PlayStation VR was created by Sony Interactive Entertainment and launched in October 2016. During development, it was known by the code name Project Morpheus. It is forward compatible with the PlayStation 5 home video game console and completely operational with the PlayStation 4. Backward compatibility allows the PlayStation VR to work with the PlayStation 5 via a USB to Playstation Camera adapter that Sony provides for free to anyone who has already purchased the PS VR.
There are no PlayStation 5 games that have been confirmed to support it at this time; if a PS VR -enabled game also has a PlayStation 5 version available, the PlayStation 4 version must be installed instead via backward compatibility in order to play in virtual reality.
In several VR games and demos, the player wearing the headgear behaves differently from players not wearing the headset. The PlayStation VR system may concurrently transmit images to the PlayStation VR headgear and television, with the television either reflecting the image on the headset or displaying an additional image for competitive or cooperative gameplay. The PlayStation VR Aim controller, PlayStation Move controllers, or the conventional DualShock 4 controller are all compatible with the platform.
The 5.7-inch OLED display on the PlayStation VR offers a 1080p display resolution. The headgear also contains a processor box that uses a 3.5mm headphone jack to process the 3D audio effect and enable the Social Screen video output to the television. Nine positioning LEDs are also installed on the surface of the headset to allow the PlayStation Camera to track head movement in all directions.
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History
Since the 1990s, Sony has been interested in head-mounted display technology. Glastron, its first commercial product, was introduced in 1997. This technique was used in the video game MechWarrior 2 to allow players to adopt a visual perspective from inside the cockpit of the ship, using their own eyes as the primary source of vision and viewing the battlefield through the cockpit of their own craft.
Project Morpheus has been in development for more than three years, according to research and development engineer Anton Mikhailov of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Mikhailov claims that the PlayStation 3 Move accessory, which was unveiled in June 2009, was created with an unidentified, potential head-mounted device in mind.
“Despite the fact that VR wasn’t commonplace, we designed and manufactured it to be a controller for VR. We engineers simply stated that it was the proper course of action. We couldn’t work on a consumer-grade project at the time, but it was undoubtedly created with that idea in mind.”
The initiative began as “grassroots” work among engineers and programmers, according to Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony’s global studios, and came into focus in 2010 after the Move controller was introduced. Sony also publicly stated that all video games must always run at a frame rate of at least 60.
The 2014 Game Developers Conference was the venue for Project Morpheus’ initial announcement. On March 18, 2014, Project Morpheus was unveiled by Shuhei Yoshida, president of SIE Worldwide Studios, who called it “the next breakthrough from PlayStation that will [form] the future of games.”
Hardware
In the original model headset’s breakout box, which is situated between the TV, PS4, and PS VR all of the cords needed to connect the original PS VR model The initial iteration of the PlayStation Camera, needed to use PS VR
The prototype made public at GDC’15 included an OLED 1920 x 1080 pixel display (offering 960 x 1080 resolution per eye) with an RGB subpixel grid, and it could display material at 120 frames per second.
It has a 100° field of vision, 6DOF head tracking, stereoscopic 3D, and unwarped output to a TV, which can be used for either a separate display to compete against the headset user using a regular PS4 controller or for others to observe what the headset wearer sees.
Different viewpoints can be sent from PlayStation VR games to the headset and television. This capability allowed VR to become an asymmetric “social experience,” according to Shuhei Yoshida, president of SIE Worldwide Studios, who used a demo by Japan Studio called Monster Escape to illustrate this point. Yoshida also cited the current game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes as another example of a VR-compatible game that emphasizes interaction.
On November 10, 2017, Sony announced the CUH-ZVR2 model of the PlayStation VR, which had a few small upgrades, including an integrated stereo headset and a slimmer, more streamlined connection cord with different connectors from the CUH-ZVR1 model. HDR video pass-through is also supported by the more recent processing unit.
Aim controller For PlayStation VR
In addition to being included with Farpoint, the Aim Controller is an optional, obliquely shaped light gun accessory that costs US$59.99 when purchased alone. It more closely resembles the feel of a gun than a regular gamepad and is compatible with a small number of VR shooter games.
Contrary to the Sharp Shooter accessory from the PS3 era, it does not require a PlayStation Move controller to be inserted and has all the features of a Dualshock controller. IGN lauded it and called it “a must-have for PlayStation VR shooter aficionados.”
Playing and Content
Sony claimed in March 2016 that 230 developers were actively creating content for PlayStation VR, with 50 games expected to be released by the end of the year. Through the use of “Cinematic Mode,” which displays the material on a simulated projection screen in a 3D environment, existing, non-VR games can be played within the PlayStation VR.
Three screen sizes are available in this mode, with the largest reaching 226 inches (18.8 feet) in virtual size. 360-degree images and videos can also be displayed on PlayStation VR. The headset is also compatible with other functions like Share Play and Live from PlayStation. It may also be used to watch Blu-Ray 3D movies in 3D.
Marketing
“Getting people to try VR will be our toughest problem. Because unless you’ve tried VR, you can’t sell it… You can peek behind someone’s back or read articles, but – and I say this sincerely – everyone I know who has used PlayStation VR has removed their headgear with a smile on their face and exclaimed, “Wow.” So you must give it a try. That is the difficulty.”
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and E3 2014 both featured initial PlayStation VR demonstrations. The gadget was also demonstrated at Sony’s PlayStation Experience Expo in December 2014 in Las Vegas. In accordance with the official timeline listed on their website and during the 2015 Game Developers Conference, Sony unveiled additional details and revised specifications for Project Morpheus.
