Project Morpheus to be 'Affordable' - Sony

VRFocus - Sony has said that its upcoming virtual reality (VR) headset, Project Morpheus, will be ‘affordable’. Speaking its Driving the Future of Innovation presentation at GDC 2014, the company hinted at the low price point when asked about using VR in schools.

[Muffins1223]

200 at lowest and 300 at highest

[GusHasGas]

I also expect bundles:

Morpheus + PS4 + Camera + Move Bundle
Morpheus + Camera + Move Bundle

I'm calling it now

[Jeff257]

Also possibly Morpheus alone and Morpheus bundled with the camera. Anyway I cannot wait to see just how much this will cost and the games that are made for it.

[Jughead3416]

Ok. I know the so called fanboys of other systems won't like this comment I'm about to make but......you gotta admit. Sony is awesome. C'mon. You can't deny it. They already got 3rd party support. YOU KNOW their gonna have 1st party support. Most powerful console, best 1st party games, VR headset, best looking 3rd party games, etc.

[mkis007]

Jughead: I think that knowing they are a hardware based company really is the biggest strength. VR for Sony is a no-brainer. They already have headset viewer tech, audio and video tech, and gaming...This is just them all meeting up naturally. NASA support will be hard to beat.

[Half-Mafia]

@Jughead3416 It's not just 3rd party devs. It's game engines and middleware.

[djplonker]

Super black Friday bunduru

ps4
camera
morpheus
vita

Would be pricey but the best bundle ever!

[BitbyDeath]

$150 and i'll probably buy it day 1.
More than that and i'll wait for it to gather a larger portion of content.
(I say this now but may change when I actually see it in action)

[MasterCornholio]

Imagine playing a game like Skyrim in VR with the move.

That would be amazing.

[Tru_Ray]

If they are treating it as a separate platform, then I would expect a price point of $399.99.

[Jeff257]

Since you have to have the PS4 to use it then it most likely won't be more than 200-300. I expect it alone would be 200. Bundled with the camera and move then it could reach 300. Bundled with the Camera only maybe 250.

[Patrick_pk44]

@Jef257 That is a terrible price from a company stand point. VR technology is difficult to develop and for Sony's wallet. Oculus Rift developer model alone is $300. I would expect $300-400. $350-450 with camera included.

[mkis007]

Remember, this VR will likely not have as much tracking tech inside of it due to being reliant on the camera and PS4. Oculous will have to cost more by default.

Then factor in that Sony can leverage it's own company for tech and parts. High quality parts lower cost.

[Jeff257]

@Patrick_pk44

Except Oculus Rift is solely dependent on just their headset hence the high price. Sony however is using this as an add on for the PS4 and because of the PS4 and the other products they already sale they can keep the cost down to a point that it can be bought by more people. Sony has the commercial power already behind them.

[ITPython]

I don't think they are going to treat this as a separate platform, it's going to be treated as a peripheral for the PS4.

I put my bet on $99-$149. If it is $200 and above, it just won't sell that well to casuals, which is most definitely their target. Add the extra cost of the PS camera and move and there is no way this catches on to the casual market.

Otherwise why would developers take the extra time to develop for it when barely anybody has it? Sony absolutely has to market this to the average consumer for it to be a success, which puts it in the $99-$149 range.

[ThanatosDMC]

I hope the audio built in is actually good and would fit my head nice and snug.

[rayzorn]

im thinking 250 to 350. would be great to see it at 200 but with everything it has included i dont think it would be.

hope they prove me wrong

[lifeisgamesok]

I hope Sony has the money to invest in VR I don't think this is a good time for them to take additional losses

[Lowsnamebrand]

Your comment would be a lot more viable of you weren't a known troll...

[GarrusVakarian]

I don't think they do have the money to invest in it.....apart from the fact that they have spent the past few years investing millions of dollars and thousands of man hours into bringing VR to PS4. But yeah....they totally don't have the money to do that. /s

Do you guys even think about what you are typing before you comment? Such low-level trolling.

[Bathyj]

I miss the old days. Trolls used to put some effort in around here.

[scott182]

It looks like some people aren't too happy that Sony announced this... I know I will be very excited to use it when released!

[Kryptix]

@scott182

I agree, it's an advantage the PS4 will have. The only people I see hating are the people that only favor MS products or don't understand the technology, this is the future of gaming. At the moment, VR headsets can become a very common thing and with current tech, it's now better to pull off versus the 90s where the Virtual Boy was the closest thing to a VR headset but the tech wasn't well developed yet.

