PSVR2’s best feature could be its powerful eye-tracking capabilities

At GDC 2022, game developers got a taste of things to come with PlayStation VR2. That experience included a deeper look at the possibilities offered by eye-tracking.

It’s no secret that Sony is planning on its new virtual reality headset having eye-tracking capabilities, but now we’re hearing more about what that might mean. Including why it might be a game-changer. 

During a talk on the Unity game engine, developers were showing how this eye-tracking technology could be employed to improve the performance of games. Essentially the plan is to employ foveated rendering, to boost performance. This works by tracking what the player is looking at and then rendering that part of the game in the most detail. This allows the headset to optimise the PlayStation’s processing power and to thoroughly improve the user experience too. 

That’s not the only use case though. The Unity game engine developers also expanded upon the possibilities. The eye-tracking can also be used to magnify what gamers are looking at, helping users focus on what they’re trying to interact with. This theoretically makes it easier to grab objects in virtual reality but also to engage with the world around them.

The PlayStation VR2 headset will seemingly be able to help with things like aim assist – depending on what you’re looking at. Its eye-tracking can also monitor not only where you’re looking but other movements of your eye too. If you wink, for example, that could be translated into the game world. 

This eye-tracking could also be used to improve the player experience as game developers could gather heat map data based on where players are looking. This will help with beta testing where gamers are getting stuck with certain sections of the game – like puzzles, boss fights or other challenges. 

One thing is for sure, virtual reality continues to improve and Sony has big plans for PlayStation VR2.