The Impact of Foveated Rendering on PSVR 2
The Impact of Foveated Rendering on PSVR 2 - Game Is Hard
gameishard.gg
Foveated rendering has revolutionized the visual experience of the Playstation VR 2 (PSVR 2) headset, as demonstrated by the recent implementation in No Man’s Sky. Prior to the integration of foveated rendering, the VR version of the game was plagued by blurriness and a lack of clarity. However, with this new rendering technique, the planets, creatures, spaceships, and buildings in No Man’s Sky now appear sharp and majestic, transforming it into a standout title for the PSVR 2.
To understand how foveated rendering works, internal cameras track the user’s eye movement and focus on the “foveal” area of the sharpest vision. This area is then rendered at a higher resolution, while the periphery is rendered at lower details. This optimization saves rendering power and significantly enhances the visual quality of the game. Users may not even notice the behind-the-scenes tricks employed by foveated rendering.
Implementing foveated rendering is no easy feat, which explains why not all PSVR 2 games utilize this technology. Martin Griffiths, an engine programmer, revealed that it took him four months to integrate foveated rendering into No Man’s Sky’s custom graphics engine. On Twitter, Griffiths shared images illustrating how the GPU renders the game world using foveated rendering. The images demonstrate highly distorted views, depending on where the user’s focus is directed, highlighting the details.
Foveated rendering is not exclusive to No Man’s Sky. Other games, such as Resident Evil 7, Horizon Call of the Mountain, Gran Turismo 7, and various indie titles, also reap the benefits of this rendering technology on the PSVR 2. It is worth noting that Playstation VR 2 is the first consumer VR headset to support foveated rendering, enabling high-resolution and smooth-framed gaming experiences.
While foveated rendering has proven to be a game-changer for PSVR 2, its implementation on standalone headsets, such as the Quest Pro, is not as impactful due to the limited computing resources of mobile chips. Nevertheless, foveated rendering presents a promising future for VR technology, unlocking detailed and expansive virtual worlds for users to explore.
