PSVR 2 Adds New Hand-Tracking Game as Developers Explore Feature Further

When hand-tracking support was integrated into PSVR 2 last December, it opened new avenues for gamers, enabling developers to utilize the headset’s built-in tracking cameras for gameplay without controllers. One of the standout experiences in this sphere has been casting magic with just your hands, offering a deeply engaging and immersive interaction.

Enter the exciting hand-tracking update for “Masters of Light (2024)” on PSVR 2, courtesy of developers COVEN and ALBYON. This update allows players to unleash powerful beams of light, conjure magical shields, and manipulate energy to fend off formidable dark celestial foes.

Game director and COVEN co-founder, Celine Tricart, expressed her enthusiasm in a PlayStation blog post, explaining that the precise movements of your wrist translate seamlessly into spellcasting. This innovation elevates battles to be more intuitive, immersive, and thrilling than ever before.

Though achieving feature parity with the Quest’s version—which launched on Quest 2 and subsequent editions last May—sounds straightforward, it wasn’t as simple as flipping a switch. Tricart described this accomplishment as “an incredible challenge, but also a dream come true.”

Acknowledgement for bringing hand-tracking to the PSVR 2 version of “Masters of Light” goes to the adept porting team at VR Monkey. Known for a portfolio that includes “Into the Radius,” “Ghosts of Tabor,” “Vendetta Forever,” and “Synth Riders,” they took on this task. It took two and a half months to get it right, largely because Unity, commonly used for game development, lacks direct support for PSVR 2’s hand-tracking. This gap meant VR Monkey had to develop their own plugin, which likely explains the scarcity of hand-tracked games on PSVR 2.

Currently, “Masters of Light” is one of only two hand-tracked games available on PSVR 2. The other is Aldin Dynamics’ “Waltz of the Wizard,” which embraced hand-tracking capabilities for its spell-casting adventures earlier this year in February. We’re still waiting to see if more studios will embark on this path.

Meanwhile, if you’re keen to dive into “Masters of Light,” it’s up for grabs on the PlayStation Store for PSVR 2 and on the Horizon Store for Quest 2 and higher, priced at $20. PC VR enthusiasts can anticipate its arrival on Steam soon, where you can currently add it to your wishlist.