When PlayStation announced that they were looking into PC support for PlayStation VR2, some in the VR gaming space speculated that this would come in the form of streaming rather than native support. Well, it seems that won’t be the case, as the latest update for the PSVR2 has stripped away some of the restrictions that prevented it from natively working on PC.
That is at least according to VR/AR expert Brad Lynch and VR software and hardware maker iVRy, who both chimed in to confirm that the latest software update for the PSVR2 has removed some barriers, making it now possible to access on PC without any crazy hardware workaround.
Sony's latest firmware update enables PC access! This means it's no longer necessary to use driver/hardware workarounds to make it work on Windows. Still TBC whether this update enables nVidia use, but all indications are that Sony's "PC games" plans involve direct connection. pic.twitter.com/dvEH4pvDhF
— iVRy (@iVRy_VR) March 21, 2024
PSVR2 got a firmware update with the latest PS5 update. It now works without bypassing EDID and DSC stuff that used to be necessary to get it to work on a PC
Based on that change, it looks like the PC support will be directly plugged in and not streamed
Is Sony washing hands?
— Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley) March 21, 2024
Previously, the hardware required Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) and DisplayPort Compression (DSC), which iVRy was working on circumventing with custom hardware. iVRy followed up by stating that some sort of adaptor will still be required due to the power needed for the headset, with the limited number of GPUs capable of doing so due to discontinued support.
The PSVR2 needs a USB-C port that provides 12V power and alt DisplayPort. The only PC ports that can do that are VirtualLink (which has been discontinued). Hence anyone without one of those ports *ON THEIR DESKTOP GPU* will need some kind of adapter. There is no way around this.
— iVRy (@iVRy_VR) March 21, 2024
It’s speculated that we’ll see some official driver support from PlayStation, with an official adapter to make the PSVR2 compatible with PC.
The good news is that all this points to the headset working natively on PC rather than streaming your PC library through the PS5. As silly as that sounds, some did believe that would be the case.
Of course we won’t know until an official announcement is made by PlayStation, but things are certainly looking good for the PCVR community.