Greetings from GDC 2014! Earlier this evening, I had the pleasure to introduce Project Morpheus, SCE’s prototype virtual reality (VR) system that works with PS4. Virtual reality is the next innovation from SCE that we believe will shape the future of games.
I have long dreamed about VR and the possibilities it brings in regards to game development. 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.
Our current prototype for Project Morpheus features a head mounted display with 1080p resolution and a 90 degree field of view. Accelerometer and gyroscope sensors built into the head mounted unit as well as PlayStation Camera accurately tracks head orientation and movement, so as your head rotates, the image of the virtual world rotates intuitively in real-time. Project Morpheus also features our new 3D audio technology that re-creates stereoscopic sounds in all directions and changes in real-time depending on your head orientation. In addition to PlayStation Camera, Project Morpheus works with DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller and PlayStation Move to deliver an easy-to-use, plug-and-play VR experience.
The prototype for Project Morpheus is the culmination of our work over the last 3+ years as we’ve refined our vision for VR. This prototype will serve as the first development kit for PS4 developers that are as enthusiastic about this new medium as we are.
At GDC 2014 this week, attendees will be able to check out Project Morpheus in action at the SCEA booth through a handful of technology demos.
Very cool. The .Hack fan in me is excited!
Just hoping for a reasonable price.
Yoshida-san, if you’re reading this, please remove the 100 icon limit on the Vita so I can buy more games on my 64GB card! Or make icons in folders not count towards the 100 icon limit like they do now. THANK YOU! I will buy Morpheus day one if you can do this! :)
Will it be have VR game as Sword Art Online Anime
I hope they making VR games like Sword Art Online Anime
Awesome!
Although I support this tech I don’t think this is the future Sony. The Virtual reality direction is good but the tech is going to be outdated soon. I have an idea but unfortunately I am not the financial powerhouse that Sony is and never will beso I will share it do what you will.
You need to couple digital contact lenses with tracking technology.
http://innovega-inc.com/new-architecture.php
Those coupled with Sony’s tracking and other tech would be a better way to go.
Also if you coupled those with glasses with electrodes that attached to the base of the skull for mind wave input the possibilities are endless.
Enjoy the tip.
AWESOME. Really looking forward to this. Just hope it wont turn out like the virtual boy. :/
I like it
This is why i like sony. They see what is popular and they go for it. But they dont force their innovations on you. Microsoft is like, “Your console wont work without it so youre going to use this piece of crap kinect wether you want to or not!” So thank you Shu Yoshida.
This may be a really stupid question, but I’m assuming content will be in actual 3D and not just a “big screen” replacement that you put on your head?
Hello Shuhei Yoshida , I’m a big fan of Sony I want work in Sony one day and follow in the founders and your footsteps if possible hopefully one day when I’m grown and I work in Sony I will meet you even if it’s only a glimpse it will definitely be worth it to a lifetime to working for Sony and then maybe even venturing off and creating a company that I will name Slayer co. or studios but that is all I can reveal because that’s classified just like the final product of Project Morpheus and good comparison to Morpheus god of dreams I guess you’re into Greek Mythology just like I am but anyone thanks for being you and breaking new ground in the gaming universe I really do appreciate it Sony’s and your greatest fan.
– Anfornee Nichols
I like the idea that I am able to be in the game instead watching it. xbox has a lot of catching up to do X)
This is an exciting announcement, but it’s hard to imagine we’ll see it in market any time soon.
I really want to jump on the excitement bandwagon, but what are the plans for giving developers incentive to program for this device? It has so much potential, but it also has so much potential to flop without the software to back it up. Just look at the move support on PS3 and the Vita and you’ll see without the software these gadgets are nothing more than that – gadgets
This would be great paired with God of War! Could you imagine fighting against a giant Titan boss in VR??
I say it’s gonna be between $150-$200.I would say higher but it can be more than the PS4 it’s self?
Thank You SCE i love you for ever <3
I’m a techie. I always love new technology.
But…I also have neurological disorders that can cause problems with technologies like this.
Has this been tested with users that have or suffer from seizures and/or migraines? If not, would you take a voluntary test subject that has documented (non-photosensitive) seizures and migraines?
