Take A Sneak Peek At The Weirdly-Shaped New PlayStation5 Virtual Reality Controller

Sony Corporation SNE has revealed a new virtual reality controller for its PlayStation 5 gaming console, which it claims unlocks a “way to tap into the sense of touch.”

What Happened: The “orb” shaped controllers allow for a “high degree of freedom” while playing, wrote Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of platform planning and management of Sony’s gaming arm, in a blog post Thursday.

Nishino said the company "designed the new controller with great ergonomics in mind, so it’s well-balanced and comfortable to hold in each of your hands.”

“We applied learnings from testing users with a range of hand sizes, as well as the decades of insights from controllers across all PlayStation platforms,” he said.

The features of the new controllers include adaptive triggers that are similar to Sony’s DualSense controller in terms of giving the feel of “palpable tension” during gameplay. Other features span haptic feedback, finger touch detection, tracking, and action buttons. The left controller also contains one analog stick.

Why It Matters: Sony isn’t the only company jumping on the VR product release bandwagon. Apple Inc AAPL too is said to be planning a VR headset for 2022, which would come along with a steep price tag.

The Apple headset could cost as much as $3,000 and come equipped with interchangeable headbands, according to Business Insider.

Facebook Inc FB launched its Oculus Quest 2 VR headset in September last year.

The Mark Zuckerberg-led company has nearly 10,000 people or 20% of its workforce dedicated to developing augmented and virtual reality devices, according to The Information.

As for Sony, the company showcased its next-generation VR system for PlayStation 5 in February and said it won’t be launching in 2021. In a separate blog, Nishino wrote, “there’s still a lot of development underway.”

Price Action: Sony shares closed nearly 0.6% lower at $105.34 on Thursday.

Photos: Courtesy of Sony