Project Morpheus: PS4 VR Upgraded, Coming in 2016

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Project Morpheus: PS4 VR Upgraded, Coming in 2016

Hello from GDC 2015! About a year ago, we unveiled a prototype for Project Morpheus, the virtual reality system for PS4. Since then, we’ve been hard at work making the system even better. I’m pleased to return to GDC with an update on our progress, bringing us one step closer to its consumer release. We believe VR will shape the future of games, and I can’t wait for you to try Project Morpheus when it launches in the first half of 2016.

Project Morpheus

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. The new Project Morpheus prototype brings us closer to that goal, as it improves the visual experience and tracking accuracy, both of which are critical to achieving sense of presence.

Key changes:

  • OLED display: In exchange for the 5 inch LCD, the new Morpheus VR headset is equipped with a 5.7 inch 1920 X RGB X 1080 resolution OLED display. This new screen expands the field of view and enables low persistence, removing motion blur.
  • 120hz refresh rate: The previous refresh rate spec has been doubled for this new prototype, which means games for Morpheus can be rendered at 120fps. When combined with the OLED display’s high refresh rate and the power of PS4, Morpheus is able to output amazingly smooth visuals.
  • Super low latency: We know how critical low latency is to delivering a great VR experience, and we’ve reduced latency to less than 18ms, about half of what the first Morpheus prototype had. Low latency is critical to deliver a sense of presence, at the same time making the VR experience comfortable to players.
  • More accurate tracking: To make positional tracking more precise, we’ve added three LEDs to the headset – one on the front and two on the side – for a total of nine LEDs to support robust 360 degree tracking.
  • User-friendly design: We’ve made the Morpheus VR headset easier to put on and take off, with a single band design and quick release button. The headband supports the weight of the unit on the top of your head, so there is no pressure on your face. Other components have also been adjusted and configured to make the headset lighter, so that players do not find the headset cumbersome or uncomfortable to use.

Project Morpheus

Revealing this new prototype is an important step in our journey to release Project Morpheus, but there is more to come. We’ll share additional details at E3 and beyond. In particular, we’ll show more VR games at E3 and later events as we get closer to launch.

A new dimension of gaming is almost here, and PlayStation again is at the forefront with Project Morpheus.

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153 Comments

  • jah_92_rastafari

    @screamie yes mate most glasses will be fine, shue wearsglasses so this was a big deal for him also!

  • Will there be a BETA period for players to test it out?

  • Looking great, this will be a huge win and really solidify the PS4 dominance if it goes as expected.

  • What games can we expect for Project Morpheus?

  • I’m excited for this. Maybe now I can use the PS Move Assault Rifle peripheral (manipulating the camera by aiming at it was a terrible use of PS Move in FPS). I really hope, in light of all the VR headsets coming into the market, that you guys price this thing right at launch. Last I checked Occulus Dev Kit was $300. Consumer products are always cheaper than Dev Kit, so competitively I’d think it should launch at $250 (or less is good too). Anything over $250 is just asking too much, especially launching in 2016.

  • What does 1920 X RGB X 1080 resolution mean? I’ve never seen a resolution written like that before.

    I understand what RGB is (Red-Green-Blue), I understand what 1920 x 1080 is (horizontal and vertical pixels, I just don’t understand what the significance of having the extra dimension is or how it fits in.

  • think how much a 65″ oled tv would be ? then get this & ps4 . so getting both next year.

  • will be buy this day one, hope it´s just not that expensive.

  • Morpheus support for Destiny. Make it happen!

  • I’m pretty much sold. Get Last Guardian VR on it as a launch game and I’ll pre-order immediately.

  • Great idea getting rid of the ugly LCD display…OLED FTW.
    I’m very curious about Morpheus especially about the price…but I will definitely buy it in the future.
    I just hope for a good support of games for Morpheus.

  • Looks, sounds pretty impressive, any idea if some of the current games will be made vr capable? Like alien isolation?

  • Any chance for PlayStation experience hands on Calgary with this beast or Vancouver I would comr this summer to try it

  • @jah_92_rastafari Your beloved Yoshida actually said they released Vita TV/PSTV expecting it to not sell well. Yeah, they truly believe in all of their products *eyerolls*

  • Also, hardly anyone bought a PS3 at first and Sony were losing tonnes of cash on it. Did they just ignore and turn it into an indie machine/accessory for something else? No. They burned through a couple hundred million turning it around.

  • Another year wow I guess this is so the less fortunate can play it before me. I just hope it doesn’t hurt my eyes like 3-D does!!!!

