Introducing Project Morpheus

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Introducing Project Morpheus

Greetings from GDC 2014! Earlier this evening, I had the pleasure to introduce Project Morpheus, SCE’s prototype virtual reality (VR) system that works with PS4. Virtual reality is the next innovation from SCE that we believe will shape the future of games.

Project Morpheus - PS4

I have long dreamed about VR and the possibilities it brings in regards to game development. 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.

Our current prototype for Project Morpheus features a head mounted display with 1080p resolution and a 90 degree field of view. Accelerometer and gyroscope sensors built into the head mounted unit as well as PlayStation Camera accurately tracks head orientation and movement, so as your head rotates, the image of the virtual world rotates intuitively in real-time. Project Morpheus also features our new 3D audio technology that re-creates stereoscopic sounds in all directions and changes in real-time depending on your head orientation. In addition to PlayStation Camera, Project Morpheus works with DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller and PlayStation Move to deliver an easy-to-use, plug-and-play VR experience.

The prototype for Project Morpheus is the culmination of our work over the last 3+ years as we’ve refined our vision for VR. This prototype will serve as the first development kit for PS4 developers that are as enthusiastic about this new medium as we are.

At GDC 2014 this week, attendees will be able to check out Project Morpheus in action at the SCEA booth through a handful of technology demos.

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578 Comments

  • Can’t wait.

  • What an excellent concept! Can’t wait to take it for a test run. Where would it be available for testing prior to purchase?

  • This is very exciting! I couldn’t even imagine Virtual Reality coming to PlayStation but I’m excited to get it!

  • Hi I’m Mason and I’m 17 years old. I own Google Glass, another VR product looking to be releasing soon. I am developing a headset app for Glass so users can use Glass as a functional Bluetooth device, but if this could be an integrated feature to Project Morpheus, then I’m sold! Project Morpheus is truly a revolution for gaming. I believe in VR, and now with something as immersing as Project Morpheus, I am truly astonished! Project Morpheus has something other VR headsets, like the Oculus Rift, currently don’t have, and that’s design! I can see that Morpheus is really going to be a ‘game’ changer in the coming years. (Amazing Functionality + Beautiful Design = Morpheus!)

    Kudos to you and the team Shuhei Yoshida!
    I believe in you! :D

  • damn when is this coming out i cant wait

  • what about PlayStation now? do you have a release day and price?

  • Virtual reality sounds great and all, but I have 2 concerns. First off, the price. If it costs more than the PS4 itself I doubt many people will buy it. Secondly, if a decent amount of titles will actually utilize this technology.

  • If anyone has ever played any of the .Hack games or watched any of the movies/episodes, then they know that the player is playing a character which is playing a game using a VR Headset. It would be nice to see games with a .Hack-likeness to come out for Project Morpheus.

    On another note. It would also be nice to see a gaming company come up with a way to use the VR Morpheus for games like Dungeons and Dragons.

    All in all, Morpheus has a lot of playground and even more sand then regular console’s do. Can’t wait.

    BTW I’m gonna assume the price for Morpheus is going to be roughly around $599-$699 for consumers.

  • Oculus Rift and now Project Morpheus. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this new style of gaming. Maybe this will help games focused on horror become even more appealing?

  • i wont disagree. VR is the next big step in the gaming industry. and you have my applause for pushing that. … but if you would be willing to listen to one small time person like me. the Morpheus system you have there seems kinda front heavy. i understand how the visual aspects are still the most important. but i can say that i wouldn’t want to wear something that seems so big and clunky. but if your going big. why not bigger? why not opt for a full helmet style VR system that has built in communications and audio instead of just that one large visual display. another thing about a full helmet system would be its ability to shut out the real world, which is VR’s most dangerous but most alluring factor.

  • looks prety cool! so we woud be able to play any game with this? or do we have to get cetain games for it?

  • I can not believe it I have wanted to play VR ever since I was 11 years old I and played the RED ZONE I am 27 now I wait to play it so harry up please.

  • I ment and I played the RED ZONE

  • wiil sony try to use it on ps3 players

  • Sony has been manufacturing VR goggles for 20 years! You must aggressively protect any VR related patent holdings you have. If Oculus Rift or Razer Hydra infringes on your IP you must order a cease and desist immediately! Also Morpheus MUST absolutely have an interface/SDK for the PC. The hacker/maker community will eventually integrate Morpheus into the PC and single-board microcontroller communities just like they did with the Xbox connect (perhaps an adapter or breakout box for the PC) but VR is so much bigger than just the PS4 and to not realize this would be extremely short sighted. Much of the excitement around VR are home built VR spaces and individual VR collaboration on the Internet. US Government and education markets alone for the Morpheus headset and hand accessories has ENORMOUS potential for Sony financially. Sony needs to do a better job highlighting the fact that you aren’t a fly-by-night VR organization whose only interest is in making angel investors incredibly rich and that you indeed have the best VR technology. Blow us away. Give us 1440p curved OLED displays, high refresh rates, high sensitivity, zero lag. This needs to be an all hands on deck effort from Sony.

