The PlayStation VR2 will mostly be powered by the PlayStation 5 console when it launches next year, but chipset company MediaTek has now confirmed that it will provide the chips that control and coordinate the virtual reality headset and its controllers.

MediaTek corporate vice president Vincent Hu announced the unexpected news at the company’s annual Executive Summit in Sonoma, California, marking a major move into the VR space for MediaTek.

Unlike rival headsets including the Meta Quest 2, the second-gen PlayStation VR isn’t standalone, and instead requires the PlayStation 5 to power games and other experiences over a wired connection.

That means the custom MediaTek system-on-chip (SoC) in the headset won’t directly run games, but instead will control the PS VR2’s display, along with micro-controllers in each of the included Sense controllers to coordinate communication with the wireless gamepads.

MediaTek wouldn’t name the chips it’s using in the hardware, though Hu said these were “done on a custom,” for Sony.

It’s a coup for MediaTek, which hasn’t yet made major inroads in the VR and XR industry. Rival chipset company Qualcomm has been pushing its Snapdragon XR chips to power virtual and mixed reality headsets for some time, but with the PS VR2 poised to become a major force in the market – at least when it comes to gaming – this announcement is a statement of intent from MediaTek.

The company has been steadily building its chip business in major consumer hardware elsewhere too. Earlier this week it announced the Dimensity 9200, a flagship phone chip designed to compete with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – itself set to be announced by Qualcomm next week.

The PS VR2 headset launches next February for $549/£529, though pre-orders for the headset begin next week on 15 November.