Sony Computer Entertainment has just lifted the lid on brand new hardware at GDC 2014 in San Francisco: its own virtual reality headset for PlayStation 4, codenamed Project Morpheus.
Hosted by President of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida and Senior Director of R&D Richard Marks, the conference, which is still ongoing, is one that gamers and tech-heads the world over have been looking forward to for some time.
Thought to have been in the works since around 2011, there were rumours that Sony would announce a virtual reality headset of its own at trade shows last year, but the company remained tight-lipped. Last week, however, an unnamed industry insider reportedly told TechRadar that Sony’s new hardware was a true challenger to Oculus Rift, and that “people will definitely be impressed with what Sony’s built.”
Could it really be true? Is Sony about to bring VR to the masses via its PlayStation brand? Yes, indeed it is. Sony’s own VR headset not only exists, but it’s ready for developers to start playing with.
After joking that “You have no idea what we’re going to talk about,” Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida took a moment to discuss the on the growth of the video game industry and listed a number of new technologies that we have seen along the way, from different controller types to CDs and motion-sensing cameras. He then stated that virtual reality was “the next innovation” for PlayStation, adding that “VR has been a dream of many game creators since the computer game was invented. Many of us at PlayStation [have] dreamed about VR…”
Moments later, wearing a huge smile, the president unveiled the current prototype, a futuristic collection of black, white and grey plastic that glows blue like Sony’s PlayStation 4 controllers.
Project Morpheus
Shortly after, Senior Director of R&D Richard Marks took the the stage to talk a little more about hardware specifics and virtual reality in general. It seems that Project Morpheus will work alongside existing PlayStation 4 technology, making full use of the DualShock 4 controller’s light bar and PlayStation Camera and that the unit will only work with PS4 “for now”.
▼ We knew they were up to something with that light bar…
The current unit, Marks says, boasts a 1080p display, and a viewing angle of 90 degrees, though improvements will likely be made as the hardware continues to be worked on. Demo units will also be available to try at GDC for the duration of the conference – those lucky devils!
Well we’re definitely excited, but does virtual reality sound like something you’d be interested in? Let us know in the comments!
Source and conference photo: IGN Conference live feed
Featured image via Gamespark JP