Sony Announces VR Headset: Project Morpheus

Sony took to the stage at GDC this morning to announce the announcement nobody could see coming: a VR headset. Dubbed Project Morpheus, the device has all the bells and whistles you’d expect, and although price has yet to be announced, you ought to start saving now if the list of features is anything to go by. With that said, it’ll only be available on the PlayStation 4, so if you don’t have Sony’s new-gen machine, you’ll need to save even more.

Not that you’ll struggle to put the money together between now and release. Project Morpheus is quite a way out yet, evidenced by the complete lack of a release date or price. On top of that, the specifications announced aren’t representative of the final product, so you should see this as an announcement of an idea, as opposed to a ready-to-use product.

Using the PlayStation Move and PlayStation Camera, Project Morpheus apparently features unparalleled virtual reality technology. by tracking you head and offering a 3D picture and sound, you can feel like you’re in the game. The panel resolution is 1920×RGB×1080 and the set boasts a 90 degrees FOV. 

The tech isn’t really important though, but more what people are doing with it. The most recognisable title on display was Square Enix’s Thief, which has been given a special makeover for Morpheus. On top of that, there’s also an underwater exploration app by Studio London called The Deep, and there was also the announcement of a Mars roaming title in association with NASA. Games aren’t quite at the point where you’ll be ready to rush out and buy one on the day it’s released, but it’s early days. There’s still an awful lot we need to know.

The Japanese electronics company are also looking to pre-empt a problem nobody knew existed. Sony’s Morpheus, or rather the PS4, is capable of an asynchronous multiplayer mode, to combat the loneliness of VR. You can sit and play with the headset on, while someone else watches and influences your play via the main TV screen. An interesting idea, but we’ve seen with the Wii U that you should never presume features like this will appeal to developers.

Still, it’s nice to know that Project Morpheus is now out in the open, and that there’ll be initial thoughts on it in the upcoming week. Sony have put their cards on the table, and hopefully it won’t be too long before we know what sort of hand those cards make up.