The Oculus Rift is not the only contender in the virtual reality headset arena-- Sony uses the Game Developer Conference 2014 event to unveil "Project Morpheus," a VR headset prototype for the Playstation 4.
"Nothing elevates the level of immersion more than VR,” Sony Computer Entertainment head Shuhei Yoshida says. “Many of us in PlayStation have dreamed of VR and what it can mean to the games we create.”
Morpheus builds on earlier Sony developments in headset (or "Personal 3D Viewer") space, with a 1080p LCD offering a 90-degree field of view and "uniquely developed" 3D audio technology. Aditionally it promises "seamless" PS4 integration-- the Playstation Camera pairs with built-in sensors to take care of head tracking, while the Move peripheral handles game control.
The prototype uses wired connectivity via 5m-long USB and HDMI cable, but Sony hopes to develop a wireless version in the future promising a comfortable, plug-and-play experience.
As for software Sony already has demos of Thief and EVE Valkyrie, among others, running on the device at GDC 2014.
Currently Project Morpheus is available strictly in early prototype form, with a commercial version to hit the market sometime after 2014. With the Oculus Rift also to take consumer form by that time, will 2015 be a watershed year for virtual reality?