$199 Please! Looks sweet! I hope it releases soon.
I would totally test one of these out in it’s final stages of development. Alas, I know that’s not really a possibility. Still, a gamer can dream right? :) #PlayStationNation #Morpheus
Hey Shu,
How about instead of giving us the “feel” of being in a game, you give us the feeling of getting games? This add on will be nothing more then an overpriced headset that will be lightly supported much like how other Playstation accessories tend to be (Move, Pocketstation, PSP, Vita) and it will carry with it a huge price tag. Has Sony not learned from the failure of 3D? Im sorry, nice concept drawings but once again, i am completely disinterested. Release More Playstation 4 games, make that your priority.
I like this, I look forward to the final project. I hope Sony decides to use this for more then gaming. If at all possible I think this would be a great tool for those in hospitals or those with limited movement to move experience life in a way that other wise can’t virtually. Do you think Sony would support ideas like this or is it going be limited to just gaming?
I’m really looking forward to this new gaming peripheral. My question is Will it work for any PlayStation 4 game or is it limited to a certain few. Because lets be honest, if its only for FPS then it’s not for me. I would love to see it implemented for RPG’s
I think it would be interesting for you to see this news in Persian.
http://www.ps4store.ir/سونی-از-عینک-واقعیت-افزوده-در-gdc-2014-پرده-بر/
Many Iranian are waiting for this
My wallet is gonna be sooo empty after I buy this.
I remember back in the day when I got to try the first virtual helmet as a kid. It was very cool, but still lacked something. Then the Matrix came out and virtual reality was REALLY cool. But you couldn’t experience it, only perceive it. Now Project Morpheus is coming, and I’m FLIPPING OUT over how cool it looks. Very much looking forwards to experiencing playing with it after my graduation this summer.
For those taking shots at the Oculus Rift, you should realize if it weren’t for the creator of that believing so much in his product that he was able to get the attention of big industry insiders involved then Sony probably wouldn’t have developed this.
I believe Sony owes a debt of gratitude to the Rift for making people realize how cool VR can be when done right.
Anyway, I don’t think this will hurt the Rift. In fact I think quite the opposite. They will help each other by improving on the technology as well as helping the developers fine tune their VR craft.
I was scared because Microsoft had the illumiroom (which looks super cool BTW) and was going to be the only platform pushing innovative new tech, much like the Wii did last gen, but this looks cool and the guys from the Beyond podcast had nothing bad to say about Oculus Rift (Even Colin Moriarty).
Looks like I’m a be the next Kirito from Sword Art Online lol.
If there’s one thing that I absolutely beg of you is to have an adequately wide field of view for Project Morpheus. You’re currently competing against a crowd-funded VR headset that has a FoV of 90 degrees and a homebrew VR headset with a FoV of 210. If you can exceed at least 120 degrees (or more), it will greatly benefit immersion, and easily put you into the competitive market for VR.
I’m looking forward to seeing this project take shape and grow, as well as purchasing the final consumer version when it’s released. Good luck, and please do consider my plea for a better experience.
illumiroom is useless and so pricey technology. I prefer this way
DrkSyde approves.
Looks pretty great! I hope that price isn’t very high!
The design is awesome, as we expect from Sony, Would like it even better if there’s a glowing blue light accent on the head band IMO ^^
soooo, preorder?
Mr. Yoshida I have to bring this up because I dont think anyone has mettioned this to you. I cant wait for this and am likely going to buy this product but i need to tell you somthing. if you microsoft, nintendo, and oculus rift all decide to do this then you need to make sure of one thing. all of you guys need to create and use the same engine across all platforms for this device because if you dont then this whole thing will be a flop. devlopers wont want to code for 3, 4, or even five diffrent engines. theyll just say screw it. it will cost them to much and it will take way to much time to do. You have to remeber this because if you dont and everyone starts coming out with vr headsets like microsoft and nintendo devlopers wont want anything to do with it if they are all on seperat engines.
