PSVR 2 On PC Now Supports Positional Tracking; Half-Life: Alyx Already Runs With Limitations

The PlayStation VR 2 is arguably the most robust headset for gamers currently, but its limits to work with the PS5 console only could put it off for some users. The original PSVR was tinkered to work with PC by iVRy, the dev behind one of the notable third-party SteamVR drivers for the headset. iVRy has already started attempts to tame the PSVR 2 on PC, and the device already seems to work on it, but with a few caveats sprinkled in between.

Day #121: And we're in!
– PSVR2 was blocking VR modes by saying it couldn't do DSC
– We modified an AMD Open Source Linux GPU driver to force DSC
– Now we know how to put the PSVR2 into VR mode, so we can design some hardware to do it on Windows
– "Can PSVR2 be used on PC?" – Yes pic.twitter.com/fNnLaNYEV1

— iVRy (@iVRy_VR) June 28, 2023

Around two weeks ago, the dev got SteamVR with the headset to function with certain limitations, and another major breakthrough has just happened. According to a new Twitter post, the headset positional tracking, 6DOF, is now working with the PSVR 2 headset on PC.

The team involved in the passionate project was familiar that PSVR 2 was doing all the tracking on the headset and sending its position coordinates to the PlayStation 5 or the PC in this situation. The devs involved have now got access to that. Now, the PSVR 2 already officially works on PC to some extent, but only in the cinema mode where the monitor hovers in front of you.

Day #135: SteamVR driver for PSVR2 now does 6DOF tracking, using headset's cameras. We knew PSVR2 was doing all tracking on headset, now we have access to that. pic.twitter.com/vxbUVqywqe

— iVRy (@iVRy_VR) July 12, 2023

The headset working on PC is not as simple as it sounds, as it essentially uses a middleman to function properly. The dev utilized a Linux PC with custom software as the middleman that worked between the PSVR 2 and PC to establish a connection.

iVRy has also managed to run Half-Life: Alyx on PSVR 2 using a PC a few weeks ago. The game ran on Sony’s new flagship headset, using the alpha version of the iVRy driver for SteamVR Windows, with NoloVR for 6DOF tracking and controllers. Nevertheless, the project is in very early stages and far from completion. It is currently unclear when the game will become completely compatible with the current setup.

Certain features like Haptics have not been touched at all currently because of the underlying complications. After achieving the 6DOF integration, iVRy is still hard at work in making the headset work with a PC, but full compatibility is quite far away. Each breakthrough is another step closer to the gaming community finally achieving the ability to use PSVR 2 on PC effectively. iVRy commented about the roadmap in the past.

These are questions that we won’t even think about for a long time. We have *so much* work to do just to get a basic 3DOF driver working, then we have 6DOF, then we have controllers. This is a long process that we’ve just begun.”

Many other prominent VR projects are currently in the brewer to further increase the popularity of VR games amidst the community. For instance, a Portal 2 native VR mod is being developed, as per uploaded footage. Another mod that seeks to make over 90 percent of Unreal Engine games playable on VR is also in development; no exact release date has been confirmed for it.

Similar Reads: Star Wars Outlaws Creative Director Reveals Game’s Massive Planet Sizes, Says All Locations Are “Handcrafted.”