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Project Morpheus - Sony VR headset prototype - unveiled

Soi-Fong

Member
Oculus uses their own tracker, and while most of what's in it is off the shelf the components are by no means low quality. Form factor is another discussion entirely but for pure performance I don't see them having too much trouble matching Sony.

It helps though that all components involved in a VR headset, Sony has expertise in and produce themselves.
 

hawk2025

Member
if it takes $2000 dollars to do VR 'confortably' then PS4 VR is completely impossible. With the greatest discounts in existance, the PS4 cant come anywhere close to $2000 dollars worth of parts and no 'coding to the metal' is going to bridge that gap.

So you are talking out of your ass.



He was talking about the implication of 4K for each eye that the previous poster was making.
 
I think this'll be pretty limited in the number of games that support it, a bit like Move. GT7 is a good contender if they can't sacrifice enough to get Driveclub at 60fps 3d.
 
3D audio sounds nice, it is integrated into the headset?

No, it's something that developers integrate into their engine. In a nutshell, it outputs the audio as if it was heard through ears (morphs around your head and such). As long as you use headphones, the effect works great. There aren't a whole lot of available solutions to this right now, which is what Sony is creating.

Here's an example (requires headphones): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HprNPCRyP40
 
Considering the amount of hate kinect gets on here sometimes, has anyone wondered how much support this peripheral will get when it is priced far north of $200 and is not a pack in?

The adoption rate would need to be significant to even hope to see Kinect 1.0 game support.
 

Nzyme32

Member
Cause Sony is a huge company with better R&D (they are working with NASA)
(Oculus Rift is made from off the shelf parts, Sonys VR is made from custom made parts)

Sony has some of the best gaming 1st party Studios.

Sony has marketing money to spend on.

Sony isnt just talking about gaming software.

Oculus are not using of the shelf parts anymore.

Working with NASA is a flimsey tool for marketing. There are plenty of experience in the works outside of gaming for both platforms.

Marketing money does not create good products or games

Both sony, oculus and the independent vr start ups are all well into developing outside of games alone.

1st party studios are good but that again doesn't necessarily mean better games, especially in a medium with undefined design rules and motifs.

I just don't think many of these are interesting enough arguments
 

darkwing

Member
No, it's something that developers integrate into their engine. In a nutshell, it outputs the audio as if it was heard through ears (morphs around your head and such). As long as you use headphones, the effect works great. There aren't a whole lot of available solutions to this right now, which is what Sony is creating.

Here's an example (requires headphones): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HprNPCRyP40

Good, don't want to be tied to the headset headphones
 
It helps though that all components involved in a VR headset, Sony has expertise in and produce themselves.

It helps but it isn't necessarily better performance wise. We'll get a good idea tomorrow how they stack up once impressions start rolling in. Question is, is Oculus' prototype they're bringing to GDC still crystal cove or the newer prototype they've been demoing to people at their HQ (which is supposedly comparable to Valves prototype)?
 
It helps but it isn't necessarily better performance wise. We'll get a good idea tomorrow how they stack up once impressions start rolling in. Question is, is Oculus' prototype they're bringing to GDC still crystal cove or the newer prototype they've been demoing to people at their HQ (which is supposedly comparable to Valves prototype)?

And just like the prototype of oculus is improved as will the prototype of Morpheus.
 

YuShtink

Member
Early prototypes:
cRaIcme.jpg

LOWB7am.jpg


So, it's been in development before the Oculus Rift?

Pretty sure Palmer was starting development on the project that would eventually become the Rift as early as 2009. It didn't make it's public debut until E3 2012 (when it was still basically a garage-project), but I think that specific prototype that Carmack borrowed was version 6 of Palmer's attempts.
 

Hale-XF11

Member
PS VR demos being shown off at GDC:


  • EVE Valkyrie
  • Thief (SQUARE ENIX Co., LTD.)
  • “The Castle” (SCE) (shows various VR interactions utilizing PS Move)
  • “The Deep” (SCE) (where players can observe the waters from inside a shark proof cage)
 

Ysiadmihi

Banned
Glad to see competition in the VR world heating up, but sad this will probably be locked to console. If I'm going to invest in a VR device I want to get the most out of it.
 
This Sony VR is gonna skip the PS4, mark my words. This is gonna be delivered with the PS5.

