While it wasn’t a surprise to see Sony strap on its rumoured virtual reality headset during the company’s GDC keynote overnight, it perhaps was a shock to see just how hard the organisation’s banking on the device. During its presentation, the platform holder was keen to stress that Project Morpheus is not merely an accessory, but a pivotal part of the brand’s future.
Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida reinforced this point in a PlayStation Blog post published overnight, in which he noted that the Oculus Rift-esque add-on will “shape the future of games”. For those out of the loop, the unit uses a combination of PlayStation Move tracking technology and a head-mounted display to put you inside supported games.
“I have long dreamed about virtual reality and the possibilities that it brings in regards to game development,” explained the affable executive. “This new technology will deliver a sense of presence, where you as the player actually feel like you’re inside the game and your emotions feel that much more real.”
The platform holder’s been working on the unit for over three years now, with experimentation starting earnestly around the same time as its PlayStation Move project got underway. The current prototype will double as the first development kit, though the manufacturer has stressed that specifications are subject to change.
Still, the question marks regarding price and practicality remain. Do you think that virtual reality has the potential to shape the future of games, and does the Japanese giant have the clout to usurp primary competitor Oculus Rift in the space? Take a look around you in the comments section below.
[source blog.eu.playstation.com, via vg247.com]
Comments 8
I'm liking the idea of this. I'll have to see more about it, maybe a demonstration will sell me on it.
I can only imagine how well this would sell in Japan if marketed alongside a Sword Art Online game.
I do think VR will be the future of gaming, I just don't know whether the "future" is 5 years out or 15 years out. I think the VR headset was a great future idea back when people had 25" tv screens, but now that we have 60" tvs and 110" projectors, hooked up to 7.1 surround sound, I think people would rather just stand up in their living room w/ a light weight Move camera tracker ball on their head than a heavy headset. Though aain, kid sgrowingup spenin gtheir lives on smartphones might like the idea of being locked away in a headset. Probably while on drugs. Not that there's anything wrong w/ that.
Two words, no more 'split screen' a new era for co op... Will it support VR nooky like in Demolition Man? Rockstar Games will be right on it i guess.
Again i really love the look of it it looks like something from Tron or something DaftPunk would wear anyway this has a lot of potential i just hope Sony & third-parties dev's support it
Its not competing with the Oculus, since neither of them will be useable (officially) on the same hardware. Instead I think they will compliment each other. Developers looking to add support for one or the other, but worried that the niche market won't be worth the investment, will now hit two niche markets with the same stone (of won't be long before middleware abstracts both APIs into a generic SDK as they did for Kinect and PlayStation Camera), likely making it more of a viable investment.
Honestly I am not impressed. If this is the future of gaming well lets just say I will be holding on to my older consoles.
This accessory would go beautifully with mobile gaming when it takes over consoles in a generation or two (if my research is correct). My smartphone syncing up to a VR headset--shut up and, well, 'nuff said.
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