• Sony Reveals Project Morpheus, a Virtual Reality Headset for the PlayStation 4

    by
    Akshay Masand
    Published on 2014-03-19 03:03 PM
    2 Comments Comments


    At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Sony recently unveiled Project Morpheus, which is the Japanese electronics giant’s highly anticipated entrance into virtual reality hardware. Shown off in prototype form, Sony’s futuristic head-mounted display represents the first real stab at virtual reality immersion from a mainstream first-party console maker according to the folks over at The Verge. President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida had the following to say regarding the matter:

    VR has been a dream of many gamers since the computer was invented. Many of us at PlayStation have dreamed of VR and what it could mean to the gaming community.
    For those of you who didn’t know, the Morpheus system relies heavily on current-gen technology including external hardware such as Sony’s PlayStation Move and PlayStation Camera. By taking advantage of the existing PlayStation ecosystem, Morpheus can track both player movement and head orientation to reproduce realistic visual feedback. In addition, “3D audio technology” re-creates stereoscopic sounds and changes orientation in real-time. The system brings an extra element of freedom by allowing players to simultaneously use DualShock 4 and PlayStation Move controllers.

    Although Sony claims the final version of Morpheus will support 360 degrees of control, the headset shown off recently is tethered to a host machine by an HDMI and USB cable bundle. Sony said it hopes to make the device wireless before going to market.

    Inside the headset is a 5-inch 1080p screen with a 90-degree field of view and a host of accelerometers and gyroscopes. As the developer kit unit on display was a prototype, the weight remains unknown but Sony claims the finalized design won’t be uncomfortable to wear.

    Aside from gaming, Morpheus could represent a step toward the wider adoption fo VR systems in general. Not to say there haven’t been VR analogs in the past, but a truly responsive head-mounted device with serious developer support has yet to hit the market.

    The Oculus VR rekindled gaming’s virtual reality ambitions with the Oculus Rift, a head-mounted device that can be considered a direct competitor to Sony’s Morpheus. Since its debut on Kickstarter in 2012, the Rift has generated a significant amount of buzz within the gaming industry and beyond, enough to net the startup nearly $100 million in venture capital financing. Despite developer support and the subsequent debut of an updated prototype dubbed Crystal Cove, Oculus VR has yet to announce a firm release date for the Rift. Current expectations put a launch of sometime in late 2014 or early 2015.

    Apple too has shown interest in virtual reality and went as far as patenting a number of inventions covering optics, design and accessories. The company also owns properties dealing with head tracking and augmented reality though real-world solutions are unlikely to materialize anytime soon.

    We’ll have to wait and see but it’s exciting to know that such technology is being worked on for a not-so distant release.

    Source: Sony (PDF) via The Verge
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Sony Reveals Project Morpheus, a Virtual Reality Headset for the PlayStation 4 started by Akshay Masand View original post
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    Comments 2 Comments
    1. CZroe's Avatar
      CZroe - 2014-03-19, 04:42 PM
      Does this look a little like Sega's VR headset that was never released? All it did for Sega was keep people interested in their inferior console, but I think consumer technology has reached to point where this one will actually see the light of day. Even as a long-time PC gamer, I think VR is a better fit in the living room than at a PC desk. I very well may end up with a PS4.
    1. PokemonDesigner's Avatar
      PokemonDesigner - 2014-03-19, 06:28 PM
      VR will make it to light one day. But that day is not yet here. This will crash and burn much like the Virtual Boy did, just for different reasons. And I'm not saying VR won't be soon, just not yet. I'm extremely excited to see how this ends up because I do plan on purchasing a ps4 to add to my collection next year as the Wii U comes first (only cause of smash bros). If this sees the light of say I will wait for it to be in some form of bundle as I don't care much for ps4 as I have no friends on ps.

      Edit: I just realized how hypocritical that sounded. I feel this will crash and burn but if it stays afloat just barely (like the Wii U) then I will give it a shot since I already have plans on getting a ps4. But as of now I'm enjoying my xbox one as well as all my vintage consoles.

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