Today at GDC Sony is having what they are calling an 'Innovation at PlayStation' Panel.

There will be no live stream of the presentation, but there is this live blog. This is where I source confirmation that Yes, Sony is bringing a VR system to the PS4.

"I'm thrilled to introduce Project Morpheus," PS4's VR headset. I could have that name wrong, stand by. Video playing now.

It should be noted that there is a possibility the XBOX will join the fray as well.

So now I am asking - Hey Bungie! That VR-thingy with your Destiny-mabob. Can I haz?

So now I am asking - Hey Bungie! That VR-thingy with your Destiny-mabob. Can I haz?

The super Marathon cybermax edition that never was!

You know, if they really try to go through with this stuff, I hope they start trying to step sound processing up accordingly. Even if it meant some significant compromises in other areas, I'd love to see a game where you not only have an incredibly good 3D view in the game world, but also have plausible sound employing things like HRTFs to impose a really solid sense of location.

I want to crap my pants when a weird Fallen-manufactured frankenstein thing hiding me shouts "FROG BLAST THE VENT CORE!"

You know, if they really try to go through with this stuff, I hope they start trying to step sound processing up accordingly. Even if it meant some significant compromises in other areas, I'd love to see a game where you not only have an incredibly good 3D view in the game world, but also have plausible sound employing things like HRTFs to impose a really solid sense of location.

I want to crap my pants when a weird Fallen-manufactured frankenstein thing hiding me shouts "FROG BLAST THE VENT CORE!"

Apparently that will be one area that Sony will be investigating within Project Morpheus.

From John Carmack,

“Calibrate PS4 VR expectations: a game that ran 60 fps on PS3 could be done in VR (stereo 1080 MSAA low latency 60 fps) on PS4,”

Destiny is targeted at 30 FPS on the PS3 right? It might need some cutbacks to be acceptable in VR. VR also brings up some weirdness in terms of jumping out into third person, which Destiny does quite a bit.

Edit: Worth noting that Carmack works for a competing company though.

From John Carmack,

“Calibrate PS4 VR expectations: a game that ran 60 fps on PS3 could be done in VR (stereo 1080 MSAA low latency 60 fps) on PS4,”

Destiny is targeted at 30 FPS on the PS3 right? It might need some cutbacks to be acceptable in VR. VR also brings up some weirdness in terms of jumping out into third person, which Destiny does quite a bit.

Edit: Worth noting that Carmack works for a competing company though.

1. As time goes on developers always figure out how to squeeze more out of the existing hardware.
2. You can always cut back to hit the higher framerate.
3. Destiny VR would simply have to be first person all the time.
4. Clearly VR is more likely on the PS4 given it is demonstrably more powerful than the Xbox One.

From John Carmack,

“Calibrate PS4 VR expectations: a game that ran 60 fps on PS3 could be done in VR (stereo 1080 MSAA low latency 60 fps) on PS4,”

Destiny is targeted at 30 FPS on the PS3 right? It might need some cutbacks to be acceptable in VR. VR also brings up some weirdness in terms of jumping out into third person, which Destiny does quite a bit.

Edit: Worth noting that Carmack works for a competing company though.

However, one way (that will become used in VR and UHD) to ameliorate lack of power is to do eye-tracking and use it to do foveated-rendering. If Sony can manage to squeeze that into their device then they'd be in a very good position: being able to provide VR games on-par with or with better visuals than TV PS4 experiences.

From John Carmack,

“Calibrate PS4 VR expectations: a game that ran 60 fps on PS3 could be done in VR (stereo 1080 MSAA low latency 60 fps) on PS4,”

Destiny is targeted at 30 FPS on the PS3 right? It might need some cutbacks to be acceptable in VR. VR also brings up some weirdness in terms of jumping out into third person, which Destiny does quite a bit.

Edit: Worth noting that Carmack works for a competing company though.

However, one way (that will become used in VR and UHD) to ameliorate lack of power is to do eye-tracking and use it to do foveated-rendering. If Sony can manage to squeeze that into their device then they'd be in a very good position: being able to provide VR games on-par with or with better visuals than TV PS4 experiences.

I'd love to see for myself how that would hold up in a high-speed game environment. MSAA+TAA is a reasonable solution given the needs of the AA for the low-res renders.

However, one way (that will become used in VR and UHD) to ameliorate lack of power is to do eye-tracking and use it to do foveated-rendering. If Sony can manage to squeeze that into their device then they'd be in a very good position: being able to provide VR games on-par with or with better visuals than TV PS4 experiences.

That's actually pretty damn cool. I can definitely see a thousand things going wrong with it, though.

So now I am asking - Hey Bungie! That VR-thingy with your Destiny-mabob. Can I haz?

Ars says it's better than Oculus Rift. It would be hilarious if Sony beat Oculus to market with a superior product.

It would be hilarious if Sony beat Oculus to market with a superior product.

IMO, it'd be very sad and soul-crushing for small hardware developers all over. The Pebble smartwatch almost suffered a fate like that and I'm sure it was very scary for them.