With all the possibilities, I'll give this one a go if what they say is true, if it's affordable.

[Sevir]

It's funny you say that... They began investing in this as early as 2008 with Research, the first working prototype came 4 years ago in 2010 with a VR demo of God of War, then again in 2011 with Datura...

Please just shut up, MS is also doing things in this space if a report is to be believed so... Why don't you quit the trolling and go play Titan Fall...

[MasterCornholio]

" Why don't you quit the trolling and go play Titan Fall"

If Titanfall is such an amazing game why is he spending his time trolling on N4G.

Answer: Because he enjoys trolling more than playing Titanfall.

Truth.

[jhoward585]

Introducing Sony's VR now is the perfect time. VR is the future. true immersion is key.

[andibandit]

Now we just need Sonys infamous marketing machine to go to work

[Half-Mafia]

Yep your 100% correct. Sony didnt have $380m to buy Gaikai. Oh wait.

Or $2.2b in EMI Music Publishing.
Or $1.5b in Sony Ericsson.

[worldwidegaming]

47 disagrees? Hell no, do not major in business guys because you are just thinking like a lemming. Sony got the top spot for thinking smart and this needs a lot of buyers to succeed. If everyone picked one up today there would still not be enough support. For gods sake, companies are delaying their games until 2015 because there has not been enough sales. No damn idea how many millions of consoles they need sold before they release. Obviously the real games drop holiday 2014/15.

[Hicken]

What the hell are you talking about?

[Kryptix]

You have no idea what you're talking about. Also, stop using a magic 8-ball to predict the future.

"For gods sake, companies are delaying their games until 2015 because there has not been enough sales. No damn idea how many millions of consoles they need sold before they release. Obviously the real games drop holiday 2014/15."

They don't delay their games for that reason. And games that get released now can be reintroduced in the future with amazing DLC or GotY editions. You need to lay off that green.

[MasterCornholio]

Your just hurt that Microsoft is playing follow the leader with their VR tech if it even exists.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Sony is the true king of this gen with affordable VR technology!

[No_Limit]

Dude..you're sounding like Strongman used to sound around here.

[izumo_lee]

They said the PS4 was going to be affordable & they kept their word on it. So when they say that this new VR tech will be affordable as well i believe them.

[Lawboy2]

The os4 actually isn't affordable it's just cheaper than the xbox one....$400 is still a lot of money to pay and buy the time u buy the camera, ps+ and the games ur almost at 6-700 dollars to play video games....unless this set is 100 dollars or below it's not affordable in my book

[adventureghost124]

I'm 15 and I'm able to afford it and it is affordable for videogames. All those extra expenses you listed would be needed for gaming anyway and they are all optional

[xPhearR3dx]

@adventureghost

Ahh, you live in a world were responsibility and bills don't affect your life. When I was 15 I had all sorts of money floating out of my ass to spend on whatever I wanted.

[Shad0wRunner]

@adventureghost124

Exactly. You're 15. Now, figure in rent...utility bills, luxury utilities like cell phones, netflix and internet, gas to put in your car, food for you or your family, diapers and formula if you have kids/babies...

NOW, from that perspective...can you afford a PS4 at $400.00?

If you said yes, you're not being realistic. Most of us arent 15 and we DO have families to take care of and bills to pay.

Think about that...

[Fz6soldier]

It's about affordable as other console launch prices considering inflation since PS1/Saturn/Dreamland/PS2/etc

[supes_24]

@Shadowrunner,

Well I'm 34, have all those things you listed, everyone of them. It's called a preordering as soon as you hear about it and put down whatever you can every paycheck.

[Rainstorm81]

Exactly supes I have bills kids etc and also a ps4.....its called planning

You couldn't save 400$ between jun13-Nov13.....come on

Besides PS1 was 300...PS2 350.....PS4 400......overpriced? Really?

[Angeljuice]

@ShadowRunner

Most 15 year olds don't have a career or even a job. Yes you have more responsibilities as you get older, but you also tend to have a much higher income (or do you support your family on a paper-boys earnings and birthday money).

[porkChop]

Well the headset uses LED lighting and the PS4 camera for head tracking which is a hell of a lot cheaper than having built-in motion tracking. So I wouldn't be surprised to see a decent price. At $299 this would probably be decently successful. But if Sony could somehow manage to put it on shelves for $199 it would likely fly off the shelves. Bundle it with the PS4 with a slightly lower price and it'll do even better.

[Cryptcuzz]

Bundle it with a PS4, camera and Morpheous for $600 would be awesome.

[Muerte2494]

@LifeisgamesOk
Their actually making money from their gaming division. With comments like this from you, I don't think you really have PS4 gamer's best interest in mind.

"I don't see this as a good idea seeing how the first party studios already spend a lengthy time getting standard games out

Imagine how long the development process will be with this new tech #1"

Stop stealth trolling PS4 VR article please.

"I have to say that watching the walkthrough (1 hr) it does look good

Not better than Ryse but it looks good especially the lighting #4" I can only think he's referring to the Infamous walkthrough. Ryse's lighting was not that great but anything could be done with pre-rendered cutscenes I guess. This is your opinion so TO EACH HIS OWN. Killzone ShadowFall SP lighting was phenomenal.

[Exies7]

Welp, if this is the case, looks like I'll be revisiting PS4.

[Pancit_Canton]

Time to invest off that Sony's stock. VR will be huge inside and outside of gaming. It will become mainstream throughout PS4 life cycle (probably in a couple of years before PS4 ended for PS5).

[No_Limit]

I might have to check it out if it is cheap but if I also need a camera and move with it, the price might be an issue.

[BitbyDeath]

From the PSBlog-

"PlayStation Camera is required, PS Move is optional, depending on the title."

http://blog.us.playstation....

[supes_24]

Well if you're really interested you should buy a camera now, I know I might as soon as I hear more about a release date and preorder dates.

[kewlkat007]

This headset looks kewl like most but a bit risky...if not priced and advertised properly.

If the PS camera is needed then this becomes another expensive accessory to enjoy the total package. I would like to see how well it works.(I like gadgets) I know some have tested that Rift headset.

Whether virtual reality headsets are here to stay well, its way too early. Hopefully not just a gimmick as it has been viewed over the years.

I have 3 words..Software, software, software

[Pinkdolphinyfg]

200$ MINIMUM is what i think it will cost. 150$ for the headset itself and 54$ (for some reason its 69.99$ at gamestop right now 0_o). As of right now i think it's going to be a niche devise that will have it's hype sadly come and go. Ps Move didn't exactly have the support i was expecting.

[Debaitable]

I feel like Sony could wait a year or two more just to bring the costs to consumers down. If this ends up being $300 + needing a ps4 camera, I believe most people will just pass it up. It sounds exciting now, but it could fade in back like their dual vision TV.

[T2]

300? People spend almost that on headsets, 300 is great deal

[Bathyj]

I can see alot of people live streaming with this on and tripping over their coffee tables.

[Lowsnamebrand]

LOL the Good times would never stop

[Ashunderfire86]

Morpheus with Alien Isolation PS4 FTW!!!! This is the big secret those developers are talking about, so I think that Morpheus is coming out this year. Alien Isolation maybe the only game where I will probably get on all platforms, so I can checkout the new features on Next Gen. VR is made for horror hell yeah!!! Well that Daylight game coming next month should have that VR feature in a future update, according to the developers.

[HmongAmerican]

All game after this VR is release should support or integrate into this device. First person shooter and others FPS RPG will benefit the most out of this technology. I don't see how third person game will work on this beside with a controller.

[Soldierone]

Their current headsets barely sit below 100 dollars as is. This thing will be $199 easily. I'd be impressed at that point, but Id expect $249 to be honest.

Keeping it cheap would be key. If they push this out under 200 dollars, it will probably be a huge success in terms o units sold. If it isn't, well it's kind of expensive for your "average gamer"

[CarnageXB]

As much as I want this, I personally wouldn't pay more than $199. That right there is half the cost of the system it's self.

[Half-Mafia]

I'll be happy at £200-£250.

[pakua]

I'm from the UK and that price seems ridiculous. It won't sell many units at that price here.

[mochachino]

I don't like the design that much.

[Cryptcuzz]

Functionality > Design

[Armadilo21]

Sony needs to set up a Kiosk in every mall and show the average consumer with a not so expensive price and go to talk shows and what not and give the product more attention

[Cryptcuzz]

I'm calling it right now.
Morpheous to be demoed live on Jimmy Fallon!

[beereal360]

I would weather play xbox one

[BitbyDeath]

Is that how the cloud works?

