visionOS support for Sony Sense controllers: Yes, but...
Apple already supports Playstation and Xbox controllers with the Vision Pro. Now Sony's VR hardware is set to follow suit. If it weren't for one small problem.
VR2 spatial controller from Sony.
(Image: Sony)
Apple wants to improve gaming on the Vision Pro: In addition to normal game controllers, visionOS 26, which will be released in the fall, will also allow VR variants to be used for the first time. Or to be more precise, exactly one currently: Sony's Sense controller for PlayStation VR2. The range of games is also limited for now. So far, only the sports title “Pickle Pro” by Resolution Games, known from “Racket Club” for the Meta Quest, among others, has been announced. While the developers are certainly improving the selection of titles bit by bit, one problem remains: how do you get hold of the Sense controllers? This is currently still an issue.
An additional headset, for sale at a low price
The reason: Sony does not sell the two devices in the spherical design individually. If you search for them online, you can currently only find a charging module for 50 euros, but not the actual controllers. These are only part of the PlayStation VR2 package, including the headset. The current price: Street at around 390 euros, Sony around 450 euros. Now you could say that this is a bargain for Vision Pro buyers who have already paid around 4000 euros for their headset anyway. But what does the Vision Pro buyer want with the“gift” headset, which is part of the VR2 set?
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Sony itself can not yet provide any information on what will happen next. When asked by heise online, it only said that the Sense controllers for PlayStation VR2 are not yet available individually. “We also have no information whether and if so, when this is planned.” Anyone interested in the controllers as part of the current visionOS 26 beta will have to bite the bullet and buy the entire set (starting from 333 €). Alternatively, they may own PlayStation VR2 and can then use the controller with the Vision Pro. It will also be interesting to see how much the two controllers would cost individually if the set is already 450 euros and the charging station is 50 euros – somewhere in between?
Steam support for Sense controllers on the Vision Pro
Meanwhile, the first developers are ready to take advantage of the new compatibility. ALVR, a way of streaming SteamVR titles to the Vision Pro, wants to support the Sense controller. The first TestFlight builds are already available, reports UploadVR.
ALVR currently still uses SteamVR's skeletal input for hand tracking, which is not much fun for some titles – Thumbstick/trackpad and buttons have to be emulated. With support for the Sense controllers, this would have been a thing of the past. The ALVR TestFlight beta is primarily available to developers who want to try out the support.
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