On the other hand, "real artists ship..." or as Christopher Chance said, "...what have I told you? Don't make threats."

I feel strongly that the pioneers of a technology should be rewarded, but how long are the established players supposed to sit by and watch development companies fart around with neat things in public before they're allowed to move? I guess I'd just feel more for Oculus if their work wasn't "out in the open" as it were.

It would be hilarious if Sony beat Oculus to market with a superior product.

IMO, it'd be very sad and soul-crushing for small hardware developers all over. The Pebble smartwatch almost suffered a fate like that and I'm sure it was very scary for them.

Oculus should have shipped something. It's their own fault. Get it out there and make money. The prototypes were pretty good. Completely playable and fun. They keep delaying because they want the perfect product, not knowing that technology advances all the time, so they will forever be revising. You put it out and keep innovating. Meanwhile, Sony's headset will be connected to every PS4 because they actually get it.

It would be hilarious if Sony beat Oculus to market with a superior product.

IMO, it'd be very sad and soul-crushing for small hardware developers all over. The Pebble smartwatch almost suffered a fate like that and I'm sure it was very scary for them.

Oculus should have shipped something. It's their own fault. Get it out there and make money. The prototypes were pretty good. Completely playable and fun. They keep delaying because they want the perfect product, not knowing that technology advances all the time, so they will forever be revising. You put it out and keep innovating. Meanwhile, Sony's headset will be connected to every PS4 because they actually get it.

So I take it you were slightly disappointed by how Duke Nukem Forever's development went, lol.

It would be hilarious if Sony beat Oculus to market with a superior product.

IMO, it'd be very sad and soul-crushing for small hardware developers all over. The Pebble smartwatch almost suffered a fate like that and I'm sure it was very scary for them.

Oculus should have shipped something. It's their own fault. Get it out there and make money. The prototypes were pretty good. Completely playable and fun. They keep delaying because they want the perfect product, not knowing that technology advances all the time, so they will forever be revising. You put it out and keep innovating. Meanwhile, Sony's headset will be connected to every PS4 because they actually get it.

So I take it you were slightly disappointed by how Duke Nukem Forever's development went, lol.

I never really played Duke Nukem so I didn't care so much. I was a Marathon Kid :-p

It would be hilarious if Sony beat Oculus to market with a superior product.

IMO, it'd be very sad and soul-crushing for small hardware developers all over. The Pebble smartwatch almost suffered a fate like that and I'm sure it was very scary for them.

Oculus should have shipped something. It's their own fault. Get it out there and make money. The prototypes were pretty good. Completely playable and fun. They keep delaying because they want the perfect product, not knowing that technology advances all the time, so they will forever be revising. You put it out and keep innovating. Meanwhile, Sony's headset will be connected to every PS4 because they actually get it.

You could buy an Oculus Rift DK1 for yourself online up until recently - they shipped something like 50,000 units. You can pre-order DK2 right now. It'll start shipping in July - less than 4 months away.

Sure, it's still labeled as a 'Dev Kit' but anyone can buy the hardware and try to the experiences that have already been built for it; such that they are. That is not even remotely true of any other device close to the category. If you got a problem with that then thats a comment on the marketing rather than their ability to ship.

Hardware isn't the issue though. The main issue is lack of content: the killer app. Supporting software and services is also one of Oculus' concerns before releasing a device they want to call 'Consumer Version 1.'

Sony isn't really going to be able to pull that stuff out of their butts any quicker than Oculus and the interested PC developers can. The software demos they showed were extremely basic. They'll be able to piggy-back on existing efforts for the Oculus Rift but they'll still have OS-side problems and no-one (unlike Valve's Steam VR mode) to help them with that. I have a PS4 and the OS is the worst thing about it.

If Project Morpheus isn't PC compatible then isn't that because Sony is too afraid to compete directly with Oculus?

Hardware isn't the issue though. The main issue is lack of content: the killer app.

And that's because they haven't shipped a consumer unit yet to run it on!

Hardware isn't the issue though. The main issue is lack of content: the killer app.

And that's because they haven't shipped a consumer unit yet to run it on!

Your logic hurts me.

http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2014/03/facebook-to-acquire-oculus/

Oculus belongs to Facebook now. It's toast.

Is this an early april fools joke?!

Like seriously, WTF!?

Facebook is... not a company whose philosophy I agree with.

Historically, Sony aren't my favourite company in the world either but they look like the far better option now. For the second time in a year!

http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2014/03/facebook-to-acquire-oculus/

Oculus belongs to Facebook now. It's toast.

Is this an early april fools joke?!

That's what I thought.

Seriously, what the hell is this? Facebook wants VR goggles for... huh?

http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2014/03/facebook-to-acquire-oculus/

Oculus belongs to Facebook now. It's toast.

Is this an early april fools joke?!

I didn't much care about VR to begin with.

Now I care even less.

The good news is we got some great tweets from Peter Molydeux. This is also the bad news.

The Simpsons really DO do everything first.

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