At the 2014 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Sony Worldwide Studios’ president Shuhei Yoshida revealed an interesting new accessory the company is developing to work with their PlayStation 4 console.
Called “Project Morpheus”, the VR headset creates an immersive, virtual world in front of your eyes with with a 1080p display and an array of motion tracking sensors. In development since 2010, the company is finally revealing the technology to collect feedback and get development kits in the hands of third-party developers.
Of course, the implications this technology has for racing games is immediately obvious, as confirmed by Shuhei Yoshida himself when he mentioned that driving games are the “best applications” for the VR headset. (It’s also worth noting that Shuhei Yoshida is on Polyphony Digital’s Board of Directors.)
Twitter user @thuway, a claimed industry insider who has gained the trust of many in the gaming media over the past few months, also mentions that both DriveClub (another PS4 racing game in development by a Sony-owned game studio) and Gran Turismo 7 are being designed to make use of this hardware.
This is a reasonable prediction – there is no question that GT7 is eventually coming to the PlayStation 4, and the Gran Turismo series has a long history of integrating with and pioneering the use of other Sony technology, such as GT5’s use of head-tracking and full support of 3D televisions.
For now, there is no set release date for the Project Morpheus VR headset – which is still very much a prototype – nor are there any announcements which confirm any game will make use of the technology.
See more articles on PlayStation 4, Rumors, and Shuhei Yoshida.
my neck hurts just thinking about that. I wonder if that thing is going to use a battery(which means lots of recharging) or a wired cord(which means more clutter). Didn’t nintendo do something like this a long time ago?
Does this come with Dramamine? I imagine I would need a hefty dose of it.
What this means for racing games is being immersed in the car, being able to look around the interior or glancing out the side window to get a better idea of the apex, I mean this is a massive game changer.
Yep! You will no longer be tied to your TV for your virtual racing needs. :)
I feel like for racing games especially this will emphasize even more the need for motion simulation feedback.
As is I find myself leaning into corners with just my wheel and TV… think when you are in VR space and there is no G force pulling you in any direction… how weird is that gonna feel…
My friend and I have been following Oculus since its kickstarter, the prototype only tracked head movement resulting in motion sickness because any body movement was not registered, how many of you lean to the right or left when taking a turn on GT lol I know I do. Oculus then introduced a little motion cam that monitors the orientation of the device on your head, problem solved, so any movement of the head and body is replicated in the game. I’m just thinking will we need to purchase the eye toy as well? unless Sony has come up with a unique solution, some way of sensing head and body movement all built in, its possible.
I believe they use the PS Camera for full motion tracking.
I just read that Facebook is buying oculus for 2 Billion Dollar. That scares me. Who does Zuckeberg think he is? Mine, mine, mine… everything is mine… ooh, i want everything!!!!
This Facebook is everywhere. I´m so sick of it. (by the way., i´m not a member an never will be)
Stop the lies Kaz!!! ALL I WANT NOW IS THE CIGARETTE 50″ RACING VISION GT SPEED BOAT!!!!!
And the moon we got teased of..
We have the moon, and I’d rather not have the boat because that would mean PD would waste so much time developing water for something that isn’t even a car instead of adding more cars or, I don’t know, ADDING ZAHARA!!!
But we’d finally be able to swim with Nelly…
Just imagine the subliminal massages SONY & PD would be sending to angry GT 6.5 users. LOL. Seriously, when this technology is refined, gaming experience will change dramatically and forever. Imagine COD/BF4 in your head vice on a screen. And a VR suit that lets you feel.
WTF… why does it have to lool like that. Fancy design makes it expensive an forces compromises between practicality and design. And you will still look stupid with it.
I prefer the orculus dev kit´s look, it is simple an practical.
Why should i care how it looks on me? It´s not that i go to a prom with it.
So Sony… make it work and don´t care how it looks.
Because, most of us don´t. I THINK ;)
Personally not really excited about a VR headset, won’t buy it, however I do think it’s cool and an awesome idea. The funny thing at this point is we’re learning more about GT7 than the work being done for GT6…if there is any -_- . Thank God Project Cars is coming out this Fall…
Let me guess, GT7 will not support this technology on release, but will receive the funcionality through a software update x years after the PS5 comes out…? They should stop making these kind of promises.
So “reasonable prediction” turns into a promise. Learn to read and comprehend and you won’t be ‘disappointed’ in the future.
You are assuming he is talking about the twitter post only and not the statement from the Stoney rep.
Learn some critical thinking and not being singleminded.
