Can I use a USB webcam on PS5?
Best answer: No. Sony’s PS5 does not provide support for standard USB webcams. Instead, you’ll have to either use the PS4’s camera or Sony’s latest HD Camera for the PS5 if you want to be seen.
Using other webcams for your PS5
One of the biggest problems with the PS4 was Sony’s insistence on using so many of its own proprietary accessories. Unfortunately, things didn’t change much when it came to its latest console. The PS5 still requires most of its streaming and displaying to be done with its own products — and that includes its webcam accessory.
While it might rub some the wrong way, the good news is that the PS5 HD Camera does offer a ton of nice qualities that will benefit anyone looking to stream with it. The camera is able to output in 1080p quality, putting it up there with many of the higher-end streaming webcams on the market. Better yet, because it’s in Sony’s ecosystem of products, it’s able to pair seamlessly with the PS5, including its picture-in-picture mode while streaming. At $60 (with some on sale for even less now), it’s not too bad of an option, either. It comes in at cheaper than a lot of other high-end webcams.
Despite working well with the PS5 and seemingly being required to own for future streaming, the PS5’s HD Camera does have some downsides. The biggest one, by far, is that it isn’t compatible with PSVR. Instead, PSVR owners will have to grab an adapter (which is thankfully free for PSVR owners) to use the new camera with it, which isn’t too hard but is a bit of an annoying step to have to go through.
Do you need PS5’s HD Camera?
If you’re brand new to streaming and don’t have any of Sony’s previous accessories, the PS5 HD Camera is a solid purchase. Not only does it allow for streaming in high quality, but it also comes packaged with an adjustable stand so you can set it up anywhere.
However, if you already own the PS4’s camera or have no intentions to stream, then you’re better off just waiting to see if another, better camera comes out sometime down the line. The PS5 HD Camera simply isn’t a big enough upgrade to justify buying at this point, especially for PSVR owners that can’t use it with the old headset. Maybe when the PS VR2 comes out, that will change.
Unfortunately, if you don’t already own one, then you might be out of luck. Finding the PS4 camera is much harder now thanks to how old it is. Thanks to the newer PS5 HD Camera, it’s unlikely it’ll become more available.
Potential future-proofing
The PS5 HD Camera is of good quality, so if you don’t already have a camera and you’re looking to get into streaming, this is a pretty decent way of doing so. Just remember you can’t use it with your PSVR headset.
