PlayStation VR Archives - Argyll Free Press

PlayStation Revealing Details About Its VR Headset

March 16, 2016 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

Although the leaked patents that PlayStation applied for suggested some slightly different types of technology that will probably not make it out into consumer-dedicated retail for a couple of years the very least, we now have more details regarding the PlayStation VR system. And an expected release date is coming along with it too, with the VR headset scheduled to hit the markets October 2016.

The entirety of these details was made public at the Game Developers Conference this year where Sony made public certain other features of the upcoming PlayStation VR, along with an announcement promising a price of $399 for the headset alone.

According to the announcement, the PlayStation VR will require a PlayStation 4 (and above, whenever that will be the case) console, with several other items as optional purchases. To list a few, there are accessories such as the Move controllers that Sony designed as well as a camera that goes together with the headset and provides the user with various other features that some particular game titles may require.

So, with all accessories and add-ons possible included, an entirely new PlayStation VR system would cost the user roughly $1,000. In comparison to the other VR headsets that are scheduled to be released this year, this can overall be named the most affordable option, although users would be limited by the capabilities of a non-upgradeable console. Considering that both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift do require a rather powerful and subsequently expensive computer to power up all the applications and games running on them, those would take you up to a sum that by far exceeds the $1,000 for the PlayStation VR.

Because this particular one comes straight from one of the largest gaming equipment producer worldwide, the PlayStation VR will excel in this field, a fact that is only strengthened by the fact that Sony already has 230 publishers and developers working on titles that will run on the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation VR, with no less than 50 titles expected to be ready by the end of this year alone. They range from more exploratory, simple experience kind of games to the way more complex Star Wars Battlefront for VR.

As a final note, Sony also released specifications for the PlayStation VR device at the GDC. These include a 5.7” OLED display that is capable of resolutions going up to 1920 x 1080, 360-degree tracking sensors, 100-degree field of view, a maximum 18 ms latency, along with 3D audio.

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PlayStation VR Patent Reveals Something Unexpected

February 29, 2016 By Deborah Campbell Leave a Comment

PlayStation VR patent reveals something unexpected as the latest leaks from Sony showcase us some very intriguing and rather surprising details about what their own virtual reality device will be like. The PlayStation VR patent reveals something unexpected: while everyone expected it to be just another headset just like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, it would seem that the PlayStation VR involves more than just that. The patent images show a user making use of haptic feedback gloves instead of the expected PlayStation controller.

The patent in question has been filed on February 25^th to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office by Sony and reveals more than just haptic feedback gloves. One of the other elements of interest is the use of what the patent dubbed ‘Cloud Gaming’. This seems to be several steps ahead of what users expected it to be when Sony first announced their very own departure down the virtual reality road.

The haptic feedback gloves are not a fair example of something new in the technological world. The same idea has been used in the Hands Omni which was supposed to be implemented into Virtuix’ VR treadmill Omni before the project went silent. It’s unknown whether the PlayStation VR system will be using the same ideas behind their construction as the Hands Omni. But the haptic feedback implementation involves inflatable mini-bags that provide various types of pressure to the hand when you touch things in the virtual world. So basically touching a surface in VR would give you the same sensation it would as if you did it in real life.

Many specialists consider the haptic feedback gloves the right direction for things to go in and only a natural next step in what virtual reality is concerned. And it would appear that Sony won’t back down from making it part of their own PlayStation VR.

Last but not least, there’s still the issue of the ‘Cloud gaming’ mentioned in the patent. According to it, the company suggests that the VR headset could connect directly to a router instead of a computer or console in order to receive already processed content and data. If that becomes reality, the PlayStation VR headset could become the first standalone virtual reality device that ends up getting released. The fact that VR headsets announced and due to be released in the near future require a computer – and a rather generous on the specifications side at that – that not many can afford, this could truly open some new roads and surpass some of the biggest, current issues that VR is facing.

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Sony Is Hosting Its Own Press Event Next Month

February 24, 2016 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

It would seem that March is going to be an incredibly eventful month for tech giants all over the world. Apple is organizing a press event that everyone believes will be the moment when the company showcases its next iPad and the fabled iPhone 5se. IBM is staring its very own, personalized trek down the VR path down in Tokyo with its next generation VRMMO alpha testing of Sword Art Online: The Beginning.

It would appear that Sony has a few things to show us as well, as the company just started sending out invites to their exclusive PlayStation VR press event. This event will be taking place during the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco on March 15^th. While in no way a surprise, it seems that Sony is having their own run on the virtual reality highway, and what has been announced so far regarding it seems pretty promising.

Not to mention that Sony originally unveiled their VR project – at that time dubbed Project Morpheus – all the way back in 2014 and has been bringing improvements to their PlayStation VR headset since. Apparently, one of the latest updates to it was the addition of a 120 Hz capable OLED display together with re-projection technology that will allow users to transform their experiences.

However, ever since that moment, the company went rather quiet on what they were preparing with the virtual reality headset, to only speak out now. The PlayStation VR is scheduled to be released in the second half of this year, only a little later than competitors’ own releases (Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, etc.). However, the company is keeping things rather hushed up until the fateful day of the press event that has been planned.

The invitations that have been sent out so far read that this is an invitee-only event that will begin at 2 PM PT and include hands-on demonstrations of what the new PlayStation VR is truly capable of. The event is scheduled to last roughly 4 hours, with the doors opening an hour prior to the presentation.

This will mark the first time in nearly half a year when Sony is willing to talk about their endeavors in the area of virtual reality since their last announcement that was made at Paris Games week in October 2015. Now, the only problem for individuals who are trying to stay up to date and present in the world of technology would be which event to attend, as Apple is holding its own on the very same day.

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Sony Denies the PlayStation VR Release Rumor

February 17, 2016 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

There has been a number of fabrications travelling around the internet following statements that were rashly made and now, Sony denies the PlayStation VR release rumor. To be more exact, Gamestop CEO Paul Raines said yesterday that the PlayStation VR headset would not be made available for purchase until Q3 of 2016, during the fall.

This statement created a bit of an uproar with the public as the original Sony announcement regarding the VR headset was suggesting that the device was going to be released during Q2 of 2016 instead. If what Paul Raines said was true, it would suggest a hefty delay to the launch.

It has only been a day since this happened and Sony has already made an official statement to clarify – more or less – the situation. The company simply said that the Gamestop CEO was simply speculating, as they had not previously released any other details on the launch date for the PlayStation VR headset. This may seem informative at first but instead, if you come to think about it, it’s barely saying anything.

Firstly, we still don’t seem to be receiving much news on the topic; Sony has yet to provide us with an exact launch date and instead preferred to remain with its original, ambiguous announcement that stated Q2. Secondly, Sony didn’t purposefully denied the allegations of Paul Raines, saying that his statement was wrong, but instead just lightly suggested that it was a speculation made by the Gamestop CEO.

The speculation, instead, isn’t that farfetched if you come to think about it from a corporation perspective. It is well known that Sony has put a huge amount of effort and made huge investments into developing the PlayStation VR headset, along with employing the help of several first party studios in order to develop various games and apps for the headset. This was all made in hopes that the release would go as well as possible by offering the public as many things as possible with the launch.

The public should maintain a skeptical attitude towards the entire ordeal as it’s not impossible for Sony to slightly delay the release in order to ensure the best customer experience there can be. The company may be waiting for some real experience with public reaction to VR devices as recent events may give producing companies a rough start.

Just thinking about the Oculus Rift pricing issues, it’s not impossible for PlayStation VR to take a little more time before it hits the shelves in order to make the launch event optimal: for both the company and the public.

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