Hands-On With Sony's VR Headset

It wasn't long after the rise of the Oculus Rift that Sony hopped on the virtual reality bandwagon and announced a headset of their own. Now, Eurogamer has had a chance to operate and test Sony's hardware, which they say "has its own distinct vision for VR," as well as a distinct focus on console gaming. "On the 640x768 per eye first-gen Rift, the result was the perception of a disappointingly minuscule resolution, with a highly distracting "screen door" effect where you could see between the pixels. This is far less of an issue with Morpheus, and we were pleasantly surprised by how good image quality is in an environment where resolution remains at a premium. In discussing the situation with Sony, it's clear that some effort has gone into judging how to best apply the fisheye lens effect that distorts the image, with a stronger focus on retaining resolution in the key focus area. Over and above that, we wouldn't be surprised if the narrower field of view also contributes to improving image integrity. ... However, in comparing Morpheus to what we've seen from Oculus VR, it's perhaps surprising to discover that a truly transformative element of the proposition comes from a piece of hardware that you might already own: PlayStation Move. Our aspirations for the hardware were never fully realized, but the hook-up with Morpheus is a match made in heaven - in fact, if there is to be a struggle for market leadership with Oculus (and potentially Microsoft), the existing motion controller is undoubtedly one of the strongest weapons in Sony's arsenal."

Comments

Puff piece propaganda

[Jmc23]

backed with a little bit of revisionist history

At the very least they seem to be thinking about a counter-balance, though the Sony style will probably render that less than ideal.

Terrible field-of-view

[Prune]

Narrow view angle significantly compromises immersion. I was hoping for better from Sony.

Not sure Sony are going to do much with this

[Molt]

I think this'll collapse unless Sony decide to open it to PC and maybe other consoles. It's not something that is general-use enough to bundle it with every console they sell, and there's not been a truly successful aftermarket add-on for a console as game manufacturers don't include support for them.

I was supporting Oculus until the FB buyout, and then I looked to Sony as maybe they'd treat this as a general display device rather than a PS4-exclusive (You can plug an XBox into a Sony Bravia), but now I'm just hoping Valve wake up and Do Stuff with a few of Gabe's millions.

Re:Not sure Sony are going to do much with this

[Jmc23]

Why would you turn away from Oculus just because of FB and then turn towards Sony?

Yes, FB uses your info, they say they will in their user agreement, and yes they leave a bunch of stuff open but they also give you the option to shut stuff down.

Sony on the other hand has been known for fucking over people with absolutely zero permission and absolutely no way to stop it.

Maybe you're just really young?

Re:Not sure Sony are going to do much with this

[gl4ss]

and you can hack a powerglove to work with your pc too.

but your cousin isn't going to. unless it's really, really, really really good compared to oculus&others then it'll collapse. but if it's not pc compatible it's dead.

Re:Go SONY Crush the shitty ad delivery alternativ

[Jmc23]

That would be the Ministry of State Security.

Re:LOL ...

[GameboyRMH]

http://www.cracked.com/article...

Re:Go SONY Crush the shitty ad delivery alternativ

[dmbasso]

"Chinese technology startup ANTVR [...]"
From: http://games.slashdot.org/stor...

Summary

[abies]

Trying to put it in concise list, TFA is bit too verbose. Short version - it is a real DK1 killer, too bad DK2 is already out there...

Comparing to DK2 (prototype versus prototype, so don't jump with 'it will get fixed in final version'):

- horizontal FOV 90 deg (instead of 100)
? no data about vertical FOV
+ better perceived pixel density (because of lower FOV)
- blurry, high-persistence LED screen
- 60Hz instead of 75 Hz (but high-persistence anyway is a killer here)
- no mention of any advanced techniques like time warp
+ headband with tracking leds, which allows proper tracking even when you look behind
+ reported to be more friendly for people with prescription glasses
+ considerably better looking
+ headphones included
- with jack input INSIDE the visor !
= PS4 versus PC
? no exact data regarding tracking quality, seems to be lacking magnetometer compared to DK2, not sure if it makes a difference
+ utilizing PS Move and PS controllers fully, has some concept for VR interaction besides 'up to game designers'

If Oculus will 'borrow' idea of tracking headband and Morpheus will get low-persistence OLED display, we will have very close match here for consumer version...

Re:Call me tron

[LifesABeach]

I know at my work, having a VR interface that just looked at the screens, without me having to buy all the screens would be very useful.