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 gaming. It is possible that games like Unplugged which support hand tracking in Quest will release updates for PlayStation VR2. It might also entice VR 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. If you didn’t know, Sony reduced the price of PlayStation VR2 (
), which included Horizon Call of the Mountain, just two weeks ago. The new generation of VR buyers may be surprised by the experience that they will have if developers incorporate hand tracking.