Apple’s Support of PlayStation VR2 Sense Controllers for Vision Pro Still in Development

Apple is reportedly still looking to adopt Sony’s PS VR2 controllers for its Vision Pro headset. The use of Vision Pro will likely provide tactile commands and functions as an alternative to Vision Pro’s hand gestures.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is still on track to collaborate with Sony to support PS VR2’s Sense controllers for Vision Pro, likely sometime later this year. While initially reported late last year by Gurman, the latest PowerOn newsletter highlights that plans are still in motion.

The partnership between Apple and Sony is claimed to have been months in the making. The core idea is to bring Sense controllers to Vision Pro as an optional accessory to use. Gurman goes on to explain that support may come later this year as he predicts a visionOS software update could come later this year. This new version of visionOS could introduce the support for Sense controllers. Gurman predicts that the Sense controllers could be used for gaming but then interact with the “operating system with more precision.”

Gurman continues to bullishly state that Vision Pro’s support of Sense controllers likely won’t “do anything to turn around the Vision Pro’s sluggish sales.” He continues, “it would be a nice step for Apple to show that it still cares about gamers.” Currently, Apple’s Vision Pro supports the use of PlayStation 5 DualSense controllers and the Xbox Wireless Controller. However, neither is optimized for the VR space.

Apple’s Vision Pro headset has failed to garner mass consumer adoption. Part of the reason is likely due to its $4,999 price tag in Canada. There’s also an inherent lack of consumer demand for the headset. So much so that Apple ceased production of the headset at the turn of the new year. Sony’s PS VR2 is in a similar position. Released in 2023 for $749, Sony has reportedly sold around 2 million PS VR2 units, as of October 2024. These soft sales numbers have led to Sony having to support PS VR2 on PC to generate a larger player base.

Having the two companies collaborate, Apple and Sony may be able to generate a little more excitement for Vision Pro and the PS VR2’s Sense controllers. It’s also worth noting that as of the time of writing, Sony doesn’t sell its Sense controllers as a separate accessory. This means that if Sony does indeed bring its Sense controllers to Vision Pro, it’ll be the first time consumers can purchase them ala carte.