We have new details for you regarding the development of Project Morpheus, and what the future holds for VR in general. This interview was held with no less than the creator of Project Morpheus, Richard Marks.
Richard explains that development on Morpheus began in 2010, around the time the Playstation Move got released. Some enterprising Sony engineers started using the tech for their VR prototypes by literally placing the controller on their heads, with elaborate homemade contraptions to put them in place and simulate VR.
As you may know, Sony has been working in VR for a very long time, from as far back as when the initial wave hit in the 90s. While it faded into a niche product, for various noncommercial uses, Sony never stopped working on VR, although that work had often been done independently by different Sony engineers in different departments.
Project Morpheus is Sony’s 1st official foray into making VR a viable commercial product via gaming. Richard is reticent to make any declarations or predictions on what will happen when the VR market launches, even as some argue (including said interviewer) that Project Morpheus and, say, Oculus Rift, seem to be positioning themselves in different ways. As Richard points out, while the prototypes and demos are out there, neither Sony nor any other VR company have actually released their products commercially yet. For all we know, it could get tooth and nail when it comes down to the wire.
Project Morpheus seems to be an amazing project with endless possibilities, but Richard seems grounded enough to know that in this untested space, success is not guaranteed, no matter what the fans may think or say. I hope it finds an audience that will buy and support it.
You can check out the full interview below.