Sony's PSVR 2 teardown reveals how the headset tracks the Sense controller – feb,2023

Under the Sense controller cover, there’s a ring of 14 IR LEDs near the controller and three more to keep an eye on, as shown in the Sense teardown video. “These infrared lights are used by the VR headset’s tracking camera to detect the position and orientation of the controller,” Sony’s Takeshi Igarashi, who also designed the DualSense controller, explains in the video. “The LEDs are placed in optimal locations to ensure that they look bright no matter the direction the controller faces.” And the covers on the controllers are also made with a material that “transmits infrared light emitted internally to track the controller’s movement,” he says.

The Sense teardown video also shows off the five capacitive touch sensors on the controller, a look at the Adaptive Trigger component (which works on the DualSense), and an embossed PlayStation button icon on the controller.

And for the headset itself, that teardown is excellent too; I love seeing Takamasa Araki, the lead designer of the PSVR2 (and the first PSVR!), skillfully separate the front of both the headset and the headband. I recommend scrubbing in after 6:07 or so, where you can see what the inside of the headset looks like when you turn the lens adjustment dial. Oh, and the headset’s tracking feature? As shown by Araki, there is an IR LED around each lens and an IR camera that captures the light from the LEDs, and they work together to follow your eye movements. Super cool.

I really recommend you check out both the headset and controller teardowns, they are fascinating. However, Sony warns that you shouldn’t attempt the teardown yourself, noting that taking apart your hardware will void the warranty.