Sony's PlayStation VR headset will come with a breakout box to aid in the heavy processing required for virtual reality.

According to a talk by Sony's Ram Madhavan on PSVR software development at the Unite 2015 developer conference, the box does "most of the heavy lifting" for VR-specific graphics and audio processing.

Internally referred to as the PU, for Processing Unit, the box will help the PS4 push out low-latency images and generate 3D binaural audio.

Such a unit would help to bridge the gap between the PS4's locked hardware and the higher-end PCs on which headsets like the Oculus Rift will run.

PlayStation VR is set to launch in the first half of 2016, with over fifty games confirmed for the platform as of publication time.