Sony is demonstrating controller-free hand tracking on PlayStation VR2 at SIGGRAPH Asia 2024.
The booth describes the feature as "available with the latest SDK of PlayStation 5", suggesting that developers can already start integrating it in games.
It also lists the tracking rate at 60 FPS, and claims the system "displays the hands smoothly" with "low latency".
Controller-free hand tracking is a standard feature on Meta Quest, Pico, and HTC Vive headsets, offering an alternative to controllers for interface interaction, social experiences, and casual gaming. The feature arriving on PlayStation VR2 could lead to games that support hand tracking on Quest, such as Unplugged, releasing updates to support it. It might also entice developers to port over hand tracking focused games not yet on Sony's platform, such as Maestro.
Footage from X user kure.
It seems odd that Sony would release such a significant feature without an official announcement beyond a description on a booth at a computer graphics conference, though. We've reached out to Sony to directly confirm that developers can indeed start using hand tracking on PlayStation VR2, and we'll update this article if we get a response.
And if you missed the news: two weeks ago Sony cut the price of PlayStation VR2 to $350 for the rest of the year, which includes Horizon Call of the Mountain. If VR developers integrate hand tracking, the new wave of buyers could be in for an experience they didn't even know they'd have when they made the purchase.
David Heaney
