The story behind the PS VR Aim Controller

Sony will release the PlayStation VR Aim Controller on May 16, which will enhance gamer experience and heighten the experience of any compatible shooter for PlayStation VR.

The precise motion tracking, ergonomic design, and deeply intuitive controls keep your shots lightning fast and deadly accurate. The Aim Controller lets gamers feel the action they are transported to incredible and unexpected gaming worlds.

“May 16 marks the launch of our big-budget PlayStation VR shooter Farpoint, and from what I’ve played its set to be one of the medium’s defining games,” said Sid Shuman Director, SIEA Social Media.

Shuman also announced the release of PlayStation VR Aim Controller that seeks to become the standard-bearer for VR first-person controllers. The Aims Controller will be available in launch bundles for Farpoint and separately in limited supply.

Game developers shared their insights on the evolution of VR which has come pretty far since its early conception. They also spoke about how what it was like to actually design the controller, how the controller came out to be and looked ahead at future games that will support it.

Takeshi Igarashi, Hardware Director at SIEA office in Tokyo on designing of the controller said they began working on the controller when they got the idea to use a weapon-type controller to play a VR shooting game.

They attached a DualShock4 controller to a PS3 Sharpshooter to explore the sort of form factor, weight balance and button arrangements, which are imperative in a shooting game. The buttons were placed around analog sticks so players can move their thumbs around intuitively.

Taichi Nokuo, Product Designer, said that he tried to make the design of the Aim Controller as simple as possible as it was important that players use it safely and comfortably with PS VR headset on and it can be used as any type or form of weapon inside the game.

“I made the intentional decision for the controller to not resemble an actual weapon, so that anybody, from children to adults, feel comfortable playing with it,” said Nokuo.

Nukuo said he thinks the design is ideal for a controller as the smooth pipe form factor allows the player to play with the PS VR headset on, which blocks the view of the outside world. He hoped the new and minimalistic design will enable players to experience a whole new level of immersion.

Farpoint Game on PS VR Aim Controller

Farpoint is one of several upcoming PS VR games that will support the Aim Controller. Some game developers describe how it was integrated into the game and how it helps enhance immersion.

Seth Luisi, from independent game studio Impulse Gear which developed Farpoint said they wanted to physically connect the player to the game and bring them much deeper into the world. He said the Aim Controller has enabled them to make shooting and aiming more natural and intuitive.

Phosphor Games who developed the Brookhaven Experiment said that they could not have imagined that their childhood dream to take arcade shoot ’em up into the living room has come true after two decades and they can play these types of games at home in a completely immersive VR environment.

When Sony announced to the release the Aim Controller, they considered themselves lucky and wanted to be the first game to support it.

Phosphor said that it was an exciting time to be a developer and PlayStation has created a playground to create the kind of memorable experiences that we hope will inspire future game developers more than two decades from now.  The Brookhaven Experiment will be added to Aim Controller on June 26.