I think however, if they could integrate what wheel you have as the wheel displayed, and a motion sensor in front of it, that would be amazing but that is only a dream…
^ That
@ swagger897 fool, where does the “stoney rep” (I think you mean Sony rep) even make a mention of this device and GT7? This article is just stating that they are trying to collect feedback for it. that’s it. He said that driving games are the “best application” for it but because this is published on GT planet you all immediately link it to gran Turismo. YOU learn some critical thinking buddy.
First of all… Let’s see what info we have in this article.
Shuhei Yoshida – SWS president//PD Board of Directors//
Gran Turismo – controlled by PD//PD controlled by SCEI//SCEI owned by Sony
Racing games – anything with a car
Quote – “the implications this technology has for racing games is immediately obvious, as confirmed by Shuhei Yoshida himself when he mentioned that driving games are the “best applications” for the VR headset.”
So, what we can do with critical thinking, is using analysis to compare and contrast what is possible.
This is meant for the PS 4, the president of SWS claimed himself “driving games are the best applications…”
Gran Turismo 7 will be coming to PS 4. Meaning, through critical thinking, this will be a beta test for GT7 use.
However, as seen through sloppy management of releasing titles for the past two iterations, it may as well be labeled up to a month or two in excess of being late…
What driving game do you think he would be referring to? NFS, or a game in which he is on the developers board for?
think my friend, think…
^ Yup
Sorry Swagger487, now you are being intellectually dishonest and blowing smoke. Your whole post is conjecture, and as liv4hardstyle said, they made no mention (much less a PROMISE as Fryto complained) of this coming to GT7. You can connect the dots all you want, but the fact is it wasn’t said, which is why liv4’s point is valid about Fryto getting all angry over a promise that was never made.
From what I’ve heard from gaming sites and the like, this is meant to be fat superior to the Oculus Rift at this current state.
I meant to say far superior. Edit feature for comments would be nice.
Imagine when you will be disconnected from lobby with this one … XD
Spot on !!
VR headsets like the Oculus Rift are the biggest thing to happen to gaming since HD tv, this is a total game changer and the possible applications are endless, if its anything like the Oculus with motion sensors to detect body and head tilt as well as total head movement it will be incredible…who needs a tv. As well as being totally immersed in a game it can simulate sitting in front of a 100 foot cinema screen. No news yet as to what exactly the features of Sony’s headset are only that it will be in the same ‘ ballpark ‘ as the Oculus Rift. I did think it strange that the Oculus camp stated that they wee not making it for the next gen consoles…now we know why.
Since PC had HD resolutions long before HD TV, I’d say this is as big a step as going from digital controls to analog, i.e. even bigger than HD TV. :)
That’s nice and all… but I can’t imagine myself driving in a racing sim with a VR headset – because it limits my view on the wheel, buttons and gear…
Are you really looking @ the “wheel, buttons, and gear” while racing anyways? I’d imagine it would work in conjunction with a TV screen, rested on top of your head, or around your neck until you were ready to hit that “Start Race” icon. A rolling start or animated sequence would give you enough time to “visor-up” before the race started, and you’d have yourself a drive to remember in the process. It would be even better, if like the Wii U’s tablet controller, both screens worked together in conjunction, and whilst in VR mode, spectators were treated to an action packed cinematic of the race in real time on the TV screen as you raced. Two or more VR sets @ live events/ competitions would be the start of something tremendous.
Well, of course you’re looking at it… it’s simply an input that’s missing when you’re looking through the vr headset, even if you manage to manipulate the wheel blindly. The question is, will it really feel more authentic with vr? I mean… it’s one of those things nice to have, but absolutely useless… like the 3D compatibility of GT5 / GT6… I actually never use it, even though I’m a stereophotographer myself and often experiment/play with 3D output.
Driving a real car feels different. A multi-monitor setup gets much closer to that feel than a VR headset.
Umm… no. VR in a racing game would be fantastic. It gives something like 160 degrees view, and when you tilt your head down the screen moves down. When you move your hear right, the screen moves right. The screen will bobble like in real life.
Anyways… We already have something in which we wouldn’t have to turn our heads all the way around…
It’s called trackIR and Sony needs to fund them..
@ildd: the problem with VR is it makes you end up in a dream-like space, in which your hands and feet don’t really interact with the virtual environment. If VR should feel real, the developers would need to track our hands and provide us with some kind of haptic feedback (and that isn’t all that simple to achieve: http://www.terrasco.net/index.php?m=read&y=2013&msg=126 )
First to comment, that is all.
Oppps, second.
Fail. Haha
I know, right?
While this is very cool, I just wish that the GT related news coming from Sony still had something to do with GT6! I may not be getting a PS4, and until GT7 is actually near finished, I wish we could get more communication from Sony and PD on GT6.
This^
Agreed, and this is mostly GT7 speculation, which I’d also rather not hear because they say they are stilling working/focusing on GT6 content, so GT7 talk just feels super premature.