Courtesy of Eurogamer
Virtual reality is making strides and headlines almost every day. Today, Sony announced a newer version of its upcoming Project Morpheus; Sony’s attempt at getting into the VR scene. This new iteration sports a full HD screen (1920 X 1080) and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Sony has also added an additional 3 motion tracking sensors, making a total of 9 sensors. The latency on the device is also improved to less than 18 milliseconds; an astoundingly low amount of latency.
Compared to the previous iteration, Sony has doubled its refresh rate and upped the screen resolution from 720P to 1080P per eye. The added sensors also improve the devices ability to track movement, creating a more realistic and immersive experience. These changes are critical as many people in the past have experienced motion sickness due to latency and low refresh rates. So far, those who have tried Sony’s new device have been excited and positive. Check out what people are saying all across the internet:
“I tried for Sony’s Project Morpheus offered its combination of excitement and interaction, it’s got me beyond excited for the future of VR.”
Alex Roth – IGN Editor
“I just survived a shark attack. I just stole a priceless diamond in an upscale London heist. I did it with Sony’s new Project Morpheus headset. It’s the best I’ve ever tried.”
Sean Hollister – Gizmodo
“The new Project Morpheus is also much lighter and more comfortable. That’s a big win”
Sid Shuman – Playstation Blog
“It’s an amazing demo. I felt in control of everything as it happened, and ducking to avoid gunfire while being able to aim back in a “realistic” way was a great way to show off the technology.”
Ben Kuchera – Polygon
“The enhanced field of view creates a more potent form of immersion [and] image quality is also improved”
Richard Leadbetter – Digital Foundry
It’s clear that Sony is dedicating substantial time and resources into developing a virtual reality headset that will change the future landscape of gaming forever. Shuhei Yoshida, Sony’s president of Worldwide Studios stated, “Our goal with VR is to deliver a sense of presence, making the player feel as though they’ve stepped inside the world of a game.” It seems that they are succeeding.
While VR technology is improving drastically, whether or not it will gain mainstream adoption in the gaming world remains a mystery. Sony is bound to run into challenges with Project Morpheus similar to that of Playstation Move. If Morpheus is treated as an add-on for Playstation 4, developers will struggle to justify creating experiences for it when there are so many more standalone Playstation 4s on the market. Time will tell. Sony announced that we can expect Project Morpheus to hit shelves in early 2016.
What do you think about Sony’s new Project Morpheus? Are you excited about the prospect of virtual reality? Let us know in the comments below.