[Cryptcuzz]

ROFL.

Dude...what a BUUURRRNNN.

[jmac53]

I think $250 would be the sweet spot considering the VR is leveraging the power of the PS4 and the camera.

[Strikepackage Bravo]

Don't want this crap, just want to play games the old fashion way, is that so much to ask? And I agree, if this was Microsoft, they would be getting ripped for adding more gimmicks to Xbox.

and

[TristanPR77]

VR is not forced, is optional. I doubt you even have a PS4.

I thi k you are just a low level troll

[Stunmonk]

I have a solution. Don't buy it. Problem solved. Not like it is being forced on you. /cough kinect /cough

[Rainstorm81]

Uh what's stopping you? Certainly not an optional headset

[Onenyte]

Is it crap ?...I doubt it Sony will find SOME use for it.

But you are correct on the part about if it was MS people would be ripping into iy. Vr is a gimmick until it proven its self to the mass market taking in account

Cost
Quality
Practicality

As positive as people can be about it, am more interested in beefing up my ps4 library then anything else.

[ElementX]

Will people get a second job to pay for it like Sony said about ps3?

[BitbyDeath]

Probably, aren't places like Japan cultured that way?

[Hicken]

Will people finally figure out they've been misquoting Sony for years whenever they make that stupid "get a second job" comment?

[ElementX]

It was a joke, lighten up. I'm not anti-Sony check my previous posts.

[gamertk421]

No one ever said our hobby is cheap.

[TristanPR77]

Sony said they started working on their VR 4 years ago. Does this mean they started even before Oculus?

Would be good to know

[TomahawkX]

this is a game changer. Gaming will never be the same again.

[Rickgrimes95]

Won't be more then 300

[worldwidegaming]

Very niche. Sounds cool but so was that LCD they made.... I remember when people said how ouya was the next thing and now look at it. I mean if you see how sales of the vita are doing I'm sure most ps fans will not buy into it.
I mean $399 was enough for next gen right? No way they are going to pour money into this in the long run.

[Angeljuice]

Really? I only ever heard people say that OUYA was pointless and a waste of time before it launched (I believe that was the general consensus), I don't know who you were talking with to hear otherwise.

[Kingoftherodeo]

if its over 200 sony you can keep it

[AnEwGuY]

Affordable??? WTF is Sony thinking?!?! They need to get Ken Kutaragi back ASAP, and convince people they should be happy to work another job to afford a Sony product. ◔_◔

[R3DRAIN89]

$199 with a free game will be cool to see.

[antikbaka]

is there a video of presentation?

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

You'll get a 2nd job for it!

kidding.

[aulray]

lame.

[NintendoYouth]

damn

$200 -$300 is my guess.

thats alot but damn...if it can deliver

[mediate-this]

I can see project morpheus blowing up, and im talking nintendo wii type sales for this. This is the type of thing that will have all the super casuals flocking to the store for this.

[jimbobbeers]

If this is cheap then this may do well, if not its a waste of time.

[Azzanation]

People complain about paying $100 more for Kinect, good luck with paying for the VR headset.

[Angeljuice]

Kinect offers nothing/very little to a hardcore gaming experience, VR is something diametrically opposed to kinect.
Paying £1000 for a new pair of shoes is ridiculous, paying £2000 for a new car is a steal.

[Azzanation]

You honestly think people who have spent $500+ on a good Smart TV want to throw it down the toilet to use a VR Headset for gaming? You honestly think paying $250 is more valuable then what Kinect 2.0 offers? Only a Sony Fanboy would say it offers nothing to a hard-core gamer. Play Forza 4 and 5, Play Dead Rising 3, Play Halo Anniversary and tell me it does nothing for a gamer.

Kinect is standard across XB1 range which allows full developer support if they decide to use it. How many developers would make a game if 50% of PS4 owners have one? (50% is being very generous, I would say at most 20% of the PS4 user base will own one) Waste of money if you ask me. Ill rather Kinect and a Big TV then a VR headset.

[Onenyte]

Since there last vr model was £999 over here ,am curious to know what affordable actually is .

[Berenwulf]

Take my money and shut up! ^^

[fOrlOnhOpe57]

Sony HAVE to make it affordable. No point in spending a fortune on R+D, then making it so only a minority can afford it thus recouping nothing.
Also, they have to sell it to the Developer Community who won't want to go to the trouble or cost of developing for a 'niche' market.

