Not long ago, Sony took the gaming world by surprise by revealing Project Morpheus, a Virtual Reality platform deep in development that truly promises to finally integrate VR into the gaming industry. Up until that point, the Oculus Rift was the only similar technology in the spotlight. But just how viable is Sony’s Project Morpheus, and how far away in development is it currently? Is the Project Morpheus a viable, tangible technology that we can see in the immediate future, or is it a work in progress that still needs many years to come to fruition?
This topic is highly debatable. In a recent interview, Sony president Shuhei Yoshida explained that the technology is still light-years from being refined. “It’s not even starting in a real way. When we launch Project Morpheus, or when [Oculus VR] launch Oculus as a consumer product, I can see another 20 years of progress for all kinds of things” he explained. He went on, by comparing the current state of Virtual Reality to the initial Playstation 1 and 3D graphics. Some people at the large Japanese publishers were very skeptical about 3D graphics tech. But after 20 years, things have really progressed. We have amazing games like The Last of Us orJourney or Beyond–games that use 3D realtime rendering for a variety of things.”
This is not where the GamesBeat interview ended though. Yoshida elaborated on what the Project Morpheus tech really means at its present state. “We are still really trying to define or discover what works and what’s required for the hardware tech. Our team feels that we’re getting closer, but there are certain things that still have to be improved to make a good consumer product”. Of course, when talking about such a technological leap, it’s only natural that Sony tests the waters carefully.
However, Yoshida’s current attitude seems to contradict what we’ve been led to believe over the last few months. Project Cars, an upcoming AAA racing game will be among the first games to make use of the Project Morpheus on the Sony PS4. Since Project Cars is set for release this year (most likely fall), the pressure seems to be on. If the game truly supports the VR technology of Sony, that also means that the device should make its way to consumers, and soon. What’s the real deal? We haven’t seen anything tangible from either the Oculus Rift or Project Morpheus, yet there are games that boast support for these platforms.
The stunning looking Project Cars is said to support Sony’s Virtual Reality platform. The game is coming out later this year.
At this point, anyone interested in Project Cars is naturally asking questions: How much will the Project Morpheus cost? When is it released officially? How do I pre-order it?. Unfortunately, Shuhei Yoshida didn’t seem to have the answers for these questions. At this point, it’s anybody’s guess whether games like Project Cars will be delayed, or Sony will be actually presenting a tangible, possibly purchasable device at E3 in June. What’s your take? Do you think it’s too early to think about Virtual Reality in the living room?