  • Imagine playing a VR version of Sports Champions, using both the headset and dual-move controllers, one would really feel like a true gladiator or archer. Man! This is truly the future. Thank you so much Mr.Yoshida and the wonderful team over at Sony for making it a reality!

  • Sodo Ato Onrain – Kaien

  • Please Please Please Please PLEASE make this work. This idea seems so promising since technology is getting more advanced. Pleeaaaaaase dont make a Virtual Boy 2.0. Im so excited to see something like this up in Sony. Keep on making great strides in technology.

  • This looks amazing and is a break threw in gaming. Do you guys have any plans on making it to be able to do first person shooters,role playing, or anything at this point .I know it is still in the testing state but if it came out of something like that you could revolutionize how the new gaming format could be.

  • for me this is absolutely the biggest bomb from the history of SCE.I want this machine into my home :)

  • I know this is a pre-mature question given that it’s a proto-type but will this have the potential to have customization features ? such as changeable parts with styles ?

  • I see this as the ultimate in Remote Play. The only downside is that my wife loves scaring the living daylights out of me :D

  • All I can say is I will reserve judgement, but it just feels like another gimmick like 3D or motion controls.

  • You can never go wrong Sony. This is a very big advance in technology. I’ve been hoping for something like this since I was about 5. Oculus Rift came out but its an easy 100% guarantee that I’ll like this better. Definitely getting the first day it comes out.

  • What is the price of the project Morpheus

  • When i first saw this i immediate changed my views on purchasing the ps4. That being said i will buy one on bundle with a ps4. That along with the images of games that were and for some still are so good that having them in VR would make reply a necessity.
    Can’t wait for the release of a bundle and remake of AWESOME games, foaming from future games.

  • Looks Amazing! I know Sony will do a awesome job too.

  • I am preordering this as soon as you make it available thank you for giving me something to brag about in front of xbox one people. ;p not like theres enough to brag about :) anyways THANK YOU!

  • It would be nice to finally get something for the home approaching the VR we saw in The Lawnmower Man 22 years ago.

  • As a 10 year PlayStation Console owner, I just want to say that PlayStation have come a long way and there’s more to come. Now I seen in the comments that the PlayStation Move is optional. Now my question about Pro.Morpheus is, will this support certain games that was already released but could be optimized to support it?

  • I am truly impressed with the hardware, I think virtual reality is in the right hands with PlayStation. Given that the platforms hardware is locked unlike PC it actually has the ability to take full advantage of games, promise a perfect frame rate, a perfect resolution, and PlayStation move is by far the most accurate motion control I have ever seen. Same with the Dualshock so I really think this is the perfect next step for the brand, I would absolutely buy this over the competition. It is also probably a lot more economic to take this route because in order to achieve a good VR experience on PC you need a very powerful computer that can run that game twice and split it between the displays. It seems Sony has conquered this problem and done something no one thought could be done with a gaming console. I give props to you guys, this is some seriously great stuff. Can’t wait to here the release date and price.

  • i’m just concerned with what games it will be compatible with besides 3rd person gaming. will it change the camera angle to first person for games like..say infamous?

  • I simply can not wait for this to be released… as a Oculus DK1 owner, I have experienced where this is heading and the game industry, film industry and social media will never be the same… please take my preorder now and ship ASAP!!!

  • Dude, this is why I love the Japanese! Don’t get me wrong, I love my Xbox One, but after they eff’d up in the pre-launch reveals, there’s no way in Hades they’re gonna go and dump more money into something so fringe (and frickin awesome). Sony played in relatively conservative right out the gate, and now they’ve got the leisure to go and put out new gear like this. Slow clap, Sony. Slow, impressed clap. (As though I didn’t love my PS4 enough, right? LOL! Seriously, though. It’s disturbing how much I love it. Like in a Red Dragon-meets-HAL 9000 kinda way.) Anywho, props to you guys for the new coolness. :D

  • thats an awesome prototype, Also ut too bad its only for ps4 and not ps3. Also any updates on the psvita?

  • I just wanted to throw this out their.

