The Vision Pro could gain support for Sony PSVR2 controllers soon, according to Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, The Verge reported.
Apple and Sony apparently planned to announce support for the controllers “weeks ago” but have pushed back the rollout. Under this rumored partnership, Apple would begin selling Sony’s controllers, which aren’t currently available on their own.
Sony has apparently been working on adding the support for months, while Apple has asked third-party developers if they would take advantage of Sony’s VR controllers. That’s potentially great news for Vision Pro owners who wish the headset had more gaming chops.
Gurman writes that Apple also wants to use the controllers for more than gaming — the controllers will be able to navigate visionOS, and would offer more precise control in apps like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Photoshop.
Right now, you can pair a standard Bluetooth controller and navigate visionOS — tapping battings to select things, scrolling with the analog sticks, and so on. They also work for gaming, but you’re mostly limited to iPad and iPhone games with controller support or made-for-iOS emulators or that native Virtual Boy one.
Engadget reported Apple and Sony have quietly been working on bringing PlayStation VR2 controller support to the Apple Vision Pro, Mark Gurman reports in Power On Newsletter.
Gaming isn’t exactly the Vision Pro’s strong suit, thanks in part to the fact that it doesn’t support typical VR controllers. But Apple has reportedly approached Sony in hopes to remedy that. According to Gurman, the two partnered up earlier this year, and Sony has been working on the project for months.
Apple and Sony planned to have support for the PS VR2’s Sense controllers ready by now, but the launch has been delayed as they iron out a few issues, Gurman notes — like the fact that Sony doesn’t produce and sell the controllers separately from its headset at the moment.
Apple Insider reported: A new report claims Apple has approached Sony in an effort to bring handheld game controller support — and presumably more games — to the Apple Vision Pro.
Bloomberg reports that a future update to visionOS will bring support for third-party hand controllers, including Sony PlayStation VR2 controllers. Apple has also reached out to third-party developers in an effort to bring more games to the Apple Vision Pro, with support for controllers as an inducement.
Traditional game controllers used with the Xbox and PlayStation are currently supported in the Apple Vision Pro, but only for Apple Arcade games. Bringing support for VR controllers, and encouraging developers to support more VR games for the platform, would likely increase sales of Apple’s headset.
In my opinion, it sounds like Apple and Sony are trying to work together with each other. This could be great for people who love to play video games.