Home Gaming Price isn’t a driving point for Sony’s Project Morpheus

Price isn’t a driving point for Sony’s Project Morpheus

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Morpheus

Out of all the VR kits arriving in the next couple of years, I think Sony’s Project Morpheus may have captured my technolusting eye the most. Even though the Oculus Rift has been available for a while, it’s not exactly a consumer-ready device, being more of a tool for developers than anything else. It’s also significantly better than my own VR device, which may or may not be a decrepit Viewmaster that I strapped to my face. The latest iteration of Project Morpheus features plenty of new hardware. Hardware that wasn’t cheap to add.

“Price has not been driving our development process,” SCE Worldwide president Shuhei Yoshida said to Polygon, as he described Sony’s desire to get the hardware right the first time, which resulted in an effort to reduce latency and make the device more comfortable to wear.

The first time people try VR is the most dangerous time. People get used to it after a while, but the first is the most susceptible to motion sickness. So we want to get the hardware right. Now we feel that we have the system, we have passed the threshold that we set out. Then, how cheap we can deliver to the consumer? That’s the second question we’re going to tackle. The number of people who will buy day one hardware will be some kind of reverse function of price, that we understand, but we really need to do it right from day one.

Let’s be honest here: The Project Morpheus kit is going to cost quite a few beans. If the current Oculus Rift development kit can sell for $350, then that’s the price range that I’m looking at for Project Morpheus. On the other hand however, I have no issue paying extra for something that reflects that price in terms of quality. Of course, that price will fall with time, although the challenge for Sony will be in persuading people to give VR a chance.

“That’s the number one challenge, people ask us what’s the number one challenge for Project Morpheus? I say get people to try it,” Yoshida explained.

Unless you try it, you don’t understand how good or how great it is. The second best thing is to watch people playing it. When you see those reactions, you think something is happening there and I want to try it. So getting as many people as possible to try it, and they will talk about it to their friends, I think that’s a way to go.

I tried the device at E3, and while I was impressed with it, I still saw room for growth in the hardware. Growth that evidently has been addressed with the latest hardware revision. Project Morpheus will be available in the first half of 2016, so I’ve got time to save up. Anyone want to buy a cat? She’s friendly, sort of house trained and she leaves enough fur around the house to fill a pillow case, daily.

Last Updated: March 6, 2015

14 Comments

  1. Yay! I did it! 1millionth customer! YAY!!!!

    I am awesome! Woooooooooooooooooo

    #sarcasm

    Reply

    • Blood Emperor Trevor

      March 6, 2015 at 07:51

      Not to be technical, but it’s actually saying you’re the first visitor. Looks like I’m visitor 2.00000000.0 :/

      Reply

    • Admiral Chief

      March 6, 2015 at 08:24

      Y U NO USE ADBLOCK?

      Reply

      • Geoffrey Tim

        March 6, 2015 at 08:47

        Because these ads are what keep us on the internet, and he’s a good guy. #dontuseadblock

        Reply

      • Ranting Raptor

        March 6, 2015 at 08:59

        Because then I am depriving Lazygamer, Satechie, MyBB etc all of revenue

        Reply

    • Pieter Kruger

      March 6, 2015 at 09:45

      Gongrats, now choose your prize you lucky you!

      Reply

      • Ranting Raptor

        March 6, 2015 at 12:31

        oooh! The red one!!!!

        Reply

  2. Pieter Kruger

    March 6, 2015 at 08:00

    This is the biggest gamble Sony ever took especially with their financial woes the last couple of years! Maybe that money could’ve/should’ve been spent on games actually!? If this flops, it’s Samsungstation all the way! There will be mass seppuku if this happens!

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      March 6, 2015 at 08:13

      I wanted to say something, but I’m done.

      Reply

      • Jonah Cash

        March 6, 2015 at 08:50

        Sometime with Pieter it is just better to let him get his financial analysis of Sony out of the way and then ask him if he can get a match online from South Africa or does he have to change region to play games online?

        Reply

    • Loftus

      March 6, 2015 at 09:01

      I must say i like this gamble approach, all or nothing! If Sony pulls this off all the better for us.

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        March 6, 2015 at 09:50

        But Ponies do not buy cameras that can spy on you, they are VERY price sensitive and don’t like “gimmicks”. Maybe if it’s a standalone complete product/pc compatible they can aim for another market? The hardware looks fantastic, but there’s also a lot of competition for VR currently, not all will survive or even be marginally successful sadly!

        Reply

        • Loftus

          March 6, 2015 at 10:11

          Yea i very much agree with you. I also have my doubts that VR wil be a viable product, but the gambler in me keeps saying risk it all.

          in my mind the possibilities for VR goes far beyond gaming and more into the class rooms with education and sporting arenas.

          Imagine having the best seats in the for your favourite sporting event, underwater contact chess.

          So here is hoping someone, anyone pulls it off and we get cheap and reliable VR soon

          Reply

  3. Blood Emperor Trevor

    March 6, 2015 at 08:01

    The more VR-hype I see, the less impressed I am with it in general. I get it, it’s the new toy everyone’s excited about & it’s immersive – but I don’t want that level of immersion. Shutting out the world like that, no thank you.

    Reply

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