That would be SUCH a dick move on their part. They just released the damn thing and are now teasing VR? If it doesn't come to PS4 that'd be the earliest reveal of a future accessory yet.

(I don't think it'll be pushed to PS5)
 

Linkup

Member
They're saying VR is a medium yet haven't announce support for PC or any other device?

It's like announcing DVDs and being the only one able to use it...

Actually it's worse, if this is a medium like a book, TV, and such then does it make any sense to go against a standard or not form a group to start some? Feels like they are looking for another format war type deal.
 
I'm starting to get excited about VR.

Imagine something similar to Metroid Prime, with the UI incorporated into the visor, and aiming with the PS Move.

bZmMQAx.jpg
 

ghst

thanks for the laugh
For me, its more about having that standard hardware connected to it. I don't want my VR experience dependent on ever increasing computing demands. Normally I can work around games enough for this not to be an issue, but the requirements of VR means the sky's the limit for that.

your VR experience is dependant on ever increasing computing demands, whether you want it to or not. nobody with a PS4 spec computer is looking at VR tech as something they think they're going to get a great experience out of without shedding a few notes on whatever beastly circa late 2014/2015 GPU that the VR experience will guzzle down and still ask for more.

sony are demoing this thing with thief - a game which barely scraped 30FPS in monoscopic 1080p on PS4. this should set alarm bells off for anyone who has had concerns of a platform holder pushing VR as a selling point for their suboptimal proprietary device, resulting in a miserable experience for many and the wholesale shunning of the tech for another decade.

for VR to succeed on PS4, it will have to be an exercise in modesty. the PS4 won't be able to keep up with the high end stuff that people will be buying maxwell cards to run, and i hope sony can accept that and cultivate a decent library of unique titles of limited technical complexity, rather than attempt to punch above their weight and drown VR at birth in the eyes of the mass market.
 

Soi-Fong

Member
It helps but it isn't necessarily better performance wise. We'll get a good idea tomorrow how they stack up once impressions start rolling in. Question is, is Oculus' prototype they're bringing to GDC still crystal cove or the newer prototype they've been demoing to people at their HQ (which is supposedly comparable to Valves prototype)?

It'll be a newer prototype.

I'm not expecting Sony to "beat" Oculus when it comes to VR. It's hard to beat an open platform.

What I am expecting Sony to do better though is to get VR out to the mass consumer with VR, that is not top-of-the-line, but is good enough to make believers out there. Matching the CC prototype is already a big accomplishment.

OR fans must be delirious of the think OR will reach mass consumer when you require a pretty heft rig to run it that will cost minimum a thousand dollars. A thousand dollar PC is not mass market.
 

StuBurns

Banned
They're saying VR is a medium yet haven't announce support for PC or any other device?

It's like announcing DVDs and being the only one able to use it...

Actually it's worse, if this is a medium like a book, TV, and such then does it make any sense to go against a standard? Feels like they are looking for another format war type deal.
What are you talking about?

Video games are a medium too, PS4 games don't play on PC.
 

TheLaw

Banned
wtf is with that light bulb and Sony. I am seeing that shit ever since they announced Move controller. and now even in PS4 controller. I know the purpose of it, but are you saying there is no better way to track your moment without that shitty light bulb? Wii and Xbox Controller seems to be doing it just fine.
 
They're saying VR is a medium yet haven't announce support for PC or any other device?

It's like announcing DVDs and being the only one able to use it...

Actually it's worse, if this is a medium like a book, TV, and such then does it make any sense to go against a standard? Feels like they are looking for another format war type deal.

Is Rift announced for PS4?
 
Good, don't want to be tied to the headset headphones

I don't think the headset has built-in headphones (unlike HMZ). I thought they said it had a headset adapter on the unit, so you can plug in your own headphones?

Is Rift announced for PS4?

The difference is, is that it's Sony's call whether they will allow it on the PS4 where in the case of the PC, it's just Sony's call since it's not a walled garden. Obviously, they don't want the Rift on the PS4 since it would compete with Morpheus.
 

Sepp

Banned
Cause Sony is a huge company with better R&D (they are working with NASA)
(Oculus Rift is made from off the shelf parts, Sonys VR is made from custom made parts)

Sony has some of the best gaming 1st party Studios.

Sony has marketing money to spend on.

Sony isnt just talking about gaming software.

And Sony's VR games will be limited by PS4 hardware for years to come. I doubt PS4 was designed with VR in mind.

