Meet the PlayStation Vita VR headset designed by Beatshapers

Did you happen to buy a PlayStation Vita handheld gaming system when it launched back in the dying days of 2011 to realise that it’s not really all that fun? Well, things are looking up for you and your bad purchasing decisions.

Ukranian stalwart gaming developer Beatshapers, has created a rather canny contraption which it has duly called the PlayStation Vita VR headset. And yes, it’s as cool as it sounds.

Although Sony’s frantically developing its Project Morpheus VR headset behind the scenes, some people just can’t wait for the company to out it. So, the next best thing was strapping a Vita to one’s head.

It turns out that the Vita’s rather good at this VR thing too. In an exclusive, Push Square spoke to Beatshapers founder, Alexey Menshikov, about the experiment and how the idea arose.

Reading an article about mobile VR, Menshikov had a bit of a brainwave.

In that moment, my eyes rested upon the Vita nestled on my desk – and a light bulb went off. With duct tape, scissors, and a bit of black magic, we made a Vita VR headset.

Duct tape. How far technology has come.

Nevertheless, the device is rather utilitarian but quite ingenious. Using the Vita’s gyroscope helps tracking the head movements as well. We’re not quite sure if those Vita buttons are completely useless though, but we’re going to go with “probably.”

But this little project is brilliant for two reasons: firstly, it reveals how excited people in the industry is and the world is about VR and, secondly, we’ve finally found a good use for the previously useless Vita.

Feature image: Push Square/Beatshapers