March 19, 2014: Marcus Ingvarsson tests out the PlayStation 4 virtual reality headset Project Morpheus in a demo area at the Game Developers Conference 2014. (AP)
Sony announced at the Game Developers Conference Tuesday it plans to release a virtual-reality headset in 2016.
The electronics company said the VR system nicknamed Project Morpheus will debut in the first half of next year. The headset will work with Sony’s Playstation 4 game console and camera by covering the users’ vision and simulating virtual worlds on the screen.
The prototype features a large 5.7-inch OLED screen that displays nearly a 100-degree field of view and is capable of rendering imagery at 120 frames per second. The headset will also have nine LED lights on its exterior used to track movement.
The prototype Sony showed at the conference in San Francisco is similar to the one the company showed last year.
"Our goal with VR is to deliver a sense of presence, making the player feel as though they've stepped inside the world of a game," said Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. "The new Project Morpheus prototype brings us closer to that goal, as it improves the visual experience and tracking accuracy, both of which are critical to achieving sense of presence."
Sony used the headset with two Playstation Move controllers to simulate a shootout scenario inside a lavish building in London. Another demonstration featured tiny robots responding to users’ movements.
Sony is among several gaming and electronics companies working to bring VR into homes. HTC and Valve announced plans Sunday to release its Vive VR system to consumers later this year, while Oculus VR has yet to reveal when its Oculus Rift headset will be available to consumers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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