  • Can we watch movies and play games like the order 1886 on Project Morpheus ?
    like a big screen in your face

  • I have one suggestion.
    Whatever genre it might be, you must be able to make project morpheus online ready. Meaning there should be an online functionality with it whether it’s co-op, multiplayer, mmo, etc. Everyone would buy this **** I tell you. Focus on that and you’ve got everyone sold. As far as I can tell, most of the games you’ve been showing with the project morpheus are most probably offline only games.

  • That would be awesome is SAO was a real vrmmo for the ps4

  • Interested. Will definitely buy IF i my PS4’s games purchases are compatible with morpheus.

    I like you Sony, love the PlayStation brand (my favorite) but when it comes to peripherals such as move, 3D support ect… You’re a bit too quick to stop support.

    Make morpheus compatible with our purchases and i’ll pay your asking price :)

    My .02

  • ps move, stereoscopic 3D, ps3 gun…i supported all of these, oh and i own a vita..

    not sure how i feel about Morpheus, yet. i thought stereoscopic 3D would be a thing, i really enjoyed it with the titles i played it with (uncharted 3, mk 9, killzone 3) . the only thing that got my attention is that 120hz refresh rate. but it wont mean nothing unless it get superior first party and third party support.

  • Don’t believe the hype. Morpheus can be rendered at 120fps but that doesn’t mean the PS4 will have 120fps. PS4 games usually have 60fps that sometimes drop below. For VR you need 90fps for a flawless experience.

  • this is a day one for me! I have 2 moves, a navigation controller and the PS4 camera waiting.

    I just hope they do things right because I really want Morpheus to have great content with games like Sillent Hills.

    A good way to make this device amazing would be to give it a 360 video player for external content (adult content), that would sell many units! or make it possible for developers to place apps in the PS4 with no content restrictions (kind of what Android does with the installs of apps from “unknown sources”). In that case PS4 would require having a tool for parents to control such installs and accessing apps, maybe using password or face unlock.

  • $199 Price at most please.

  • The price point on this accessory needs to be under $100. Sounds crazy. Sounds impossible. But if they want to get developer support for this peripheral, then they need to get a huge install base. If more people buy this thing, more developers will develop for it. The price point has got to be something that casual shoppers will purchase. Every one of the hard core gamers is going to have this, yes. But there will be no content if the install base is low. Keep the price of this thing impossibly low. Millions more will buy it. Developers will rush to get on the project.

  • “Oh cool, another thing for SCE to ignore like Vita, Move, 3D, and Eyetoy!”

    ^So much this.

  • I have an oversized head how adjustable is it?

  • For the people complaining about price they should buy a cheap version for them i guess the D.A’s dont know you get what you pay for thats the reason why the ps4 aint better you cant get something that cost a company $1000 for $100 and them stay in businss

  • Goodluck to all people whos gonna buy this at launch. Vita cost 300$ at launch with so much things promised. Like ps3 remoteplay, first party titles, and console experience on the go. Well last year on it’s 2 year anniversary they decided to change the direction and make it an indie-machine, WOW is indie even a console experiece. Heck I can get tons of it on my tablet.

  • This + No Man Sky = Me being a slave to Sony.

  • I’ve read somewhere that the angle of view will be about 100° if so I fear it may not be enough for a fully immersive experience. Please increase that angle to at least 120°, ideally 160°. in real life when looking straight ahead you can see at almost 180° so 100° seems awfully short. Of course I have never tried this VR Helmet but I just worry that 100° being so far from the natural 180° might seriously diminish the feeling of immersion, please take that into account ok?

  • As others have said, but it bears repeating, Sony has burnt a lot of bridges, displaced the faithful, and lost support amongst many of it’s most devoted fans given the handling of the Vita, 3D, and to a lesser extent the PSEye and Move. What they have here may very well prove to be the next big step forward regarding gaming, but it comes down to whether or not the public has faith that they – Sony – can support it. And I am not convinced that the public does.

    I suspect that there will be many people who will adopt a wait and see approach – rightfully so – regarding this accessory. I know I certainly wont be entertaining any notion to purchase it for at least a year or two after its release. And do not get me wrong; I like this technology and do think that it represents a fundamental shift in where gaming is going. I hope “greatness awaits”….then again, whatever happened to Wonderbook?

  • Is this safe to use for people with prescription glasses?

  • Well look’s good and i hope its not going to cost the same or more then the ps4 so 360 or 370 would be good as a price i wwould like to see more of it at e3 and then i hope the battery lasy like 20 hours cuz i can see it kill that fast so im hoping at E3 thy talk alot about it

  • Looks neat. I wonder if the lights on the outside will change like the ps4 light does. I also want one… but until I see it on shelves, I will have doubts about it actually coming out.

