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Sony has revealed the latest version of its VR headset, Project Morpheus. It’s damn close to the version you’ll actually be able to buy. When is that? The first half of 2016.
Project Morpheus was unveiled a year ago at GDC 2014. Since then Sony’s engineers have been working to create a consumer version of the device, using behind-closed-door demos and consumer shows as a test-bed.
Sample games - which have been used to fine-tune the hardware - include the likes of The Castle, The Deep, VR Luge, while full games like Eve Valkyrie and Thief have also been used to showcase the tech. There are a bunch of updated demos (The London Heist, The Deep, Playroom demo, Magic Controller) at GDC 2015, and we’ll be playing them tomorrow.
For now, here are the tech stats for you to nerd-out over:
- OLED display 1920 x RGB x 1080 display
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Super low latency
- 5.7 inch screen, 100 degree field of view
- 9 LEDs for tracking. 3 LEDs have been added to the headset
In terms of design, the weight of the headset is taken on top of the head (there’s a band that sits right on top of your skull). You can also pull the visor out a few inches, so you can interact with other people without removing the device. And yes, you can easily use Morpheus while wearing glasses.
It’s exciting to see that VR is becoming a reality. With Sony finally confirming a consumer release date - meaning that we’ll actually be able to buy one and play games on it - it seems likely that other companies like Oculus and Valve will want to make a move. Will VR be the ‘next big thing’? Sony has learnt hard lessons in the past with less-than-successful hardware like Move, but the Japanese giant currently has a good track record with PS4, giving players what they actually want, and hitting trends like sharing and streaming.
Morpheus - and VR - could well be the next big thing. Stay tuned for more this week.
