Sony Announces Virtual Reality System for PS4

Sony Computer Entertainment today announced the development of “Project Morpheus” − a virtual reality system for the PlayStation 4. Sony will continue development of Morpheus looking towards a future commercial launch.

Morpheus enables developers to create experiences that deliver a sense of presence – where players feel as though they are physically inside the virtual world of a game. Morpheus features a visor style head-mounted display and works with PlayStation Camera to deliver a VR experience right before the player’s eyes. Inertial sensors built into the head mount unit and PlayStation Camera track head orientation and movement so as the player’s head rotates, the image of the virtual world rotates naturally in real-time. Furthermore, in supporting games, the player can use a PlayStation Move Motion Controller as an object, such as a sword. Morpheus will reproduce the player’s hands and sword within the game so the player feels like they are physically fighting off enemies with their sword in the virtual world.

Morpheus adopts 3D audio technology developed by Sony. In addition to sounds coming from front, behind, left and right, Morpheus re-creates stereoscopic sounds heard from below and above the players, such as footsteps climbing up stairs below them, or engine noises of helicopters flying overhead. Sounds that players hear change in real-time depending on their head orientation, creating a realistic audio environment within a 360-degree virtual world.

Developers will be able to create Morpheus content for PS4. The Morpheus dedicated SDK is currently under development and will become available when ready.