San Francisco — Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled the latest prototype of its Project Morpheus VR headset for the PS4, adding a bigger and better display, making it easier to put on and take off, and also making it lighter.
The new prototype was unveiled here at the 2015 Game Developers Conference.
An earlier prototype of the headset, to become a reality in the first half of 2016, was unveiled in March 2014 for use by game developers in creating games for VR headset viewing.
In the new prototype, Sony dropped the 5-inch LCD display for a 5.7-inch 1080p OLED display to expand the field of view and eliminate motion blur and flicker. The display also ups the frame rate to render 120 images per second (120 fps) to deliver smooth visuals. PS4 systems, via a future software update, will deliver native 120 fps output when connected to Morpheus.
To deliver more accurate 360-degree tracking, the new prototype adds three more LEDs to the headset for a total of nine to improve stability, the company said. The system also reduces latency between the movement of a player’s head and what appears on the headset’s screen.
In a design change, the prototype retains the original’s visor-style design to reduce pressure on the players’ face, but the new prototype comes with a single band and a quick-release button to make it easier to put on and take off, the company said
The headset is also lighter than before.
The new prototype will continue to support 3D audio and social screen, which outputs the headset’s gameplay to a TV so additional players can interact.
Sony also plans to provide an SDK to convert 60 fps images to 120 fps, enabling developers to bring content being developed on the first prototype to the new prototype.
Meantime, the company said it has sold 20.2 million PS4 game consoles as of March 1 worldwide, making it the fastest-growing PlayStation to date.
