Sony’s virtual reality headset is finally going to be released later this year. Instead of fully relying on motion controller as an input method the company is keeping other lanes open. Sony has said that all games released for PlayStation VR are going to have support for a traditional gamepad so it won’t be absolutely necessary for players to purchase a motion controller because traditional gamepads will get the job done as well.
Sony said in its statement that all PlayStation VR games will support DualShock 4 controllers but some game experiences will be enhanced with the use of peripherals like Move or the recently unveiled Aim controller.
This goes a long way to explaining why the basic PlayStation VR bundle doesn’t come with Move controllers, it was a bit confusing when we saw that the basic bundle didn’t have the controller, but since the headset works fine with gamepads it’s a great way to offer a cheaper entry point for PlayStation owners to virtual reality.
It will be interesting to see how gamepads compare to controllers in games that can be played with both, and it may also prove to be challenging for developers who might want to bring their VR games from Oculus Rift and HTC Vive to the PlayStation 4.
PlayStation VR starts shipping later this year in October.