Sony Project Morpheus Rumor & News Roundup: Release Date, Price, Specs and More

With the Oculus Rift and Microsoft's HoloLens making recent headlines, many techies are starting to wonder when Sony will make it's next revelation regarding its own upcoming VR device, which is going by the name Project Morpheus. If you've been asking that question yourself, you won't have to wait much longer, as Sony plans to make another major announcement regarding the Morpheus at GDC 2015.

Project Morpheus was originally announced last year at GDC 2014 by SCE's President Shuhei Yoshida, and was presented as “the next innovation from PlayStation” that will "change the future of gaming."

The new VR device from Sony was then demonstrated to the public by Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show, during which he played a game called The Castle. Sony later showcased the Morpheus headset once again at the PlayStation Experience Expo in December of last year.

An official press release on Sony.com gave a thorough introduction to Project Morpheus, revealing that the project had already produced a robust VR prototype that successfully addresses key areas like display quality, realistic 3D audio, head tracking to allow the user to look around the virtual world, and comprehensive controls that integrate with the PS4 controller and PS Move stick; all within a system that is easy-to-use and fun within the group gaming environment.

In the following paragraphs we'll breakdown some of the key facts we gathered from Sony's official press release and all of the subsequent Project Morpheus news that has surfaced online since:

Release Date and Development News

While Sony has not yet given an official release date or timeframe for the launch of the Morpheus, we do know that it is expected to be released as an accessory for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, and there are indicators that the device will be released at some point in 2015.

It has already been a few months since GameSpot reported that 85% of Project Morpheus had been completed back in September. Although Sony has not specified what the remaining 15% would require, it probably has something to do with the development of new gaming titles and additional software applications for the device, as we know that Sony has expressed interest in waiting until there is a broad enough content selection to make the headset a worthwhile purchase for consumers.

If software development really is the majority of the remaining development, then the current non-final prototype could be very close to the consumer release version. Still, Sony has stated that the primary goal now is to increase the sense of “presence,” which is another way of saying they want the experience to be as immersive as possible. Speaking of immersion, it'll be interesting to see if Project Morpheus will be compatible with some of the omnidirectional VR treadmills that are in the works. 

Given that the Oculus Rift and HoloLens are expected to launch during late 2015, we'll probably see a similar release date for the Morpheus, as Sony will most likely want to reach the market in time to compete with the Rift and Hololens. To see how Morpheus stacks up against the competition thus far, see our Oculus Rift vs. Microsoft Hololens vs. Project Morpheus comparison. You might also want to watch the Project Morpheus Developer's Kit preview below:

Rumored and Confirmed Specs

We know that the Morpheus has a high field-of-view head-mounted display, head-tracking technology, and stereoscopic 3D imagery. It can also project what the wearer is seeing onto a television so that others can see what the user is seeing in real-time. The ability to see what the user is seeing will be a big factor in improving the group experience with VR, giving peers and onlookers the ability to observe the user's gaming without having to wear their own Morpheus headset.

The Morpheus features a Full HD 1080p LCD display, with each eye seeing its own display of 960 x 1080 resolution. The headset itself does not play games, but rather interfaces with the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation, which then streams content to the device. The Morpheus hooks up to the PS4 via a small computer box that handles all of the immersive 3D rendering. The same box can be hooked up to a regular television to show an undistorted view of what the player is seeing.

The PS4 tracks the user's head movements using a PlayStation Camera, which collects data from LED side-lights and accelerometers located on the headset. According to Sony, the PlayStation Camera can retrieve tracking data up to 1000 times per second, creating an interruption-free gaming experience.

Games played on the Morpheus are primarily controlled through the PS4's DualShock 4 controller, but players will also be able to use the the PlayStation Move baton. For example, the baton can be used as a sword within the game, and the headset can even fabricate the user's arm within the game to make it look as though they're really holding the sword in the virtual world.

Will it Really Cost in the $1000 Range?

The good news is, the original misconception that Sony might charge in upwards of $100 for the Morpheus appears to be false. Many analysts felt that Sony might be aiming at a $1000 price point for the headset after seeing that Sony charges about $1000 for their head-mounted wearable HDTV.

In another interview with GameSpot, Yoshida stated that consumers would not have to pay $1000 to get their hands on the Morpheus, as it would be sold as a robust accessory to the PS4. Yoshida explained that the head-mounted HDTVs are priced so that Sony makes a profit off of each unit sold, whereas gaming consoles are actually sold at or below manufacturing cost and only become profitable due to software, games, apps, accessories, and services.

Thus, the Morpheus will probably distributed the same way, earning most of its profit through the content and services that will be designed for it. Another clue that the Morpheus will be relatively affordable is the fact that most of the components used to assemble the headset come from the smartphone manufacturing industry, so the cost-per headset is reportedly not as high as one would expect. 

If you'd like to learn more about Project Morpheus, check out the hands-on preview below: