PlayStation VR

PlayStation VR
Also known as Project Morpheus (code name)
Developer Sony Interactive Entertainment
Manufacturer Sony
Product family PlayStation
Type Virtual reality headset
Release date October 13, 2016 (2016-10-13)[1]
Introductory price
Units sold Over 1 million (As of 5 June 2017)[2]
Display 5.7" OLED, 100° field of view.
Graphics 1080p RGB (960 × RGB × 1080 per eye; 90–120Hz refresh rate)"[1]
Sound 3D audio through headphone jack, and available microphone input
Input Positional tracking with 9 LED's via PlayStation Camera
Controller input
Camera PlayStation Camera
Touchpad None
Weight 610 grams
Website Official website

The PlayStation VR, known by the codename Project Morpheus during development, is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment,[3] which launched on October 13, 2016.[1]

It was designed to be fully functional with the PlayStation 4 home video game console. In certain games and demos for the VR, the player wearing the headset acts separately from other players without the headset. The PlayStation VR system can output a picture to both the PlayStation VR headset and a television simultaneously, with the television either mirroring the picture displayed on the headset, or displaying a separate image for competitive or cooperative gameplay. PlayStation VR works with either the standard DualShock 4 controller or the PlayStation Move controllers.[4]

The PlayStation VR has a 5.7 inch OLED panel, with a display resolution of 1080p.[5][6] The headset also has a processor box which enables the Social Screen video output to the television, as well as process the 3D audio effect, and uses a 3.5mm headphone jack.[5][7] The headset also has nine positional LEDs on its surface for the PlayStation Camera to track 360 degree head movement.[5][8]

As of June 5, 2017, PlayStation VR has sold over 1 million units.[9][10][11]

History

PlayStation VR headset and PlayStation Aim controller

Sony's interest in head-mounted technology dates back to the 1990s. Its first commercial unit, the Glasstron, was released in 1997.[12] One application of this technology was in the game MechWarrior 2, which permitted users of the Glasstron or Virtual I/O's iGlasses to adopt a visual perspective from inside the cockpit of the craft, using their own eyes as visual and seeing the battlefield through their craft's own cockpit.[13]

In early 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment research and development engineer Anton Mikhailov said his team had been working on Project Morpheus for more than three years. According to Mikhailov, the PlayStation 3 Move peripheral, itself revealed in June 2009, was designed with unspecified, future head-mounted technology in mind. "We specced it and built it to be a VR controller, even though VR wasn't a commodity. As engineers, we just said it was the right thing to do. At the time, we didn't have a consumer-grade project that we could work on, but it was definitely designed with that vision in mind."[14] Shuhei Yoshida, the president of Sony's worldwide studios, also said the project started as "grassroots" activity among engineers and programmers, which came into focus in 2010 once the Move controller had been released.[15] Sony also went on record to say it is mandatory for all games to have no less than 60 frames per second at all times.[16]

Project Morpheus was first announced at The 2014 Game Developers Conference. Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida introduced the device on March 18, 2014 and stated Project Morpheus was "the next innovation from PlayStation that will [shape] the future of games."[17]

On September 15, 2015, it was announced that Project Morpheus would be officially named PlayStation VR.[18] Later in 2015, Sony acquired SoftKinetic, a tech startup whose focus includes visual depth-sensing gesture recognition, for an undisclosed amount.[19]

On October 13, 2016, Sony released the PlayStation VR with the price of $399 in the US, €399 in Europe, £349 in the UK, and 44,980 yen in Japan.[20][21]

Hardware

The prototype revealed at GDC'15 included an OLED 1920 × 1080 pixel display (providing 960 × 1080 pixels resolution per eye) with an RGB subpixel matrix,[6] and is capable of displaying content at 120fps.[1] It features an FOV of 100°, 6DOF head-tracking, stereoscopic 3D, and unwarped output to a TV, either for others to view what the headset wearer sees, or a separate display to compete against the headset user using a standard PS4 controller.[22]

In September 2015 it was revealed the headset would have three rendering modes for developers to choose from: native 90 Hz, native 120 Hz, and a mode where gameplay running at 60 Hz would be displayed at 120 Hz using a motion interpolation technique called asynchronous reprojection.[23] The interpolation would be achieved with little system resources and a small latency of under 18 milliseconds. The technique would also be utilised in the native 120 Hz mode to ensure consistent framerate.[24] According to a Sony representative the company expects the interpolated 120 Hz mode to be a popular choice for games.[23]

Project Morpheus at Gamescom

PlayStation VR games can send different perspectives to the headset and television. Shuhei Yoshida, president of SIE Worldwide Studios, explained in regards to a demo by SIE Japan Studio, Monster Escape (in which four players playing off the TV must evade a monster controlled by a player using the headset), that this ability allowed VR to become an asymmetric "social experience", similarly citing the existing game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes as another example of a VR-compatible game that emphasizes interaction.[25]

Games and content

In March 2016, Sony said there were 230 developers actively working on content for PSVR, with 50 titles available by the end of the year.[26]

Existing, non-VR games can be played within PlayStation VR via "Cinematic Mode", which renders the content on a simulated projection screen in a 3D space. The mode has three screen size options, ranging up to 226 inches (18.8 ft) in virtual size. PlayStation VR also supports the display of 360-degree photos and video.[27] Other features, such as Share Play and Live from PlayStation, are also compatible within the headset.[28]

Marketing

"Our biggest challenge will be to get people demoing VR. Because there's no way to sell VR until you've tried it... You can watch over the shoulder, you can read articles, but – and I mean this genuinely – everybody that I know who has tried PlayStation VR has taken off their headset with a smile, and said 'wow'. So you've got to try it. That's the challenge."

—Michael Ephraim, SIE Australia[29]

Prior to release, Sony predicted that interest in the headset would build steadily over time, through word of mouth.[29][30]

PlayStation VR was first demonstrated on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and as a playable concept during E3 2014.[31] The device was also featured at Sony's PlayStation Experience Expo in Las Vegas in December 2014.[32] Sony announced new information regarding Project Morpheus at the 2015 Game Developers Conference, in line with the official schedule posted on their website[33] and released updated specifications.[34]

In an interview with Nikkei Japan in March 2016, Sony indicated the possibility of enabling use of the PlayStation VR in connection with a PC. This would allow the device to work with platforms extending further than the PlayStation 4.[35]

Reception

Sales

As of February 19, 2017, PlayStation VR has sold over 915,000 units. Andrew House, the President and Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), the company behind the PlayStation VR, stated that the sales of the VR was far beyond expectations.[9][10] Reviews from most publications were generally positive; critics praised the PSVR's slick and good looking design, ease to use, and availability, noting that, as compared to other headsets that require high-end computers, the PSVR only required a PS4. Most criticism was aimed at the system's performance, noting the PS4's lack of power for the system and a less impressive screen compared to the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. On June 5, 2017 the number of PlayStation VR units sold has passed 1 million.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "PlayStation VR Launches October 2016". Sony. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Schmidt, Alex (June 6, 2017). "PlayStation VR sold over 1 million units". WholesGame. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Sony announces Project Morpheus, a virtual reality headset coming to PlayStation 4". Polygon. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ Pino, Nick (March 16, 2016). "PlayStation VR hands on review - Tech Radar". Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Stein, Scott (December 6, 2015). "Sony PlayStation VR Release Date, Price and Specs - CNET". CNET. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Alessio Palumbo. Sony Dev Explains Why PS VR Screen Is Crisper Than The Others, wccftech.com, November 2015.
  7. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (March 16, 2016). "PlayStation VR"s processing unit doesn't add any power to the PS4". Polygon. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  8. ↑ O'Kane, Sean (March 15, 2016). "Sony's PlayStation VR costs $399 and is coming on October". The Verge. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Wingfield, Nick. "Popularity of Sony's PlayStation VR Surprises Even the Company". NYTimes. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  10. 1 2 "PLAYSTATION®VR SELLS THROUGH 915,000 UNITS WORLDWIDE".
  11. ↑ Webster, Andrew. "PlayStation VR surpasses 1 million units sold". Verge.
  12. ↑ Adam Rosenberg. Sony's long-standing interest in virtual reality gives Project Morpheus an edge, digitaltrends.com, March 23, 2014.
  13. ↑ Tony Sperry. Beyond 3D TV, Lulu Pres, Inc., November 2003.
  14. ↑ Sony's Anton Mikhailov on Project Morpheus' launch price and potential as a platform, Edge magazine, April 9, 2014.
  15. ↑ Jamie Feltham. Project Morpheus Started as 'grassroots activity' Following PS Move's Release, vrfocus.com, December 8, 2014.
  16. ↑ Grubb, Jeff. "Sony will reject PlayStation VR games that aren't at least 60 frames per second". Venture Beat. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Watch the full reveal for Sony's virtual reality headset, Project Morpheus". Polygon. March 26, 2014.
  18. ↑ Aaron Souppouris. "Sony's Project Morpheus is now 'PlayStation VR'". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  19. ↑ Eric Johnson. "Sony Acquires SoftKinetic, Which Can Track Hands for Virtual Reality". Re/code.
  20. ↑ "Sony: "It's a Bit Too Early to Sort out" PlayStation VR Price and Release Date". PlayStation LifeStyle. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  21. ↑ PlayStation (March 15, 2016), Andrew House, President and the Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Announcing the price and release date for PlayStation VR, retrieved March 16, 2016
  22. ↑ "PS 4 Pro kopen - Playstation 4 Pro kopen, vergelijken, prijzen en informatie". ProductGids.net (in Dutch). 1 January 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  23. 1 2 Lang, Ben (September 17, 2015). "Sony Confirms New 90Hz Display Mode for PlayStation VR (formerly Morpheus)". Road to VR. Roadtovr.com. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  24. ↑ "How Sony's PS4 VR headset will bump 60 fps to 120 fps". PS4 Daily. PS4daily.com. March 7, 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  25. ↑ Volpe, Joesph. "An intimate chat with Sony PlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida". Engadget. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  26. ↑ Paul James. Sony PlayStation VR Will Have 50 Games by End of Year, roadtovr.com, March 15, 2016.
  27. ↑ "PSVR's 'cinematic mode' boasts a virtual 226-inch screen". Engadget. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  28. ↑ Crossley, Rob (March 16, 2016). "All PS4 Games Can be Played in PlayStation VR". GameSpot. CBS Interactive.
  29. 1 2 Jamie Feltham. Sony: PlayStation VR Doesn't Have To Do 'a million units during launch', vrfocus.com, November 3, 2015.
  30. ↑ Dan Pearson. "The beauty of PSVR is that we have the PS4 to power it", gamesindustry.biz, October 28, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Joshua Topolsky Demonstrates Sony's Project Morpheus". NBC. Archived from the original on 2014-06-10.
  32. ↑ "VR with Project Morpheus". Sphinx Gamer. Archived from the original on 2015-01-09.
  33. ↑ Feltham, Jamie. "SONY PROVIDING 'AN UPDATE' ON PROJECT MORPHEUS AT GDC 2015". VRFocus. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  34. ↑ Orland, Kyle. "'Sony's new Project Morpheus prototype boasts 120Hz refresh rate, OLED display'". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  35. ↑ "'ソニー「プレステＶＲ」、399ドルで試すヒットの法則 display'". Nikkei. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
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