Apple is now working on a major effort to support third-party hand controllers in the device’s visionOS software and has teamed up with Sony Group Corp. to make it happen.
Apple approached Sony earlier this year, and the duo agreed to work together on launching support for the PlayStation VR2’s hand controllers on the Vision Pro. Inside Sony, the work has been a monthslong undertaking, I’m told. And Apple has discussed the plan with third-party developers, asking them if they’d integrate support into their games.
As for supporting the PlayStation VR2 controllers, Apple and Sony originally aimed to announce this capability weeks ago, but the rollout has been postponed. My expectation is that an announcement will still come at some point — unless it gets abruptly scrapped.
One hiccup is that Sony doesn’t currently sell its VR hand controllers as a standalone accessory. The company would need to decouple the equipment from its own headset and kick off operations to produce and ship the accessory on its own. As part of the arrangement, Sony would sell the controllers at Apple’s online and retail stores, which already offer PS5 versions.
The move is meant primarily for games on the Vision Pro, but the companies also created support for navigating the device’s operating system. The controller’s thumb stick and directional pad could be used for scrolling, while the trigger button could replace a finger pinch when clicking on an item.