly with the same graphics quality etc..
I want this with a racing setup and Gran Turismo so bad 😡
You guys seem to be forgetting the PS4 has an AUX plug, used primarily for the camera. It is entirely possible this port also includes the necessary connections for the VR hardware as well. Has anyone actually figured out WHAT type of data/port this is?
**EDIT** Apparently,it's just a USB 3.0 with a proprietary connector…Looks like 7 pins in the connector, plus the housing. My computer's Thunderbolt port is 10 pins, plus housing… Not the same…
Last edited by richfiles on 12/20/2015 7:10:38 PM
And cause I can't edit again… 20 pins, not 10. derp.
Not even CLOSE.