    1. Take my money :D like NOW!!!
    2. This is the big thing that I have been waiting years for I am beyond excited to see this product in its entirety especially in knowing this product is being produced from my favorite gaming company PlayStation.
    3. I know the display, sound, and experience will be great due to the Sony brand and its innovation.
    4. I know the quality of the product and the sleek style of the final design will also be top notch most definitely. Even this prototype is looking pretty sleek and sexy and its not even done yet. That says a lot about the creativity and effort put into the design. Most VR headsets look really well to be honest really DUMB. To make something that is beyond visually impressive but maintaining that true immersion and unbelievable experience is amazing.

    Also, I would like to extend a personal thank you for factoring in GLASSES that I absolutely fell in love with so again thank you.

    I can not wait another minute until this product is released to be able to experience the power of PlayStation through VR. If anyone can make VR a new medium its definitely PlayStation. I wish you the best and again I can’t wait.

  • Welcome to the Future!

  • Now that Facebook has bought Oculus Rift just to turn it into a VR Social Networking device, your sales will be in the bag. Please pitch towards Minecraft as hard as you can! Also, I want to see Elder Scrolls on this device, Sony! I am a faithful fan! Keep up the good work!

  • This is something amazing and I hope this would bring a whole new user experience with it ! Good luck Sony !

  • At our University we are developing augmented reality projects. One of them called: “Interactive fusion system of multiple 3D data as a surgical preoperative strategy and educational tool” has received Grand Jury Prize at „BRUSSELS INNOVA 2013″. In our project we have used Oculus Rift devkit combined with stereo pair of PlayStation Eye. The goal of our project was to connect our research on medical image fusion (CT and MRI) and interactive data exploration using an augmented reality environment (duct-tape based prototype: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA2zylvnvfM) . We would like to continue our research in this area (using novel high-res versions of VR (like devices and fast, bright and sall cameras) and we are looking for some cooperation. What do you think about combining 2 PlayStation Eye camaeras and this VR system?

  • Will it be possible to play existing PS4 games such as Killzone Shadow Fall in VR? I would pay anything to play games like Ghosts and Killzone in VR.

  • They should add a high resolution camera to the front of the headset and utilize the Playstation Camera to allow augmented reality games as well. Exactly what the Nintendo 3DS does but obviously more realistic with higher resolution and the VR headset. Imagine walking around your living room and being able to turn it into a video game. Holding the Playstation rifle or some sort of handheld weapon and being able to shoot or slice virtual objects flying or running around your living room.

    Then utilize the Playstation Camera to crop and scan the player’s body for multiplayer applications. So you could have a game of virtual ping pong with another player over the internet using your actual living room. Each player sees their own living room as the backdrop, but you both see the same ping pong table and the other player at the opposite end in real time.

    This would go even further than just Virtual Reality because you would add in the sense of touch and movement using the existing objects and room you are in. You wouldn’t have your hand clipping through objects or walls because those limitations would actually be there in physical form.

  • Any estimate on releases? Btw it looks AWESOME!!!

  • SirxSmokesxAlotX

    cant wait looks interesting ive been waiting for vr to make a comeback and its coming back in a huge way VERY NICE!!

  • I don’t have a playstation 3 or 4, but I wish I had money to get a PS4 in order to purchase this wonderful prototype! this is absolutely the next step in gaming systems! there has been many shows and movies about viral reality and its finally coming to life thanks to you guys! A lot of the games i enjoy playing Microsoft does not want cross system playing…and it really sucks…

  • look’s ok

  • i … love it <3

  • Hi I am still 18 and I love to play games after seeing then anime Sword Art Online I noticed that there is something called as virtual reality gaming gear. I thought that it is just a bluff but after seeing your video reweave about Project Morpheus I was really happy. and I am looking forward for it. And I am glade that I am here in this parade of time when virtual reality gaming is not a dream anymore ……….

  • i thought every game on ps4 would have a 15 minute test play

  • Right now the the PS4 interface is a jungle, it seems glitch prone. There is so much Sony can be working on, when it comes to the PS4, I hope this VR project, doesent mean I am going to have to wait for something else that should have been in the box at launch. I will be buying one just because its potential, I just hope it lives up to a lives up to a fraction of it. I can imagin exploring a world like in Elder Scrolls picking components and, hearing a troll sneaking up on me from behind, or looking up at a dragon after hearing its roar. I can’t wait to see what becomes of this, I just hope they don’t release an unfinished product like the PS4’s OS which to me is the most importand part, and work it through to a polished product, so that gamers and game designers are inspired by it, not woried about why it sometimes “does this”. I have a lot of rants and raves, but I still have fun with the system, and think it was a good investment, to me it can always be better….

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