Anyone holding their breath waiting for the release of the PS4 virtual reality headset can go ahead and breathe now. Sony has just announced that the headset is scheduled for a late 2014 release, meaning that the majority of us have more than a year to wait. It will most likely come out in time for the holiday’s in 2014, and nearly a year after the release of the PS4 itself, which is scheduled for November 15th in the United States, and November 29th in Europe. However, rumors about the virtual reality headset are already rampant, so Sony has released some details about their device.
What Is It?
The virtual reality headset is a lightweight strap on device that fits over the eyes and simulates a 3D real life environment. Characters running forward in games, especially first person games, get a full surround view of exactly where they are going, making the game more realistic. Many believe that Virtual reality is the future of television and gaming, and Sony is certainly going in that direction with their headset.
The headset has so far been confirmed for use with the Evolution Studios racing game Drive Club for a more realistic cockpit experience. The same studio is home to the Worldwide Studio Stereoscopic 3D team, who worked with Sony in 2011, meaning that the headset should most definitely be full 3D.
Why the Delayed Release Date
Supposedly SOny already has their virtual reality headset working. In addition, it’s also supposedly more accurate than the Oculus Rift. Plus, it’s also compatible with the Playstation Eye so that you can play with motion and VR at the same time. But if it’s already working why isn’t it already on shelves? Sony claims that they have a few ‘aesthetic challenges’ in that the current version has ping pong balls hanging off of the sides to help the Playstation Eye track it more accurately.
While the exact date has not yet been announced, it is expected to be in November of 2014. With one year to work on and develop their VR headset, Sony will hopefully not only make the device more aesthetically pleasing, but also as affordable as possible for consumers. Currently Sony is claiming that like the Playstation Eye, the VR headset will be sold separately in order to keep the cost of the Playstation 4 itself as low as possible. Considering that Sony is already struggling to fulfill their pre-orders, that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
Rumors suggest that Sony may be debuting a prototype of the device on September 19th, meaning that we might get an early sneak peak.
While many people consider virtual reality headsets to be a fad, the fact that major companies are embracing the technology and making their own shows that it is not. Virtual reality gaming could very well be the standard within the next ten or fifteen years, which is far faster than most of us would expect.
