The PlayStation 5 is getting a new VR system, and Sony just showed off hardware for the first time - take a look

• Sony is making a new virtual reality headset for the PlayStation 5.
• We got a first look at the new system on Thursday, with the reveal of new VR-specific controllers.
• It's the successor to the PlayStation VR headset for the PlayStation 4, which launched in 2016.

Sony's wildly popular PlayStation 5 is getting yet another new style of gamepad, the company announced on Thursday.

The unnamed new controller is specifically intended for use with a new PlayStation 5 VR headset, which will act as the successor to the PlayStation 4 VR headset.

Like the DualSense controller that comes with the PlayStation 5, the new VR controller uses haptic feedback and "adaptive" triggers which are able to push back on your inputs.

"Each VR controller (Left and Right) includes an adaptive trigger button that adds palpable tension when pressed, similar to what's found in the DualSense controller," PlayStation Platform Planning and Management senior VP Hideaki Nishino said in a blog post. "If you've played a PS5 game, you'll be familiar with the tension in the L2 or R2 buttons when you press them, such as when you're drawing your bow to fire an arrow."

The design of the controller is, notably, a major departure from previous PlayStation gamepad designs.

The controllers encircle your hands, and split up the button layout and analog stick configuration that PlayStation players are accustomed to using. On each controller, there are two face buttons, one analog stick, and one trigger. Rather than including a trigger and a shoulder button, like a traditional PlayStation gamepad, the new VR controller swaps the shoulder button for a "grip" button.

"The 'grip' button can be used to pick up in-game objects," Nishino offered as an example.

Notably, this can be used in conjunction with another new feature of the gamepad: The controller sees where your fingers are without any player input.

"The controller can detect your fingers without any pressing in the areas where you place your thumb, index, or middle fingers," Nishino said. "This enables you to make more natural gestures with your hands during gameplay." Similar functionality already exists in other VR gamepads, such as the controllers sold by Facebook's Oculus division.

Sony has yet to debut the look of the new VR headset that these controllers are intended to be used with, but the company has said that it won't be up for sale until at least next year.

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