So my one peice of advice just coming from a person who loves your company and products is that if microsft and nintendo come out with a vr headset please work with them to try to all use the same engine so devlopers can make more content for these devices. if you dont and they all run diffrent engins itll be to costly and will take up to much of their time and resources and if this happens we wont have any amazing content being created for these vr headsets because devlopers will just say who cares ill just make the game normal way on a tv to be played and viewed.
i hope its around $300 or $400 range.
i dont think anyone will buy it if it costs more.
This is like an early Christmas gift :):):)
The best new product ever. You guys make our geeky dreams come true. And like every time you on the edge of technology. Please keen moving and improving. We will buy it ASAP.
Cant wait for the release.
The Oculus Rift ‘Crystal Cove’ prototype is 100% better… :D I’m guessing they are trying to copy the idea from them but the Oculus Rift has a 110° field of view and they just discovered that how to make the graphics of these headsets even better by tricking the brain. There new proto type you can even look around corners or off ledges and you actually connect to and feel as if you are in the game. I hope Sony’s Morpheus VR headset will some what compare when all of Theas VR headsets reach the market.
It sounds great. I hope it turns out well. VR was something I was really excited about as a kid.
looks very interesting but depends on price tag
i hope this is something that change the gaming industry! VR is hard to do so I hope this is the future of gaming! p.s. playstation needs to start dropping exclusives!!!
im interested in seeing how this compares to the oculus rift if one is better than the other or will they be on pare with each other either way i cannot wait to test this out
Shut up and take my money!
I look forward to more info :)
I always new PlayStation was the evolution of gaming, this is awesome.
Well for all the good stuff you made, i am worried that this could be sony’s virtua boy (for those who don’t know it’s the failed concept of a vr glass portable system from nintendo)
sony been on a good route since the playstation 1, and even if the ps vita haven’t got the sales i have to respect the system as one of the best portable systems i’ve seen so far.
i’m just am worried about a maybe big loss in this projekt (don’t get me wrong).
i wish you guys good luck with this, but tbh i would have recommended maybe mouse and keyboard controlls (or the possibility)
to get your systems competetive ready (push the competetive scene it is worth it)
Waiting for release :)
Now this has the potential to actually make a major difference in the VR race and I’m definitely interested. In order to be used on a console it needs to be standardised and so simple to operate that people who put DVDs in upside down can use it. That gives it a huge advantage over anything that the PC can do for the simple fact that a single architecture means no need for drivers and no chance of incompatibility.
What you need to do to make it a success is be aggressive as hell, ideally you need to beat the Oculus Rift to market with a high quality device, Morpheus & Rift may not be direct competitors in the market but the first useable one on the shelf will get a lot of notice.
You need to max out the research on making sure as many people with some manner of visual impairment can use it. If, for example, you can’t get it to work comfortably with something as simple as glasses then people with some of the more complicated vision issues are out of luck. If nothing else, the gamer nerd stereotype includes glasses, you simply don’t exclude that…
(1/3)
Possibly the most important thing; you need to market the device as something that will revolutionise the way games are played. This isn’t a new way to watch TV, this isn’t a quirky way to hang out with friends in playstation home, this isn’t an interesting tech demo that someone might eventually build something out of, this is for games or its for the bin. If either gamers or developers see Sony as saying “Hey, here’s something you might want to look at one day” rather than “This will make what you make and enjoy dramatically better, give it a try”, it’ll flop. Maximum enthusiasm or bust, guys.
Related to the game focus, you need a series of exclusive system sellers that will get people slavering and beating down the door to demand the thing. I recommend MechWarrior, I know this is not really realistic but I just want a new one (one which doesn’t suck, this cannot be stressed enough).
(2/3)
Think of a launch lineup with a MechWarrior style game, a new Gran Turismo, a First Person Shooter with uncoupled head movement akin to that in the Arma series, a sports game (biking, skiing?) and some kind of exploration/platform thing like a cross between Tomb Raider & Mirrors Edge, that would be a damned strong lineup, they’d sell well and create demand for more jumpstarting a solid market. Make exemplary games which stand strong on their own merits and not function as shallow vehicles for gimmicks and the thing will sell itself, put in a tepid effort and the whole thing will collapse into itself and just waste you money and time.
I suppose the TLDR version is: Sony, pour heaps of resources into this and make it the best it can be or don’t bother.
(3/3)