Hitman 3 requires the PS4 version to play on PSVR - even on PS5
The mind boggles.
Hitman 3 requires the PlayStation 4 version to play on PSVR - even on PlayStation 5, it has been revealed.
It's a similar deal with No Man's Sky, UploadVR reports.
It means if you buy the PS5 versions of Hitman 3 or No Man's Sky, you don't get access to either game's PSVR support in the PS4 versions. This is because PSVR works as a backwards compatible device. Sony told UploadVR it has yet to announce PS5 titles for PSVR.
The PS4 versions of Hitman 3 and No Man's Sky include a free next-generation upgrade if you play on PS5, so you'll be able to play the enhanced versions when not playing in VR. However, as UploadVR points out, there are still a number of unanswered questions. For example, will you have to install both the PS5 and the PS4 version of PSVR-supporting games to enable easy access to PSVR for when it takes your fancy? Will you be able to easily share your progress between both versions, going from current-gen to next-gen and back again?
We talk a lot about free next-gen upgrades. What about a free current-gen downgrade, so you can play with PSVR?
The news comes hot on the heels of comments from PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, who said the technology to really make VR "meaningful" is still years away.
Speaking to the Washington Post [paywall], Ryan reflected on the current PlayStation VR headset as a way Sony had gained "experience" in developing VR games and hardware. But it also sounded like we shouldn't expect a new PSVR model anytime very soon.
"I think we're more than a few minutes from the future of VR," Ryan said. "PlayStation believes in VR. Sony believes in VR, and we definitely believe at some point in the future, VR will represent a meaningful component of interactive entertainment. Will it be this year? No. Will it be next year? No. But will it come at some stage? We believe that.
"And we're very pleased with all the experience that we've gained with PlayStation VR, and we look forwarding to seeing where that takes us in the future."
Instead of creating a new PSVR model for PlayStation 5, the upcoming console supports the existing headset - though you'll need to send off for a free PS5 PSVR adapter, which you can request directly from Sony.
Sony last gave an update on PSVR sales back at the beginning of this year. As of 31st December 2019, 5m units had been sold worldwide - no small number, though nowhere near the PS4's then-106m console userbase.
Some PSVR users had hoped VR graphics would benefit from the power of the PS5. It seems that will not be the case - at least until a next-generation headset is released.