The evolution of the PSVR will be 'dramatic' over the next 10 years says Sony exec

[Cal Jeffrey]

The big picture: Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) hasn’t exactly wowed gamers, but quite frankly no VR platform has quite taken off yet. That doesn’t mean Sony is ready to throw in the VR towel. On the contrary, the company believes the PSVR only has room to grow as the technology evolves.

Sony Network Entertainment International’s Vice President and COO Shawn Layden told Game Informer in a recent interview that the next 10 years of PSVR development would be "dramatic." He compared the platform’s evolution to the adoption of smartphones. They were expensive and didn’t necessarily do everything users wanted them to do when they first emerged but eventually became mainstream.

His sentiment is true of just about every technology introduced. Granted there have been some flops that went nowhere, but of gadgets that are now in their fourth or fifth generation or higher, the ground they have covered has been vast.

"You can’t get to 5.0 until you do 1.0. It’s just the nature of the thing."

Sony sold 1.3 million PSVRs in 2018 and over 3 million since its launch in 2016. This number may not seem like much compared to the 91.6 million install base of the PS4, which is required to run the platform, but it still outsold Oculus Rift and HTC Vive according to Statista. Layden says that slow adoptions rates are mainly caused by users short attention spans and high expectations for what they think the PSVR should provide. These expectations are unreasonable for what he calls a "1.0 technology."

"With PSVR, what I like about it… there have been very few times in my career – and I have been working in technology since the late '80s – when you get to be part of a truly 1.0 experience," he said. "The problem is nowadays, people’s expectations and [attention] spans are so short. Now it’s, ‘Oh! PSVR, that’s great! When is it going to be this size?’"

Layden suggests remembering your first cell phone, then looking at the one you have now.

"You can’t look at that Nokia phone and look at your smartphone and see how you got to there," he said. "By the same token, you look at PSVR right now, none of us are going to be able to imagine what it will look like 10 years from now, but the change will be that dramatic."

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https://www.techspot.com/news/78811-evolution-psvr-dramatic-over-next-10-years-sony.html

 

[seeprime]

That's some mighty fine PR. It's "inconceivable" No, it's not. If they can't visualize out another four generations, or have a goal that they can elucidate, then Sony has a real problem. Comparing a 15 year old Nokia to a modern smartphone may seem clever. It's not, as CPU traces 15 years ago were still following Moore's law. Processors got twice as powerful every two years, or so. Not any more. Intel is on the same 14 nm architecture they were on four years ago. In four generations of Sony VR, the tech will be more refined, not more evolved. So, if Sony can't tell us what to expect, what they're working on, don't expect a major change that would knock your socks off.

 

[yRaz]

That's some mighty fine PR. It's "inconceivable" No, it's not. If they can't visualize out another four generations, or have a goal that they can elucidate, then Sony has a real problem. Comparing a 15 year old Nokia to a modern smartphone may seem clever. It's not, as CPU traces 15 years ago were still following Moore's law. Processors got twice as powerful every two years, or so. Not any more. Intel is on the same 14 nm architecture they were on four years ago. In four generations of Sony VR, the tech will be more refined, not more evolved. So, if Sony can't tell us what to expect, what they're working on, don't expect a major change that would knock your socks off.

I don't think you understand quite what's going on here. The hardware is here, it's software that needs improvement. They are building a platform that they don't quite know when or what improvements will come as time go on. Engineers can't come up with a solution to a problem if there isn't something to fix

 

[Uncle Al]

PSVR will have it place but I seriously doubt it will take over the industry. While it's a lot of fun, it does have it's drawbacks. In a few more generations of gamers it may evolve to a leading position but I suspect that there will remain a hard corp of players that just want to keep it on the monitors and play at their keyboards and joysticks .... or mouse depending on your preference .....

 

[Humza]

Would be interesting to see how Microsoft's Xbox counters to PSVR with most likely its AR focused Hololens. A stripped down, cheaper variant of the Hololens 2.0 to sell with the next Xbox vs PSVR 2.0 with the PS5 sounds exciting. I wonder what game developers would favor.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Eventually it will be lighter, wireless, and support 4k res in each eye (or better)... and a console will be able to power up to 4 of them at a time... And that's just the obvious evolution....

The hardware's inputs will also evolve, allowing movement from not just hands/head, but whole body.... And maybe eventually (and this is MANY years away) directly from the brain

Software will also need to keep pace, with more immersive games that have heretofore been locked to the realm of Sci/Fi books and movies... Eventually something like Star Trek's holodeck, anyone?

VR may still fail - I'm not saying it's a sure thing... but those naysayers out there have no real basis for their negativity either - I'd prefer to stay positive!

 

[R00sT3R]

INCONCEIVABLE!!

Vizzni...The Princess Bride )