[purp13m0nk3y]

I predict SONY selling the VR headset at a loss (PS3 style) with each new iteration becoming cheaper to produce and with enough volume, eventually turning a profit.

It's all about market saturation. If SONY can make it to market before the Oculous Rift and at a cheaper price with better hardware, then they will own the market. Even if it cost them $$ for the first couple of years, they'll make it back in the long run.

All they need to totally pwn is to make this PC compatible!

[blakstarz]

Sounds like a good reason now to buy the PS4 camera.

[pupa]

People live in a dream world if they really think this technology is going to be so cheap initially. Development costs need to be taken in consideration. I for one cannot wait and hope I will be able to afford it but my bigger fear is what will the cost of gaming development be!

I see a hefty initial investment but in my view it will be worth it, but it will not be for the mass market due to cost. Look at Kinect and Eyetoy/move, slow starters due to cost. There will have to be major gaming incentives to make gamers want to do the investment like with the BluRay release on consoles.

I am all for it and hope I can afford it day1

People buy fancy expensive cars because they want to not because they have to. That will be my motivation for this!

Comparing this technology of virtual reality with Kinect is beyond any reasonable logic. 3D have shown how immersive a game can be, now multiply that by a 1000 times for virtual reality and imagine the possibilities.

Easily scared people should never play a horror game with VR as they could get a panic attack which could lead to serious consequences for the weak individual, while playing it with kinect or move would possibly be acceptable for the same person.

[S2Killinit]

Would it be possible to include extra hardware (RAM for example), inside the Morpheous to allow for higher FPS by working alongside the PS4 hardware?
PS: love the name ^^

[madjedi]

Sounds interesting but i think it's 5 to 10 yrs to early for vr to become mainstream, i am not expecting anything north of $300. Curious since the actual physical screen size is so small, i wonder if using oled would be possible.

[BDG]

can't wait to play titanfall 2 on this when they are both released on ps4 ;-)

[Jdoki]

I'd be willing to pay £199 for this. Which means it'll probably ship at £249

Thinking about the BoM...

All the tech in the PSVR unit is from areas of Sony business where they have experience or in-house manufacturing.

They manufacture the screens for the Vita which are now LCD (I wonder if this is related. As using small scale LCD screens in the Vita could help push costs down when they need to manufacture for the PSVR - simple economies of scale)

Sony manufacture the Move, and I suspect the same gyro's that are in that device (and DS4) could be used in the PSVR.

They also have a long history in audio, especially headsets.

So overall, a lot of the manufacture will be in-house, which will definitely help keep the price down compared to sourcing from third parties..

[Onixg5mer]

for $1000 dollars ooh ha ha!!! ooh ha ha ha!!!

[ThatOneGuyThere]

OC's latest price is 300 bucks. Sony can and will beat that pricepoint.

[ocelot07]

This + Farming Simulator = Best gaming experience ever!

Only joking but yer looking forward to hearing more about this. I just hope Sony don't spend 1 hour 30 minutes of there 2 hour E3 press conference about it.

[crowsticky1234]

Might cost between $99-$199, ahead of that, it won't sell, but it's goin to cost more than any peripheral that Sony have released in retail so far.

[cell989]

man that PS camera is going to be even more coveted than ever, its bad enough I still cant buy one because its always sold out

[Father__Merrin]

Merrin is wondering if Nintendo and Microsoft will come up with their own VR solutions?

[Cryptcuzz]

E3 2014 is going to be so epic if they show actual games in development for Project Morpheous with release dates and pricing.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

This looks awesome but I dont think its going to be as good as we expect it to be.
As long as the focus on VR doesnt sacrifice the quality of games for those that want to stick to their TVs Im happy!
Still....will definately need to try it out when its avaliable!

[MasterCornholio]

The quality if the games won't decrease. Dont worry about it. But then again judging by your comments you hate PlayStation.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

I dont hate PS at all, Im just skeptical. I wouldnt have bought a Ps4 if I hated it.

[alti]

I think 70 is a limit for this... i know it's basically like a better TV in your face but.... there's only so much money people can spend on games and accessories for them.

just read some comments... yeah, I wouldn't spend 100+ on a peripheral lol. They need to bundle it with consoles or something. Doesn't help me, tho, since i already have a ps4..

[Ninte]

So how long until this ends up like Kinect for Xbox 360 and PS Move