The Future Is Here: These Are The New PS5 VR Controllers

By Ana Dascalescu

Posted on March 18, 2021

Remember the PS Move wands? Those might very well be archeological artifacts compared to the new PS5 VR controllers Sony just introduced.

The company says they tested the controllers on users with a range of hand sizes and drew on decades of insights gathered from other Playstation controllers to create “an iconic design that will change how VR games are played”.

The PS5 VR controllers have an unusual “orb” shape which seems a lot more comfortable and intuitive than the old Move wands form factor.

Sony explains the shape saying that this form allows you to hold the controller “naturally, while playing with a high degree of freedom” and “no constraints on how you’re moving your hands.

The PS5 VR controllers feature adaptive triggers similar to those on the DualSense controllers, so you can control in-game weapons like bows with an incredible amount of precision. Furthermore, they have finger touch detection, so the controller will always know the position of your fingers, even without you pressing specific areas.

Sony says the haptic feedback is optimized for the new shape, so that you’ll have different sensations “when you’re traversing through rocky desert or trading blows in melee combat”.

As for the button lay-out, Sony outlined in the announcement what to expect:

“The Left controller contains one analog stick, the triangle and square buttons, a “grip” button (L1), trigger button (L2) and Create button. The Right controller contains one analog stick, the cross and circle buttons, a “grip” button (R1), trigger button (R2) and Options button. The “grip” button can be used to pick up in-game objects, as one example.”

Since the PS5 VR headset is not nearly close enough for launch and will probably show up somewhere in 2022, you should expect the same for the PS5 VR controllers.

Still, Sony will send out prototype controllers to select developers, so we’ll probably know more about them soon.