  • Will this peripheral be support better than my PS Move Controllers and my camera? I think it is great they are bringing this out but hate when we only get support for these items when they first come out only to have them rarely supported. I enjoyed the move controllers but outside of a few games nothing else was done to further the use of them now they gather dust.

  • I’m getting one of these day one.

  • I’m glad to see they locked in a deal for OLED display tech.

    I have a few questions…

    1. I see it says there is an “HDMI interface”. I wonder if this is how the PS4 will interface or will they have some other type of I/O interface.

    2. Will we be able to connect other HDMI video devices and use the Morpheus as a large simulated display? It would definitely add more value to it.

    3. Will stereoscopic 3D games be compatible with the Morpheus to view in standard Stereoscopic 3D?
    There are quite a few on the PS3, and some on the PS4 (such as Zen Pinball). This would be a nice option.

  • how much do you think it will cost in the uk???

  • I’m legally blind in one eye. How will this work for someone with my condition? If at all?

  • Devilking-Nikkai

    Finally! Can’t wait for next year :3.

  • Am I the only one that thinks that playing with these “glasses” (?) is totally DUMB? =P
    Like…I try to imagine someone playing and another person looking at that guy/gal…with a HUGE headset on…waving arms, shaking hands…maybe “walking”? And IMHO that just looks…like a dim-witted person trying to explain String Theory to a gold fish. xD
    I’m sorry…but I agree with #27 (D-Squad3) I don’t think this is “the future” (at least not the near one). At the moment I think this just qualifies as a “quirky gadget” and that’s it. Ideal for people with a lot of money to waste and not much else.
    And another thing: I would REALLY love to hear some ophthalmologist’s opinión about this whole “2 OLED screens almost pressed against your eyes for 2-4 hours (mínimum) every day, 5-6 days (also mínimum) a week” kind of deal. You know? Remember: multinational companies only care about their bank accounts, NOT about your health. So think carefully before you buy anything “experimental”, people…

  • I also agree with #98 (opikal): I’m seeing a lot of REALLY DELUSIONAL people around here. Do you even have any idea of how much it costs to produce something like this? We are talking about 1 YEAR. Only 1 measly year away. Do you really think technology will be that cheap by then to allow Sony to sell this thing at some of the prices you’re asking?
    The Oculus is 350…and compared to Morpheus is an absolute piece of crap. So this thing will NOT sell for anything below 500 bucks. Forget it. 300…250…not to mention Toon’s absolutely-ridiculous-price-tag of only 100 dollars… that WILL NOT happen.
    And (like D-Squad3 said): High Price Tag = Low Sells = Low Consumer Base = Almost Non-Existent Developer Support = Overpriced Dead Peripheral

    So Thanks for another “experiment”, Sony…but No, thanks. -_-

  • Key changes-price increase
    Also change the name morpheus is stooooooooooopid

  • Am I the only one, who is not interested in this in the least? I do not want it. VR is a niche market and we all know how well Sony handles niche markets. It throws a big press conference announces a few games for it, declares it the future of Playstation and within a year the product will be abandoned. We have only to look at the past see the future, The Ps tv (and I mean the television) gone, Ps eye useless without the move and unsupported, Sony has abandoned the move.Sony declared 3d the future of gaming this too died within a year VR is a waste of resources and time for a niche market, that will be initially be supported by a few intrepid developers, most likely being incentivized by Sony, but will inevitably be abandoned after a lack of sales. One only has to look at the consumer theorized prices for this headset to see insane prices such as $399 to $500. If the lack of demand for this device alone made it a niche market, the price for this headset will only make it smaller, few people especially parents will be willing to spend the same amount of money(or more) for a peripheral device as they did on the console. I will not buy one of these in the hopes that Sony will support a device long enough that it will be worth buying.

  • I remember my overwhelming excitement when this was announced last year and my excitement just continues to get more and more overwhelming!! These new additions to the headset are just AMAZING!! THANK YOU FOR THE OLED!! And like I said last year, I LOVE YOU SONY :) and I will be buying the moment that it’s available for purchase!! I’M READY FOR E3 BABY!!

  • sitn_on_a_toilet

    The cost for project Morpheus should be significantly lower than the HMZ-T3W. I will buy it only at a reasonable price.

  • Oh yay! A TV I can wear on my face.

    “..and the new demos were a hoot” Stop the presses!!! A hoot he says, A HOOT! Oh boy can’t wait for this one now!!!!

  • Being able to wear a set of headphones like the Wireless Gold/Pulse Elite with Morpheus is a must!

  • When will you be releasing the prices and will there be an option for cordless or corded? Or will corded be the only the only option

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