PSVR2 not backward-compatible with original PSVR games, Sony says

When Sony Interactive Entertainment’s PlayStation VR2 headset is released in 2023, it won’t be able to play games from the original PlayStation VR, the company confirmed Friday.

“PSVR games are not compatible with PSVR2 because PSVR2 is designed to deliver a truly next-generation VR experience,” Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of platform experience at PlayStation, said in an interview with the Official PlayStation PodcastPublished Friday.

Nishino went on to list what he described as PSVR2’s “much more advanced features” compared to PSVR, such as inside-out tracking, eye tracking, 4K HDR support, and a new controller with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. “This means developing games for PSVR2 requires a whole different approach than the original PSVR,” said Nishino.

We’ve reached out to Sony for more information.

Sony has focused its discussion on PSVR2 to date on the games in development for new hardware. No Man’s Sky: PlayStation VR2, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution, Resident Evil Village, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – The Enhanced EditionAnd Horizon Call of the Mountain.

PSVR2 was officially announced in January. The system will debut early in 2023. Sony is preparing 20 “major” games for the launch, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan.