PSVR2 Isn't Backwards Compatible with PSVR Games, Sony Confirms

Time to hope for a new Astro Bot game for PSVR2 and PS5 ports of Minecraft and Dreams

Would have been nice if they could magic up some way to get old inputs working on completely different hardware, but it was always next to impossible. I’m sure the best games will be ported, but the new gen is going to be so much better it’ll be like me going back to PS2 from PS5. Just not something I’d want to do.

Got a good few PSVR games I have bought but not gotten around to yet, so guess I better get a move on. In fact, it’d be nice for Sony to add a load of them to Extra so we can get through as many as possible before the hardware is truly obsolete.

I think this was already pretty much confirmed when they showed the new controller (which has fewer buttons than the old PS Move). Requiring the Moves and the old camera just for BC wouldn't be very smart either.

But it's ridiculous how bad PR Sony is. Instead of simply making the excuse of "that technology is too old", they should have said something like: "PSVR games won't work right away but we are working with developers to release new ports or patches"

People will complain, but i give Sony a pass on this. I think they want to really sell this thing on the quality of the two controllers - and given the old games were not designed around it, it could lead to the tech being questioned, even if titles get patched. I think we will be in for a real treat when we get this thing in our hands

I definitely don’t mind that about time we moved on with things, including this new generation.

Will the original PSVR become obsolete?

Classic Sony. Let's give them a round of applause, everyone. Good job!

As long as they give us a new Head Master game on PSVR2 I can live with this

That’s a shame. I played a few games on ps vr & enjoyed them. Will be getting the vr 2, would have def played them all on that if they were backward compatible.

I honestly thought they would be compatible as long as the patched accordingly, controllers ect

To no one’s surprise. I’ll probably get it anyway, use it once and never again. Classic me…

It's understandable but without backwards compatibility PSVR2 it's a hard sell...

This way they can sell us the same games again as "psvr2 versions" priced as a new release.

Sony out there fighting for the consumer again lol.

This is very disappointing. My favourite PSVR games were mostly ones that didn't even use the Move controllers, so it's hard to see why they wouldn't be able to work on the PSVR2. Hopefully at least some games get patches.

Well this stinks ,im sure they couldve found a way to make it work ,but it seems they would rather me buy blood and truth again for 60 quid ,nice one.

That sucks - just patch them.

Games locked to old hardware needs to end on consoles. Makes zero sense to build a collection on them like this.

I’d best crack on and finish all those PSVR games before the new one come out then!

Well that doesn’t surprise me…

Unrelated but I’ve just upgraded my broadband from a copper line to full fibre and having to use wi-fi on my PS5 (previously used a wired connection). It doesn’t bloody work! Everything else works fine but the PS5 for some reason has absolutely dreadful wi-fi. Is it a known fault (or weakness) with the PS5? All my other devices have massively improved with the new wi-fi but the wi-fi on PS5 barely functions 🤷‍♂️

"PSVR2 is designed to deliver a truly next-generation VR experience"

Does it mean the the PS5 is not a true next gem experience since it can play PS4 games?

@LN78 I have issues playing regular Bluray’s on my PS5 sometimes. All of my discs are pristine but the PS5 won’t read them - I just get a black screen. Very strange that it only happens with some discs and not others 🙄

I mean it's never good to lose access to games, but I can understand this. I just want to see them actually stick to it, all that big talk before PS5 came out and we haven't had a PS5 only game in over a year already, next up you'll have VR2 sales slow and all of a sudden it's "you can't play old VR games, but all of the new ones will be made for VR & VR2 lol!". Zero trust in their words at this point.

@Dr_Luigi you're getting mixed up with nintendo

This makes sense due to the new controllers, but hopefully some of the more popular games get updates

People realise patches are a thing right.

Its like outrage stops brains from functioning.

@LN78 no, they’re all the correct region. My PS4 Pro plays the same movies just fine and the wi-if is also fine on the PS4 Pro. Just another ‘quirk’ of the (PS5) system I guess. Like how all my (digitally) purchased seasons of Game of Thrones are missing random episodes on PS5 but not the PS4 🤷‍♂️

Another Sony L.
Nothing we aren't used to! Thanks!

@BritneyfR_ee recently moved a ps5 into my kids' room where their ps4 had been. Never had any trouble with the ps4 WiFi at that location but the ps5 in the exact same spot acts like I'm a block away from my router. The connection is abysmal. I can hardly connect just to get a game to start downloading, much less play anything that requires a connection.

Really seems like it's an issue with the ps5.

On the topic at hand, this was expected. I'm kinda hoping for some patches on a few games, or an upgrade path but even then I'm mostly just excited for new things.

Good. All bugets spent on new games for PSVR2 only instead of having to remake the old games to work with the new controllers.

Very few of the PSVR games are going to compare well to what PSVR2 will be delivering, especially visually
Those PSVR games were a great introduction to VR but we don't need them any more, they've served their purpose.

I've had enough of being told we all want back compatibility in our consoles. We never used to ask for it, we were always far too excited for what the new generation console was going to improve on compared to last gen.

If anyone want to play PSVR games the old kit is available and it's cheap, but such is the leap in fidelity, performance and capability os PSVR2 over PSVR it'd be like watching a film on VHS and then 4K Blu Ray.

The bottom line is, lack of backwards compatibility put me off getting it day one, prob will for a lot of people too.

@jacko11 but its Sony and its more likely to get 'likes' and clicks if its portrayed negative.

Don't look at it as a lack of backward compatibility. Look at it as an opportunity to buy the Astrobot remake for $70!

Rip the band-aid (plaster) off

I was afraid this was going to happen. I don't think I'll get PSVR2 now. It's just not worth it to me if it can't play any PSVR1 games because there simply aren't that many VR games to begin with.

@riceNpea backwards compatibility has been a topic for a very long time, it's not new. Even during the 8 bit and 16 bit eras it was around.

The "new controller input" makes sense until you see people beating Elden Ring with DK Conga drums from the Gamecube era and realize there is absolutely zero excuse for Sony not to figure out how to map the new controller inputs to old controller inputs.

Hmm... well that's a point against it.

To be honest, the pool of must have vr software has barely changed in the last few years. The big hitters will get a port at some stage as the struggle for vr will always be putting out enough quality software

If psvr3 comes out later, will it support the backward compatibility of psvr2? Sony is making a stupid decision

That really sucks, I was hoping all those PSVR games I got from PS+ would be playable with the new headset, since I’ve still never tried them.

Hopefully at least the standouts from PSVR will be receiving a PSVR2 port.

While I would love it to be compatible somehow, it’s understandable to me why it isn’t. The way controllers are tracked is completely different between the 2 sets.
I just hope some of the major releases get ported/upgraded then, I never played Astro or Moss.

There goes my PSVR library from having Plus all these years and picking up a few games here and there when offered for free. Oh well. Like many here, I'm not surprised - but I was more hopeful than I should have been, apparently.

The best games (whose developers are still around) might get ported to PSVR2 - I assume it would cost less to port an existing game than to build a whole new one. Not sure I'd expect patches, though - new purchases may be more likely, which will probably tick some people off if developers can't at least offer discounts for upgrades.

@Dr_Luigi but sony dont re release games, they remaster them.

Whilst nintnedo re release basic ports at full price.

@zupertramp sorry to hear I’m not the only one. I’ve spent my evening googling and it seems like a wide-spread issue with the PS5. Strange that I haven’t heard anything about it until I started having issues myself (after switching to wi-fi). Most people must be using wired connections? Well, I’m having to switch back to the PS4 Pro to play online because the PS5 isn’t up to the job. Not a good look Sony!

@ED_209
But that would be lying if they are not working with developers on updates.

@dasd2
No, they are not. They should be making an awesome VR headset free from the bonds of the old technology.

This isn’t surprising, but rather disappointing. I really wanted a clearer headset to play the old games with. I guess this means I’ll have it keep using the old one too. Better get back at it again.

@LN78 haha definitely - could quite happily live without the entire S7 and 8 🤣 but my two favourite episodes (Battle of the B*stards and The Winds of Winter) are gone 😫

Sounds like an excuse to just not put the work in to make it work.

The 10 people who bought the first one will be annoying then Looks cool tho the new version. Not sure I'll bother getting it really. I just like normal gaming. Never say never tho

@Dr_Luigi I was just pointing out that your original comment which was obviously a dig at Sony, was also very hypocritical since you're a nintendo fan, in which Nintendo are the worse when it comes to charging people full price for basic ports of wii/wii u games. But you have a problem with Sony doing so even when they actually put the effort in and remaster them. You were begging for the zelda ports the other day on nintendolife, so it's very hypocritical for you to come here and say that.

Good to know this now. I'll get Moss Book 2 on my Quest 2 instead of waiting.

@Carl-G well 5 million people. Still quite a low % of PS4s, but pretty good for what was at the time a very new kind of thing.

@Balosi " backwards compatibility has been a topic for a very long time, it's not new. Even during the 8 bit and 16 bit eras it was around. "

absolutely! I had 4 different Spectrums, all the different Amigas, and the Playstations were mostly back compatible until PS3, but nobody ever really made a fuss of it. It wasn't until MS made a big song and dance about it because they've invested no money in new IP that they've convinced a load of MS fanboys that their consoles are great BECAUSE of back compatibility. They had to big it up because that was all they had to crow about.

And now we get stuff like what this article is going on about because suddenly b/c is so very important. I don't want Sony to spend a single pound on b/c with PSVR2 if there's even a sniff of a chance it takes time and money away from new games.

I'm on the same page as most with this, it sounds like. Hugely disappointed but I can totally understand the reasoning.
I was waiting on this news to know what to do with my VR1 and hadn't bought Moss 2 yet just in case news of a port came. Guess I'll hang onto my 1 until we know the full launch line up. If Moss 2 isn't there I'll buy it, play it, then sell my VR1.

I'll be 100% ok with all this if they can just port over Astrobot Rescue Mission, Moss 1 and 2, Rush of Blood, and maybe a few others. I'm positive Astro will get ported, maybe even be a launch title, and fairly confident the Moss games will be brought over too at some point but I wish they would just TELL US whats going on and what to expect!

I need to go meditate.

@Dr_Luigi pick a side. You can't slate Sony for re releasing games and give nintendo a pass with excuses. It's either OK or it isnt.

@Shepherd_Tallon I think you and I seem to have similar thoughts on most things. New console, I want to play new games on it.

I've got PSVR and it was a brilliant proof of concept but let's face it, it doesn't that that big of a catalogue of full blown games on it that is worth the time and effort to invest in rebuilding it to work with the new controllers. Most of the games were simple affairs with the exception of a handful of games like RE7.

PSVR2 is going to be a totally different beast and will deliver AAA gaming in abundance, so let the devs concentrate on that instead of trying to upgrade a game that will never get to be as good as anything they could make from scratch.

@riceNpea I think it's always been a good selling point, especially at the start of a life for something.
I remember the snes getting newspaper articles about angry parents who felt like their kid's nes games were worthless now.

@Dr_Luigi Nintendo DID increase prices. Diamond and Pearl were $40 at release and the remakes are $60. Skyward sword was $50 at release and the switch port was $60 as well. Plus they locked quality of life improvements behind an expensive amibo. And those are just off the top of my head

@Balosi haha, angry parents, what did they know about gaming, they were just gutted about splashing the cash 😆👍

@Dr_Luigi no, Nintendo is worse still. $40 to $60 is worse than $60 to $70 especially when they give you the option to play the old one still. And a $10 increase for a port is worse than when Sony will do their ports. For example: uncharted 4 and the spin-off on ps5 NEW are $50 combined or a $10 upgrade if you own ONE of those games

It’s not a dealbreaker but it is disappointing. Welp, as long as Sega release a new version of Rez Infinite I’ll be happy enough.

@Dr_Luigi nah, with PSVR2 we finally end up winning. It looks to be a beast and to deliver immersion and experiences the likes of which we've not seen. If that means no b/c it's a fair sacrifice.

@Somebody at least wait until that actually happens before you bash them? Just a thought

@WillMerfi someone disagrees with me, so the only explanation is that they are a Sony apologist. After all, my opinion is the only valid one.
*Source: me

@Exerion76 you're absolutely right. That's why ps4 games aren't compatible with ps5, right?

@WillMerfi why would you be paying twice for the same game? You won't even want to play PSVR titles again anyway, compared to PSVR2 games they'll be fairly simple affairs. There are not that many AAA games on PSVR to convert anyway, let alone bother remaking. No b/c is good. PSVR was essentially a brilliant proof of concept. All new games on the horizon.

@WillMerfi
Or, you know, buy new games for your new platform and play your old games on your old platform…just an idea.

Haha, oh another fail on Sony's part. Unbelievable. 🤦‍♂️

@FindMeCampin Sony's $70 USD port of Last of Us says hello.

Inflation over time causes prices to increase. Wow, what a shock...

And PSVR is like the PS3 all over again. No BWC. Unbelievable. 🤦‍♂️ There's barely anything to defend this company on.

Oof. Hard pass if it isn't back compat.

@WillMerfi i here what you are saying but as I said there aren't very many games in that class. Not enough to worry about, and once PSVR2 games start showcasing just how far ahead they are compared to what PSVR could offer those games will not be something you'll miss. Right now you think you'll miss them because compared to the vast majority of PSVR titles they offer the most immersive experience to be found on PSVR, youre bound to cherosh them the most, but compared to what devs will be able to produce on PSVR2 they will age overnight. Besides there's nothing to stop anyone playing them on the PSVR they own.

@Shepherd_Tallon that's the crux of it. It's a true generational leap the likes of which we haven't seen in decades with conventional consoles. There's really no point in wasting resources on such a small selection of AAA games PSVR has. It's like the era from when we went from 2D gaming to 3D, it's a proper evolution not just a boost in pixel count.

That's fine. It's not as if the PSVR games will suddenly become unplayable when PSVR2 launches.

@WillMerfi fair enough, but I don't see how we'll be paying for those games again. Even if we get a new version of Skyrim it's not going to bare any resemblance in technical prowess, sense of immersion, performance, graphics, and overall awe inducement than a PSVR2 version. I'd pay for that version over a reworked PSVR Skyrim that's been adapted to work with PSVR2.

The other 90% of PSVR games I'll bid farewell to, say thanks for some great memories and who knows maybe one day I'll revisit for nostalgia's sake like you do with your PS3. By the way, out of curiosity, are any of those PS3 games you like available via PSPlus? I still have all my PS consoles but it's been a long time since I've revisited them.

Good! New system separate from the old, both great.

@EVIL-C a remake is not a port. Nice try though. Love seeing you defend Nintendo charging $60 for a $50 game that actually IS a port. And unlike skyward sword, tlou remake will go on sale within the next half a year+ and may even be permanently marked down while skyward sword is still $60 over a year later. You’re also acting like the psvr isn’t completely different tech to the psvr 2. I don’t see you complaining about the Kinect not working on series consoles. Or the switch having 0 backwards compatibility. At the same time, you can still play psvr games using the first headset on ps5

@Sqush-Pare Yup, just like every new console replaces the predecessor and eventually stops receiving new titles. Difference is most consoles are backwards compatible, and you can play last-gen or even older stuff on your new machine. PS5 supports PSVR, so if you hold on to the old headset you'll be able to play those titles too. Jumping into VR on PS as a newbie means next year you can't play PSVR 1 games.(Unless you buy the old headset as well).

Free patches from Sony? Lol

This is a huge miss on Playstation's part. I would have liked playing my PSVR1 games on the PSVR2.

Anyone expecting free upgrades, hahahah! 🤣

Legitimately lol at the free patch, maybe if we where still in the pre PS5 era 🙂

Was expecting this, I’d imagine most of the popular psvr games will get free ps5 upgrades and the such

I was really hoping to play PSVR1 titles on PSVR2. This tells me PSVR2 will be lacking in titles to play for a while. Think I will hold off on day one and wait till it comes back in stock in a year or two. I will get to see how well it's supported in that time.

I'm absolutely gutted although I'd expected it. As a huge PSVR fan, I'd hoped Sony would find a way to make games backwards compatible. ☹️

But I know I'll buy PSVR2 day one.

Surely they could just let you use the move controllers & the older ps camera unless there aren't lights on the front so the camera won't track it or something

this corporation is pathetic , expect no more money from me ! no ps plus anymore,no microtransactions,no new games. NOTHING . no internet browser? no folders? bye scumbags

I'm actually really excited for this VR set, it will be my first time trying VR. If it was BC it would have been a day one but this news means I will wait at least a year or two for it to build up a decent library.

“… but the games weren't upgraded in any way”.

A small handful of games, around ten or so, did receive updates to take advantage of the PS5’s capabilities. These saw improvements to frame rate and also texture resolution.

Blood and Truth is a notable example of a game with improved performance. Higher resolution, higher frame rate and improved texture assets all added to a great upgrade.

@Would_you_kindly

That’s exactly the case.

Shucks! I thought they would figure that out. I’ve got a bunch of unfinished—even untouched—PSVR games.

This was obvious, that's why I have kept my PSVR with all the games. Have the adapter for my PS5 incase i want to play. PSVR 2 looks amazing though can't wait.

Very disappointing. We all know the PS4 controller works with the ps5. Im not sure if the moves do...but then 99% of psvr games had controller support. They already gave away an adaptor for the camera so it works with ps5... So I can only assume psvr2 will be taking up that port as, if I'm remembering correctly, I don't think you can use the front usb for the camera adaptor?...it's been awhile since I hooked up my psvr.

Just a shame. There's a big difference in following through with 'we believe in generations' and supporting backwards compatibility. Think a lot of people were hoping to sell their psvr to help with the cost of psvr2 - I know I was

@Bleachedsmiles I think it's just that the psvr 1 used the camera & lights on the headset to track it where as the new one will just do the tracking internally

Meaning, they'll be released as full price ports so you have to buy them again, classic Sony.

This news completely killed all my hype and intent to buy PSVR2 at launch.

i suppose people can go get backwards compatible on the ms and nintendo vr.

you are all going to spend what 500+ and worried about playing the 5 decent games from vr1 and you havent even got a clue about launch titles

@stvevan well yeah obviously backwards compatibility is a big deal. I mean the majority of people on my friends list that have just spent close to 500 on a ps5 are playing PS4 titles on it. The Psplus collection that came with the ps5 is all PS4 titles. And Sony's biggest selling point for premium is playing old games. So I guess there must be a market for playing older titles...at least having the ability to. Sony must see some value in backwards compatibility. Its a shame they didn't extend it to psvr...so people already have that catalog of games that work on it as well as enjoying whatever game they pick up with it

@Would_you_kindly You'd think they'd have worked on tools to be able to patch it...I mean there's no way dreams isn't going to get psvr2 support. If it does I can't really see a reason why at least Sony's other first party couldn't get psvr2 support. Hopefully they don't charge for these upgrades though

Maybe it will depend on the developer for 3rd party. We know no man's sky is getting psvr2 support...I've not heard if they're patching it in to the existing game or charging again for it...I would imagine it be patched. So maybe we just have to rely on other Devs patching it in

I am suprised VR is still a thing

@Nocturnal92
If a game is given psvr2 integration via patches, or a PSVR2 version made, then it will be entirely down to the publishers of those games to decide whether old version owners get it free or need to pay. It wouldn't be down to Sony.

@Darylb88
Then you’ve never experienced it’s Wonder.

@thefourfoldroot1 True, if you were to completely remove any responsibility from Sony's engineering team for PSVR2 to build backwards compatibility at a system level, and Sony directly to incentivise and influence any 3rd parties to offer patches/ports.

A blanket statement saying it's just not backwards compatible is pitiful and indefensible in my opinion.

@Nocturnal92
Well, you also can’t ignore the fact that, building BC at HARDWARE level, as would need to be the case with PSVR2, would increase the price significantly. It would require a camera and controllers (these are not tracked the same way as the moves or DualShock4) to be included at the least. OG PSVR is not a PC system designed for multiple configurations.

Sony already tried hardware BC with fat PS3, and that didn’t work out too well because it’s only the noisy minority that actually care for such things. Doing so in these financial times would be disastrous. It would also greatly complicate the set up.

Easiest thing would be for Sony to just incentives publishers to make patches as you say, but I think you underestimate the cost of this for old games. Something like Beat Saber sure, that is likely being done anyway, but paying publishers to take devs of existing work for a couple of months, largely for the benefit of existing owners who want to pay nothing extra…crunch shows every day is vital for publishers to hit deadlines. It’s worth a lot of money.

A blanket statement saying Sony were just cheap or lazy, without considering market and economic factors, is somewhat pitiful in my opinion.

@thefourfoldroot1 I agree that it isn't so simple and there are obvious cost implications, all of which are not the consumer's issue past a potential increase to the base cost of the unit.

I skipped PSVR 1, I've acquired a small library of titles (provided through PSN) assuming PSVR2 would be an absolute day one buy for me, and now with this, it isn't. This is going to cost Sony more in the long run as others have echoed similar disdain to the announcement.

I'm a consumer so I have the luxury of appearing pitiful, Sony do not.

@Nocturnal92
“ there are obvious cost implications, all of which are not the consumer's issue past a potential increase to the base cost of the unit.”

Yet this is the critical point. If Sony believed that consumers would pay an extra, say, £150 due to the R&D and hardware expensive of BC, then I’m sure they would do it. But, when researching how to price a device that has cost them millions to develop, I’m sure they did a lot more research than we did and clearly saw that they would lose more sales than they would gain by increasing the cost.

And, for the customer, that extra money could buy quite a few game upgrades…

@thefourfoldroot1 we'll have to wait and see I suppose.

Immediately, they've lost one in me until they can address a lack of software, at that point I'm sure I'll grab one.

@nocturnal92 care to share the release day games? we have no price / release so have no idea yet if therec is a lack of software?

@stvevan I'm sure they'll be in their hundreds on launch 🤣.

Like I said, I'll wait and see.