Still, a lot better than the new XBox.
 

J-Rzez

Member
People demanding cheap pricing for this need to get out. It needs to be quality, period. Perhaps nothing exotic, just good quality components. Sony's in a good position to do this though at least.

The only request I have from Sony is that this thing be open so I can use it on my PC. I don't want to have to buy Rift and this if possible, that'll cut into my game purchasing budget. ;)

Damnit, who am I kidding, I would if I had to.

I'm just ecstatic that my childhood dream of VR gaming has even better odds of coming true and it takes off.
 

Zabka

Member
Come on Sony, Movie Theater mode for 3D Blu-rays!

I used to own a Victormaxx Stuntmaster. What a piece of shit.

People demanding cheap pricing for this need to get out. It needs to be quality, period.
There's no reason it can't be cheap with quality parts. The most expensive aspect, a 1080p 5" screen, is not exactly bleeding edge tech.
 
The difference is, is that it's Sony's call whether they will allow it on the PS4 where in the case of the PC, it's just Sony's call since it's not a walled garden. Obviously, they don't want the Rift on the PS4 since it would compete with Morpheus.

They were in talks with Oculus. It didn't work out for either side.
 
It'll be a newer prototype.

I'm not expecting Sony to "beat" Oculus when it comes to VR. It's hard to beat an open platform.

What I am expecting Sony to do better though is to get VR out to the mass consumer with VR, that is not top-of-the-line, but is good enough to make believers out there. Matching the CC prototype is already a big accomplishment.

OR fans must be delirious of the think OR will reach mass consumer when you require a pretty heft rig to run it that will cost minimum a thousand dollars. A thousand dollar PC is not mass market.

If somebody is gonna drive mass adoption it certainly won't be Oculus, at least not until mobile is much more powerful and people can just tether their phones to it.
 

Melchiah

Member
Maybe not the Oculus-like version, but remember what Palmer did was nothing magical, it was to expected that it could be reproduced in "no time".

Although, the HMZ-T1 was also before Oculus Rift's 2012 demonstration, AFAIK. Didn't people play PC games with that?
 
I'm going to continue to think VR is the dumbest thing I've seen in gaming in a long while....that is until I try it for the first time, be blown away, and then subsequently change my mind. Kudos to Sony, I hope some cool stuff comes out of it to force me to change my mind.
I'm with ya. I hear VR and think of stupid arcade games that were never really that fun. Fix this shit guerrilla.
 

Mr.Green

Member
for VR to succeed on PS4, it will have to be an exercise in modesty. the PS4 won't be able to keep up with the high end stuff that people will be buying maxwell cards to run, and i hope sony can accept that and cultivate a decent library of unique titles of limited technical complexity, rather than attempt to punch above their weight and drown VR at birth in the eyes of the mass market.

That was also my fear but according to their presentation, I think Sony fully understands what is required for a good VR experience and I'm confident that they will take their time and release a very capable product.
 

TheD

The Detective

Ohh, did not know that.

Well, it helps that Sony has one of the best array of 1st party studios on the world. I'm all for indie development, but it's only Sony that can pump 50 or 60 million dollars on a VR game. There's no other publisher willing to do that BECAUSE VR is not viable yet.

Sony is taking that risk because they are a literal part of this revolution.

I doubt Sony is going to toss 60 Million at a game made for VR, that is a ton of money and this VR system is not going to have the same market share as the PS4 (so it is going to be much harder to reach all the sales they need to cover costs).
 

Nzyme32

Member
I'm starting to get excited about VR.

Imagine something similar to Metroid Prime, with the UI incorporated into the visor, and aiming with the PS Move.

bZmMQAx.jpg

Apparently according to palmer luckey, those kind of HUDs and interfaces including the one in iron man are horrible in VR and likely also true in real life. With eye tracking, this could be a lot better though
 
im guessing the lit 4 corners are used for the tracking??

Naturally. There's a light on the back too. There'll likely be rotational sensors on board though, like most things these days.

Apparently according to palmer luckey, those kind of HUDs and interfaces including the one in iron man are horrible in VR and likely also true in real life. With eye tracking, this could be a lot better though

Yeah I'm not surprised. I wonder if it's ok to put stuff around the edge like the wiimote battery life up at the top there. The Jurassic Park: Trespasser model is probably the best to aim for though.
 
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