Sony's "PlayStation VR" development confidential strikes the VR market

Reservations for VR headsets such as Oculus Rift and HTC's Vive started, and the year 2016 is the year that can be said as the first year of VR. It is scheduled to be released in the first half of 2016 "PlayStation VR"Is also a device attracting attention as a VR headset, Polygon of game related media interviewed developers, and the development circumstances that become interest are clarified.

The making of PlayStation VR | Polygon
http://www.polygon.com/2016/3/9/11174194/the-making-of-playstation-vr

◆ Magic Lab
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEA) has a department called "Magic Lab" that studies how you can merge evolving technologies with PlayStation. Magic Lab is conducting research on all kinds of technologies, such as whether eye tracking technology to track and analyze human gaze movement can be applied to game play operation. Richard Marks is the director of that Magic Lab. Mr. Marks named Majic Lab "We called Mgic Lab to understand that not everything that we are researching will be commercialized.Our experiments are what we are doing It is said that their roles are like "glue" to connect many departments to Sony.

Marks with PS VR in hand.


◆ Prototype
The virtual reality headset "PlayStation VR" is being developed by Magic Lab. In the development history of PS VR, "PlayStation Move" of one handed controller released in 2010 is greatly involved. PlayStation Move is a type controller that uses motion controllers and cameras that attracted attention in the game industry at the time, but it was not a new idea because Nintendo's Wii remote control had already appeared already. PlayStation Move watching the Wii remote control and seen by users was not a big topic and it was a product that was not very successful.

However, the development of PlayStation Move is not wasted. Thanks to the existence of PlayStation Move, Jeff Stafford, one of the engineers, gave birth to the idea of ​​"Attaching PlayStation Move to the head and manipulating the game with the movement of the head". That's why development of PS VR began to move.

Mr. Stafford said that "PSXHe was involved in software development for streaming company content such as Hulu and major leagues. However, although he was responsible for software development for several years, he said he did not have much interest in development. After this, Mr. Stafford will start research on augmented reality. Sony is promoting a "10% project" that 10% of the working time can be applied to it if it seems to be related to PlayStation, and Mr. Stafford has utilized it.

Mr. Crusoe Mao, who led Sony's peripheral equipment division, focused on Mr. Stafford's research. Mao suggested Mr. Stafford to study VR and Mr. Stafford worked with a British research team named Immersive Technology Group who was involved in the concept of VR headset then what can be done with lens and optics I began research into how to become.

Mr. Stafford visited CES held in January 2012 and was looking for VR related products and found something like a head-up display. But as I approached it was a product to massage my head. Mr. Stafford, who was seeking some new ideas, was disappointed, but he quickly thought that "I think we can make a prototype using this massager" and purchased it at Amazon. We have developed several prototypes using that product.

The earliest prototype of PS VR is reflected in the following image. You can see PlayStation Move is loaded in the band part. The one that is reflected to the right of the image is considerably more compact than the prototype on the left.


After the development of the prototype, the codename of the VR headset was named "Project Morpheus", and the prototype was first announced at GDC in 2014.

◆ Improvement
In 2012, Oculus announces plans on product release, VR headsets draw attention from all over the world. When other companies other than Sony began working on the development of the VR headset, Sony created a joint team from employees in the US and Japanese offices. It is said that the development of hardware was mainly handled by the Japanese team. One day, Masayasu Ito, who is in charge of PS VR development, noticed that PS VR prototype is hard to wear, fine adjustment of prototype design and repeated user test. Remove the rubber strap to make it easy to wear, change the design so that there is a gap between the device and the player. With the creation of gaps, players will be able to see the ground even if they are wearing, making it easier to deal with cases in which you can not put up with experiencing a virtual space or you have to grab something It is.


We introduce top teams not only in software but also in hardware development, pursuing comfort and safety when wearing. Weight reduction of the display part so as not to make the neck tired, canceling the installation of the headphones from the fact that the shape of the user's head is not the same, so as not to hit the surrounding thing when the user moves to a place that the user can not sense with the sensor , Display messages on the display, etc. Secondary improvements have been added to improve the experience for the highest levels of comfort and safety.

Also, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia (SCEJA) "ASOBI Team" proposes to be able to output the same screen not only to the PS VR display but also to the display connected to PlayStation 4. With this function, "Playroom VR" game that can be multiplied is now possible. From this, it is clear that not only a specific research and development team but also Sony's top-level engineers, creators, and teams are participating in PS VR development.


◆ PS VR game
"Tokyo Game Show 2015"Or"PlayStation LIVE Circuit 2015In ", horror games and action games, VR live, according to the place where Shuhei Yoshida of .SCE Worldwide studio trial play play was made of the RPG, such as 10 titles told Polygon, more than 100 people to Sony although the VR game development team is not, such as those involved in the development of the title, when it is possible. "content side of the game, such as put a lot of resources coming out naturally began the investment, initially a small scale When it comes to normal is .PS VR that, then you are given a big impact even on a scale is small content, do not but rather that it is desirable. I portrays a "great design to developers. First of all, found a wonderful experience and, please focus on package it. and you have said that I have to be repeated over and over again. ' "the Yoshida story Directly below.

When PS VR was still Project Morpheus, so many VR games were not announced, but it is clear that big titles such as "Tekken 7", "Gran Turismo Sports", "Until Dawn" will enter VR afterwards It can also be greatly expected that new titles will be announced. Regarding the price of the game you care about, Mr. Yoshida tells Polygon "It will be about the same price as PS4's software."


Oculus Rift, which is a competitor of PS VR, and Vive of HTC have already announced the release date, PS VR has not yet released the release date yet, various information is also in flight about prices. However,PS VR official website"It is scheduled to be released in the first half of 2016" and some new presentation should be made in the near future.