PSVR 2 authentication on PC was cracked, but don't cheer too soon
A team of specialists wants to make Playstation VR 2 PC compatible. Now another small hurdle has been taken.
The group called iVRy developed a driver that allows the first Playstation VR to be used on a PC. Since the launch of Playstation VR 2, the team has been trying to do the same with Sony's new VR headset.
Whether they will succeed is unclear. The group says that Playstation VR 2 is "a lot more complex" and that the success of the project is far from certain, and even then, it could take years.
PSVR 2 now "trusts" a PC
One can follow the progress of the project on Twitter.
On April 19th, iVRy wrote that PSVR 2 is "heavily locked down". Before it could be used, it would require authentication between PSVR 2 and PS5. Cracking this would require "extensive reverse engineering".
On May 6, iVRy posted an image on Twitter to prove that the hardware authentication had been cracked.
"Day #68 of working on PSVR2: - Can pass authentication on PC. This means the PSVR2 thinks we're a PS5 and trusts us. We can continue with the real work now."
— iVRy (@iVRy_VR) May 6, 2023
Two days later, iVRy curtails expectations: The successful authentication "doesn't change anything, PSVR2 will not go into VR mode". So far, it's only possible to use the PSVR 2 as a simple PC monitor.
"We think there is a 'VR ready' state that the headset has to reach. We thought that authentication would get it to that state, now we don't even know what to think," iVRy states on Twitter.
Just one of many hurdles
This is by no means the only problem that needs to be solved, though.
To use Playstation VR 2 on a PC, you'll need a GPU with a VirtualLink port or a special adapter, which doesn't even exist yet and would have to be developed by another team. Other major hurdles include drivers for the Sense controllers and Sony's inside-out tracking system, which would require a custom solution.
You can see that: It will probably be years before PSVR 2 runs on PCs - if ever.
The good news regarding PC hardware authentication is that iVRy does not believe Sony will block it with a firmware update, as the company would have to fundamentally rewrite the authentication of the accessories, according to iVRy.
"Sony will ignore anything like this if it doesn't threaten their business and come down like a pile of bricks on anything that does. If we're lucky, they will continue to ignore us (as they did for PSVR1)."
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