For the past three years a dedicated team at Sony have been working on 'Project Morpheus', a virtual reality headset that's coming to the PlayStation 4. Announced by SCE Worldwide Studio's Shuhei Yoshida at GDC 2014, the headset is still a prototype at this stage, even though the black and white design revealed on stage already looks quite slick.
In its current form, Project Morpheus packs a 5-inch, 1080p display that gives a 90 degree field of view, plus 360 degree positional head tracking powered by the PlayStation Camera. The headset will also integrate with the PlayStation Move controller, transforming into a virtual object such as a sword in select games.
As for audio, Sony claims the headset has "true spatial sound" through binaural audio for 3D-like effects, and there's an audio jack on the device so you can bring your own headphones. The edges of Project Morpheus will emit a subtle blue light while in operation (likely for tracking purposes), and the headset is said to be very adjustable and comfortable for prolonged gaming sessions.
The current developer kit prototype is wired, connecting to the PlayStation 4 with both HDMI and USB, although a wireless unit isn't off the cards. Sony is already working with several game developers, including Crytek and Epic Games, to develop content for Project Morpheus, but the public unveiling at GDC will hopefully entice several more to hop aboard.
Sony hasn't mentioned a launch timeframe for their virtual reality headset, or a targeted price, so we'll just have to wait for more information. It'll be interesting to see how the headset competes with the Oculus Rift, which is already in the hands of many developers.