Sony set to reveal PS4 VR-headset at GDC 2014


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Rumours of Sony's PS4 virtual reality headset have been running rife since last year, but now an inside source has told TechRadar that they've spent some time with the helmet behind closed doors - and it's almost ready to be revealed.

Our confidential tipster said that they were impressed with the quality of Sony's Oculus Rift competitor. "The quality and resolution are really, really good," they said. "People will definitely be impressed with what Sony's built".

They also told us that they understand Sony plans to announce the headset at GDC 2014, which kicks off in San Francisco on March 17.

Virtually just around the corner

With rumours that Sony might show off some VR games at E3, it makes sense for it to unveil the headset beforehand and keep Las Vegas focused on the software.

Talk of Sony's headset surfaced last year with word that we'd see it unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show, something that never materialised.

Our source told us that "Sony has deliberately taken its time to tweak and polish the headset before revealing it", rather than taking Oculus's approach of releasing the Rift to developers in stages.

Oculus Rift recently told TechRadar that it saw the PS4 and Xbox One as too limited for its headset, so it's good timing for Sony to swoop in and give console gamers a dose of virtual reality.

We've contacted Sony for comment and will update if we hear more.

Source: http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/sony-set-to-reveal-ps4-virtual-reality-headset-at-gdc-2014-1226620

It obviously exists and GDC seems like a good event to show new tech at.

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Maybe the OPM reveal cover isn't a game at all :alien:

Interested to see this either way

Dun dun duunnnnnnn!

Nah I think OPM is definitely a game. The Occulus rift comment above on consoles isn't too promising. I think many might of thought if Sony go and do their own thing MS will nab a deal with OR. I don't think there are any rumours of MS working on their own VR headset?

 

The Witness would be pretty cool to launch with VR.

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I really wish they would have just left well enough alone and just worked with oculus. Can we please standardize this ####.

This is most likely a dumb question.. but would Sony's version be limited to only the PS3/PS4?  I assume the input would just be an HDMI port so it would just as easily work with an xb1 or non-sony bluray player?  If thats the case I am not against a little competetion or varying levels of quality...

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I really wish they would have just left well enough alone and just worked with oculus. Can we please standardize this ####.

 

Oculus Rift recently told TechRadar that it saw the PS4 and Xbox One as too limited for its headset, so it's good timing for Sony to swoop in and give console gamers a dose of virtual reality.

 

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I really wish they would have just left well enough alone and just worked with oculus. Can we please standardize this ####.

 

 

Sony? Standardise/Non-proprietary? Da*** reality are you living in?  :rofl:

 

If Sony can pull this off, VR could be to them what motion controls were for the Wii. Before you know it:

 

79zQJJT.gif

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Although Drive Club quite clearly needed a delay, does anyone think VR is why it's kept in the dark as much as it is? Even now we've hardly seen or heard anything since the delay. It's not as if the studio has a bad past of failing to get things out, Motorstorm was there for the start of the PS3, as well as further titles throughout the PS3 life.

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Cool stuff, but many questions remain. I hope this is not an Apple TV type of thing where we get constant rumors that its going to be announced, only for the day to come and there is no announcement.

Let's hear about it already! :laugh:

 

Dun dun duunnnnnnn!

Nah I think OPM is definitely a game. The Occulus rift comment above on consoles isn't too promising. I think many might of thought if Sony go and do their own thing MS will nab a deal with OR. I don't think there are any rumours of MS working on their own VR headset?


Yeah, there were rumors. More than rumors in fact. Remember all those documents leaked before the console launch? They included plans for a some sort of glasses of the VR variety. Plus, there are have been patents awarded to them for aspects of such a headset. Does that mean they are far along with such a product? Who knows.

 
 

Sony? Standardise/Non-proprietary? Da*** reality are you living in?  :rofl:
 
If Sony can pull this off, VR could be to them what motion controls were for the Wii. Before you know it:
 
79zQJJT.gif



Sony's VR headtset + MS' Kinect could be the future of this, at least an middle step until there is some other full body solution.

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I still wonder what the limitations will be considering that the Oculus Rift guys pretty much admit that the next gen consoles could not provide the performance need to create the level of experience that their headset provides.

Maybe that means Sony's headset will be displaying at a lower res than the equivalent Oculus Rift headset. I'm interested in seeing what they have come up with.

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I still wonder what the limitations will be considering that the Oculus Rift guys pretty much admit that the next gen consoles could not provide the performance need to create the level of experience that their headset provides.

Maybe that means Sony's headset will be displaying at a lower res than the equivalent Oculus Rift headset. I'm interested in seeing what they have come up with.

 

Quite possibly.  I'd hold out hope that developed in-house for a single system would help at least come close, like first-party developers.  It might not quite hit OR, but it might be better than if OR had to develop the system to work with PC, PS4, and X1 specs.

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Cool idea but will ultimately fail. Generally speaking, people don't like having to wear something. Look at 3D, one of the main turnoffs was the fact you needed to wear special glasses for it to work and I'd imagine that just like 3D this VR helmet might causes headaches/eye strain for some people. Finally, let's not forget cost! I can't imagine this being very cheap either. If released as a low volume niche thing, I could see it doing well though (Y) Well that is my 2 cents anyway, take with a grain of salt.

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 I remember VR headsets in the 90's. Even 3DTV's didn't take off like they wanted to despite all the marketing. It's just not something many consumers will purchase. Maybe when some device can produce holographic scenes in your living room similar to what MS's illuma thingy does without having to wear anything AND be affordable. But these new VR devices won't take off either. Too many people get sick or eyestrain and fatigue from wearing the device for very long.

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I remember VR headsets in the 90's. Even 3DTV's didn't take off like they wanted to despite all the marketing. It's just not something many consumers will purchase. Maybe when some device can produce holographic scenes in your living room similar to what MS's illuma thingy does without having to wear anything AND be affordable. But these new VR devices won't take off either. Too many people get sick or eyestrain and fatigue from wearing the device for very long.

VR and 3D are technologies that seem to come and go in waves. I'm not sure why they do, maybe a new tech is discovered, or a company is looking for something to create excitement again.

Every decade or so these ideas resurface and then fade away after a period of experimentation. 3D is currently on the declining side of its current reincarnation. VR is just on its way up. We will see how long it lasts or if it finds a way to stick around.

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Would be great if Sony can do this and really push the VR concept. As amazing as OR is (and it really is, i've tried it and it's overwhelmingly good), they've already said they're not that interested in the console market. If Sony pushes this out the door then we can start to see more use of VR spreading.

 

Fingers crossed it's as good as OR though!

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I really hope somebody does it right and affordable. Given Sony's overall history with software, I am not holding my breath but hope they prove me wrong.

 

I don't think there are any rumours of MS working on their own VR headset?

 

Search for codename Fortaleza. I think it has been rumored for equally long if not longer.

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I've tried the Oculus Rift at a gaming event, and whilst it was enjoyable, I just can't see it (for me, anyway) being more than a short term fad. I enjoy playing games whilst being able to check my phone or do other things as well, not just be confined to the game.
 

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I've tried the Oculus Rift at a gaming event, and whilst it was enjoyable, I just can't see it (for me, anyway) being more than a short term fad. I enjoy playing games whilst being able to check my phone or do other things as well, not just be confined to the game.

 

Yeah I can't envision it being more than a niche product, but we'll see soon enough it seems.

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One thing that I havent heard from people regarding VR in light of this new hype train that has developed thanks to Oculus Rift is how silly people will look waring them.

I know this was a running joke for all the various motion control options. 3D also got a little of that for anyone waring active 3d glasses which often stuck out. VR is going to have plenty of that as well since its kind of hard to avoid having something that looks pretty strange covering your eyes. Its a little less strange then using motion controlls, but not much.

What will the reaction be to the first E3 demo of a VR game? I would say a fair number of gifs will be created :laugh:

Then what ahppens when VR is combined with motion controls? Even sillier gifs :laugh:

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One thing that I havent heard from people regarding VR in light of this new hype train that has developed thanks to Oculus Rift is how silly people will look waring them.

I know this was a running joke for all the various motion control options. 3D also got a little of that for anyone waring active 3d glasses which often stuck out. VR is going to have plenty of that as well since its kind of hard to avoid having something that looks pretty strange covering your eyes. Its a little less strange then using motion controlls, but not much.

What will the reaction be to the first E3 demo of a VR game? I would say a fair number of gifs will be created :laugh:

Then what ahppens when VR is combined with motion controls? Even sillier gifs :laugh:

 

I think the tech is just that impressive that people can't really care how they look. With headset you do not feel as exposed as motion controls either. 

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