Upgraded Project Morpheus VR headset for the PS4 (Photo : Sony)
It's still not here at last but will it be worth the long wait?
Sony's much hyped Project Morpheus virtual reality headset for PlayStation 4 will remain a dream until early 2016 when the Japanese tech giant unleashes it on a market that could be bored of waiting by then.
Sony claims its cutting edge VR technology and the headset's high-definition, wraparound OLED display will push the boundaries of play.
The updated version of the headset encases the wearer's eyes to give the sense of having bodily entered the environment rendered on its visor-like screen.
Morpheus has now got an OLED display with 1080p resolution that generates images at 120 frames per second, or twice the performance of the model unveiled at last year's Game Developers' Conference, said The Guardian.
The Morpheus headset is apparently nearing its final consumer version. The new design places the device's weight on the top of the head and not on top of the face unlike the Oculus Rift.
The headset is quite light. The redesigned strap distributes the weight evenly for a more comfortable fit.
A button at the side allows a gamer to quickly tilt the visor away from the face so he can orient himself with the room.
There will also be less than 18 millisecond latency in a game which is indistinguishable from the way we perceive the real world, claims Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony's Worldwide Studios.
The race for a market-leading virtual reality device is now fully under way. In 2014 Facebook acquired the company behind the rival Oculus Rift headset, although the device's final specifications and release date remain unknown.
Yoshida is now looking over his shoulder at the threats presented by Google, HTC and Valve that are challenging Morpheus with the Oculus Rift and Vive virtual reality headsets.
"Over the last year we have all seen the virtual reality world explode," Yoshida said. "Whether it's Morpheus, Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR, an increasing number of people are looking at moving virtual reality from the realm of science fiction into our living rooms."
He said the combination of Sony's sleek headset with the "robust platform" that is the PS4 will provide the standard for game developers to target with their virtual reality video games and experiences in the future.
