Take a look at PlayStation VR’s external processor

So, as we already thought PlayStation VR will require an external processing box to work with the PS4. This has just been confirmed.

Luckily, the guys over at Eurogamer have been able to tell us all about the external processor.

The current external processing box has roughly these measurements 140x140x35mm.

This makes it slightly smaller than the Wii, which measures at 215x157x44mm, making the Wii 2.2x bigger than the PlayStation VR’s external processor.

The unit is actually quite small and also has a small power supply, that is included in the development kit, a 12v unit rated for three amps.

The external processor will be found between the headset and the PS4.

The unit has these inputs: a power input, HDMI input and output, for the ‘social screen’ functionality, and also includes a USB port that connects to the PS4.

At the front of the unit you can find dual outputs that lead to the PlayStation VR headset itself.

Polygon revealed that the unit looks a lot like the image that was tweeted below from VR Focus.

#PlayStationVR cable features power, volume, mic controls, first images revealed: https://t.co/bMT3PCykef pic.twitter.com/7wzvQxAlzB

— VRFocus (@VRFocus) December 5, 2015

 

The only specification that has changed from the first reveal of the PlayStation VR is the refresh rate of the HMD’s display.

Sony is now using a full 120Hz OLED panel, with the assumption that the PS4 will output 1080p120 (on native refresh software).

So what exactly is the external processor doing?

One of its functions is to create the social screen via the HDMI output, which allows gameplay to display on an HDTV for other people to watch and participate in.

Eurogamer says:

The initial breakout box we saw took the warped output produced by VR, zeroed in on one eye view and then stretched the image back into shape. This produced the effect of higher resolution in the centre of the social screen image, with progressively lower resolution on the edges. We have to wonder if the second-gen development box does something a little more advanced.

Take a look at all those outputs! Image courtesy of Eurogamer.

By including 120Hz, Sony has implemented asynchronous time-warp. This allows 60fps games to be frame-rate upscaled to the new native refresh rate.

The image you see will also be warped based on the latest motion data coming from the headset itself.

Async time-warp is excellent because it helps reduce potential nausea issues by making sure that visual response to HMD movement is as quick as possible.

We think that at this point in time, the external processor should have a reasonable amount of processing power.

This is plausible because the actual hardware is being actively cooled, and the CPU inside the unit must then have high needs for heat dissipation.

The external processor’s fan is situated at the rear of the box and measures around 25mm in diameter.

However, with that said, we shouldn’t expect miracles from the external processor.

The reality is that the core graphics rendering all still takes place within the PS4 itself .

But if some of the computationally heavy latency-sensitive tasks can in some way be offloaded to the external box a better experience should be guaranteed.

We can’t help but wonder how much the PlayStation VR will be now with all these additions as the build costs must certainly be increasing.

Share your thoughts with us in the comments and forum below.

Source: Polygon, Eurogamer

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