PlayStation VR can be used with the Xbox One and Wii U (sort of)

The new virtual reality headset will support input from any HDMI source

Sony's entry to the virtual reality market is on shelves now, but it turns out it isn't just the PS4 that benefits from the new hardware - Xbox One and Wii U also have some compatibility with the headset.

Well, sort of.

Due to the way the new Sony kit works, there's a fringe benefit that means it has some fun bonus features that currently have universal application.

As highlighted in our review of PlayStation VR, one of the coolest - but strangely, lowest billed - features is the ability to use the headset to view a huge virtual flatscreen. In Sony's case, this is so you can watch Blu-ray or streamed movies, or play non-VR PS4 games, all on a cinema-scale screen without needing to buy a TV bigger than your wall.

The headset does this thanks to the processor box, the intermediary device that emits 3D audio and generates what Sony calls the "social screen". The box has an HDMI-in port, which you'd normally use to run the cable from the PS4 into, and outputs two signals - one to your TV screen, another to the headset.

However, because HDMI is a non-proprietary industry standard, if you plug something else into that HDMI-in port, it still send the video feed back to the headset - be it from an Xbox One, Wii U, a PC, or any other device that supports HDMI-out.

The result is the ability to play other format games on a colossal display inside the Sony headset. Japanese Twitter users are currently having fun with the trick, with Wii U hit Splatoon seeming a popular choice to show off.

We must stress, this doesn't mean you can play other formats' games in VR - the headset is only displaying a video screen, albeit one at massive scale. You could even use it for such mundane tricks as working on your computer's regular desktop screen.

There is a genuine application of this too - it could put to rest arguments over who gets to use the TV screen. As the output remains entirely within the PlayStation VR, one person could play or watch something in virtual space, while another uses the physical screen.

This does come with a hitch though. There's no real way to recentre the view of the screen. If you're playing a Sony game, holding down the Options button in the DualShock 4 controller re-orients your view based on your head's position, but when another device is connected, this doesn't work. Kotaku notes that taking the headset off can force a reset, though.

Whether Sony will allow this 'feature' to persist or patches it remains to be seen, but for now at least, it's a nice side feature for the headset.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK