PlayStation VR external processor pictured

PlayStation VR external processor pictured

 

Platstation VR will be coming in the first Half of 2016, the same timeframe as both the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, but Playstation VR was considered a non-starter by many experts given the Playstations relative horespower when compared to PCs and the high computational demands of VR. Now it has been revealed that Sony’s Playstation VR will use and external computational box, which will give the PS4 the horsepower it needs for VR. 

The Playstation VR headset has a maximum refresh rate for 120Hz with a display resolution of 1920×1080, which is 960×1080 for each eye. 

Now a lot more details about the Playstation VR External processing unit have been revealed, showing that it does require external power, which is rated at 12V, 3 amps, so 36W and is in fact smaller than the Nintendo Wii, measuring in at 144x140x35mm. 

The external processing box will set between the PS4 and your VR headest, which will be connected to the PS4 via an HDMI cable and a USB cable and also connected to your TV, allowing other people to see what you are seeing through the headset. Below is a picture of the external processing unit. 

  

  

The Playstation VR headset will be connected to the Playstation VR box via a single cable, which does split into two cables at the end. 

This cable will give the VR user all video and audio data that they require and will deliver any movement data back to the box, though right now it remains unclear what exactly the external VR box actually does. 

We already know that the Playstation VR headset will use a 120Hz 1080p OLED display, but given the dimensions, power draw and active cooling of the Computation box, we can be pretty confident that the bulk of the rendering for VR will be provided by the PS4 and that only a few latency limited tasks can be done by the VR processing box.

Right now the price of the Platstation VR headset is unknown, or how much their VR processing box adds to the cost of the unit. With the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift coming to PC later this year Sony better be able to produce this unit cheaply, or it may risk being dead on arrival by being overly expensive.

 

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