Virtual reality (VR) headsets are around since the 1960s, and as you would expect, they have evolved and gotten better in recent times. But they really haven't much caught on as workable consumer products. You could possibly have seen the occasional VR headset within the arcade, and home models have popped up occasionally to be snatched up by enthusiasts after which fizzle out, but at the moment, they're more at residence in research labs as well as military training facilities. Despite their continued existence plus the obvious cool factor, they haven't become because common as our speculative fiction led us to believe they would have been can't. There are lots involving possible reasons, including their particular low resolution, tendency to cause simulation sickness plus the prohibitive cost of better models.
But conditions get changed. Graphics processing, motions tracking and display systems, among other things, have all improved vastly because the inception of VR, and also everything has gotten smaller and cheaper. We are in possession of far more powerful processors, a myriad of sensors and small high-resolution displays which might be bringing consumer VR to the realm of possibility. The actual release, to much fanfare, of the Oculus Rift VR headset development kit in 2013 has made relatively inexpensive residence models seem likely in the future.
Now a major company is jumping to the VR arena. Sony Computer Entertainment has developed a working VR headset, codenamed Venture Morpheus, specifically for the PlayStation 4 gaming system. It's in prototype phase as of this writing, so the technical specs, functionality and the name may change if the consumer model is eventually out, but it is going to be no less cool.
Background of Project Morpheus:
Although we're just now getting details on Project Morpheus, it was in the works for over three years, so the device isn't only Sony's response to the Oculus Rift. Sony was already making virtual theater headsets such as HMZ personal 3D viewing system. In 2010, the company released the Playstation 3 or xbox Move motion controllers for Playstation 3, which enabled sophisticated motion pursuing. At that point, various internal groups began delving into your possibility of virtual reality for the PlayStation gaming system. The groups began batting ideas back and forth and sharing their work collectively. Higher ups in Sony took note and it developed into an official project.
A team called Grover was formed from members of the Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) Hardware group, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) R&D and Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios to work on a prototype, and it has gone through several iterations. Primary, they duct taped PS Move controllers to some HEADPLAY Personal Cinema System, the third-party headset for viewing shows, games and other media. Next in 2011, they attached PS Move components to some higher-resolution Sony HMZ viewer. Inside 2012, they produced a demo video of an VR prototype that consisted of HMZ headset with one fastened Move and another Move controller from the user's hand for more command. It had a much narrower area of view than their best goal, but it worked pertaining to demonstration purposes.
More than three years of experimentation have finally yielded Project Morpheus, a prototype that's unveiled at the March 2014 Online game Developers Conference (GDC) in S . fransisco by Shuhei Yoshida (President -- SCE Worldwide Studios), Richard Signifies (Senior Director of Magic Labs -- SCEA R&D) and Anton Mikhailov (Senior Software program Engineer - SCEA R&D).
The device's current name arises from Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, for the dreamlike go through the headset is supposed to bring to mind. Despite not being ready pertaining to market, Project Morpheus has lots of cool components and capabilities. Read on to uncover what technical details we know by mid-2014.
Technological Specs:
The current Project Morpheus prototype is a sleek grayscale wearable VR headset. It features a 5-inch (12. 7-centimeter) LCD exhibit with 1920 by 1080 pixel (960 by means of 1080 per eye) resolution, which users will view through unique lenses. In order to imitate 3D binocular vision, each eye will dsicover a slightly different rendering associated with an image at a different position.
The device provides a 90-degree horizontal field of view for people wearing glasses -- possibly additional for others. They have built 15mm to help 25mm of eye relief to the headset. It also allows for many interpupillary distance (IPD).
Several components and peripherals is fine together to handle positional checking and motion control for Undertaking Morpheus. The headset incorporates inertial receptors (gyroscopes and accelerometers) to observe head motion and orientation. An external PlayStation Camera (an optional peripheral for PS4 which will be required to use Project Morpheus) will track LEDs all around the device, even on the back on the headset, to keep tabs about the user's position. The device will also help existing PS Dualshock 4 and PS Move controllers to ensure PlayStation 4 can track your hands together with your head. The system allows for six degrees of freedom, has a 3-meter working volume and tracks the career and orientation of the headset with a refresh rate of 1000 Hz.
Project Morpheus also incorporates 3d audio technology that delivers omnidirectional sound by simulating as much as 60 virtual speakers so that sounds look like they're coming from very specific directions around you. The audio will change accordingly as you move to deliver the nearly all realistically immersive experience possible. The sound is delivered through headphones attached to an audio jack on the particular headset. Wireless headphones will also work.
Aside from the headphone jack port, the device has HDMI and USB ports and is particularly currently wired with a 5-meter (16. 4-foot) cable, although the team will explore making the consumer model instant. The prototype connects via the wire to some small breakout box, which in return connects to the PlayStation several (and optionally your television). The box has a USB port, three HDMI ports and also a power connector.
The prototype was created using comfort in mind. It was designed which means that your head would bear the load without putting weight on your nose, cheeks or other elements of your face. An open-air design enables airflow to help prevent contact lens fogging or overheating, but still manages to block light for your eyes to decrease potential disturbances. There are various adjustment points about the prototype to make room regarding different head shapes.
All of the technical features are tentative and could change in the next version or versions. For the buyer model, they are considering a larger quality OLED display, and they plan to exercise any kinks and make it as plug-and-play as you possibly can so that anyone will feel comfortable using it. No firm details for long term versions have been released at the time of this writing.
Project Morpheus has been designed to use the powerful PlayStation 4 to produce an immersive VR gaming experience where you put on the headset and lose yourself in a very virtual world. Sony is calling the anticipated experience "presence, " which is the feeling that you will be actually physically present in the experience world.
According to the designers of Project Morpheus, some in the key elements to creating occurrence are low latency, high shape rate, good calibration, believable or perhaps consistent scale of game materials, clean image rendering and sensible 3D audio. Low latency and high frame rate are keys to avoiding motion sickness. It also helps if you will find contact points within the game that match the positioning of your actual hands, say on a steering wheel or other specialized controller or attachment like the PlayStation Move. With the appropriate game and right implement, you can feel like you are in fact swinging a sword or steering a motor vehicle.
The breakout box can link to your television to display the image the headset user's left eye is seeing so that others can watch the gameplay. There's even the possibility of non-headset users playing from the person with the headset, although presently only the headset-wearer's view may be possible on the TV screen. Players may also be able to interact with the headset wearer from the PlayStation phone app or your PlayStation Vita portable device.
Though Project Morpheus is a gaming system peripheral, the company hopes that it will likely be used for other things similar to shopping or visiting museums or other places of the world -- possibly beyond. They have already caused NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on a Mars demo using real footage captured through the Curiosity rover.
Sony is focusing on game engines, development tools as well as a VR distribution channel. They are partnering with many third-party companies for developing content along with other necessary software. Some partners consist of Unity, Havok, Gigantic, Autodesk Gameware Scaleform, DDD, World famous Games, Silicon Studio, CRI Middleware, Bitsquid, Crytek and also FMOD. The Project Morpheus team is also particularly keen to use indie game developers because they are able to create new and innovative experiences while not having to wait for approval from some sort of corporate entity.
Even though these devices isn't out yet, a few games or partial game experiences happen to be demonstrated with the headset, like the following:
"The Deep" -- a partial demo game produced by Sony's London Studio where the gamer is lowered into the ocean in a very diving cage to view, and also sometimes battle, sea life.
"Thief" -- a non-game build in the sections of the game "Thief" allowing the player to explore your "Thief" universe.
"The Castle" -- a medieval game the spot that the player uses two Move controllers to seize various weapons to beat, mangle or else manipulate a dummy.
"EVE: Valkyrie" -- a spaceship dog-fighting game made especially for VR by CCP, creators in the popular online game "EVE. "
Background of Project Morpheus:
Although we're just now getting details on Project Morpheus, it was in the works for over three years, so the device isn't only Sony's response to the Oculus Rift. Sony was already making virtual theater headsets such as HMZ personal 3D viewing system. In 2010, the company released the Playstation 3 or xbox Move motion controllers for Playstation 3, which enabled sophisticated motion pursuing. At that point, various internal groups began delving into your possibility of virtual reality for the PlayStation gaming system. The groups began batting ideas back and forth and sharing their work collectively. Higher ups in Sony took note and it developed into an official project.
A team called Grover was formed from members of the Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) Hardware group, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) R&D and Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios to work on a prototype, and it has gone through several iterations. Primary, they duct taped PS Move controllers to some HEADPLAY Personal Cinema System, the third-party headset for viewing shows, games and other media. Next in 2011, they attached PS Move components to some higher-resolution Sony HMZ viewer. Inside 2012, they produced a demo video of an VR prototype that consisted of HMZ headset with one fastened Move and another Move controller from the user's hand for more command. It had a much narrower area of view than their best goal, but it worked pertaining to demonstration purposes.
More than three years of experimentation have finally yielded Project Morpheus, a prototype that's unveiled at the March 2014 Online game Developers Conference (GDC) in S . fransisco by Shuhei Yoshida (President -- SCE Worldwide Studios), Richard Signifies (Senior Director of Magic Labs -- SCEA R&D) and Anton Mikhailov (Senior Software program Engineer - SCEA R&D).
