Sony’s Project Morpheus VR Headset For PlayStation 4 To Take On Oculus Rift And Others

There’s a new member in the small-but-growing virtual reality headset club, and it’s from a major player, as Sony announced that’s developing Project Morpheus, a VR headset that will rival the likes of the Oculus Rift.

“I have long dreamed about VR and the possibilities it brings in regards to game development”, wrote Sony Computer Entertainment president Shu Yoshida in a blog post. “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.”

Sony Project Morpheus

Project Morpheus is designed to work with the PS4’s DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller, and the PlayStation Move and features a head-mounted display (HMD) with a 1080p HD resolution and a 90-degree field of view. It uses accelerometer and gyroscope sensors along with the PlayStation Camera to track head movements and make the virtual world move accordingly in real time. Sony also baked in its 3D audio technology to adjust sounds directionally as the player’s head moves.

Project Morpheus is just a prototype for now, but Sony will be seeding units to PS4 developers to get the ball rolling on a final product.

If Project Morpheus becomes a great product, it will have a huge impact on the gaming market, and in particular the ongoing struggle between Microsoft’s Xbox platform and Sony’s PlayStation. On the hand, if Sony fumbles this and Project Morpheus falls short of expectations, the company’s gaming fortunes will take a huge hit.