The device's current name arises from Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, for the dreamlike go through the headset is supposed to bring to mind. Despite not being ready pertaining to market, Project Morpheus has lots of cool components and capabilities. Read on to uncover what technical details we know by mid-2014.
Technological Specs:
The current Project Morpheus prototype is a sleek grayscale wearable VR headset. It features a 5-inch (12. 7-centimeter) LCD exhibit with 1920 by 1080 pixel (960 by means of 1080 per eye) resolution, which users will view through unique lenses. In order to imitate 3D binocular vision, each eye will dsicover a slightly different rendering associated with an image at a different position.
The device provides a 90-degree horizontal field of view for people wearing glasses -- possibly additional for others. They have built 15mm to help 25mm of eye relief to the headset. It also allows for many interpupillary distance (IPD).
Several components and peripherals is fine together to handle positional checking and motion control for Undertaking Morpheus. The headset incorporates inertial receptors (gyroscopes and accelerometers) to observe head motion and orientation. An external PlayStation Camera (an optional peripheral for PS4 which will be required to use Project Morpheus) will track LEDs all around the device, even on the back on the headset, to keep tabs about the user's position. The device will also help existing PS Dualshock 4 and PS Move controllers to ensure PlayStation 4 can track your hands together with your head. The system allows for six degrees of freedom, has a 3-meter working volume and tracks the career and orientation of the headset with a refresh rate of 1000 Hz.
Project Morpheus also incorporates 3d audio technology that delivers omnidirectional sound by simulating as much as 60 virtual speakers so that sounds look like they're coming from very specific directions around you. The audio will change accordingly as you move to deliver the nearly all realistically immersive experience possible. The sound is delivered through headphones attached to an audio jack on the particular headset. Wireless headphones will also work.
Aside from the headphone jack port, the device has HDMI and USB ports and is particularly currently wired with a 5-meter (16. 4-foot) cable, although the team will explore making the consumer model instant. The prototype connects via the wire to some small breakout box, which in return connects to the PlayStation several (and optionally your television). The box has a USB port, three HDMI ports and also a power connector.
The prototype was created using comfort in mind. It was designed which means that your head would bear the load without putting weight on your nose, cheeks or other elements of your face. An open-air design enables airflow to help prevent contact lens fogging or overheating, but still manages to block light for your eyes to decrease potential disturbances. There are various adjustment points about the prototype to make room regarding different head shapes.
All of the technical features are tentative and could change in the next version or versions. For the buyer model, they are considering a larger quality OLED display, and they plan to exercise any kinks and make it as plug-and-play as you possibly can so that anyone will feel comfortable using it. No firm details for long term versions have been released at the time of this writing.
What can Project Morpheus do?
According to the designers of Project Morpheus, some in the key elements to creating occurrence are low latency, high shape rate, good calibration, believable or perhaps consistent scale of game materials, clean image rendering and sensible 3D audio. Low latency and high frame rate are keys to avoiding motion sickness. It also helps if you will find contact points within the game that match the positioning of your actual hands, say on a steering wheel or other specialized controller or attachment like the PlayStation Move. With the appropriate game and right implement, you can feel like you are in fact swinging a sword or steering a motor vehicle.
The breakout box can link to your television to display the image the headset user's left eye is seeing so that others can watch the gameplay. There's even the possibility of non-headset users playing from the person with the headset, although presently only the headset-wearer's view may be possible on the TV screen. Players may also be able to interact with the headset wearer from the PlayStation phone app or your PlayStation Vita portable device.
Though Project Morpheus is a gaming system peripheral, the company hopes that it will likely be used for other things similar to shopping or visiting museums or other places of the world -- possibly beyond. They have already caused NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on a Mars demo using real footage captured through the Curiosity rover.
Sony is focusing on game engines, development tools as well as a VR distribution channel. They are partnering with many third-party companies for developing content along with other necessary software. Some partners consist of Unity, Havok, Gigantic, Autodesk Gameware Scaleform, DDD, World famous Games, Silicon Studio, CRI Middleware, Bitsquid, Crytek and also FMOD. The Project Morpheus team is also particularly keen to use indie game developers because they are able to create new and innovative experiences while not having to wait for approval from some sort of corporate entity.
Even though these devices isn't out yet, a few games or partial game experiences happen to be demonstrated with the headset, like the following:
"The Deep" -- a partial demo game produced by Sony's London Studio where the gamer is lowered into the ocean in a very diving cage to view, and also sometimes battle, sea life.
"Thief" -- a non-game build in the sections of the game "Thief" allowing the player to explore your "Thief" universe.
"The Castle" -- a medieval game the spot that the player uses two Move controllers to seize various weapons to beat, mangle or else manipulate a dummy.
"EVE: Valkyrie" -- a spaceship dog-fighting game made especially for VR by CCP, creators in the popular online game "EVE. "
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