Sony Readies Own Studio For Project Morpheus
VR isn’t all about the greatest hardware specifications or the level of immersion – it also comes down to the type of content it can offer. One primary focus of VR is in games, and just like the tight race between VR headsets, games are being optimized for VR as well. Sony is stepping up its game (no pun intended) with the announcement of its in-house game studio for the Project Morpheus headset, which is still in development.
Called the North West Studio, Sony’s own studio is being prepared to create content – specifically games – that will be rendered using the Project Morpheus VR headset. The tech company has been busy posting job opportunities for game developers that will potentially be working with games for virtual reality. According to some job listings posted on the PlayStation jobs site, current opportunities will be offering “an exciting and rare opportunity to join an ambitious new studio to create original games exclusively for Project Morpheus, PlayStation’s VR platform.” It adds, “Based in the North West of England, we aim to build a small but highly experienced team who want to build games to showcase this exciting new immersive technology.” The name of the studio, North West Studio, was deduced from this job description.
Sony is still mum on other specific details about this development in VR, but according to them, they will be disclosing even more information on the said studio very soon.
The Project Morpheus headset has been long-awaited by VR enthusiasts, and is expected to be formally launched to consumers in the first half of 2016. An improved prototype of the said VR headset has been showcased during the Game Developers Conference held last March, but aside from the improved hardware components and updated form factor, there hasn’t been any word on the pricing and availability for the mainstream market.
With the fierce competition among VR headsets today, Project Morpheus is expected to gain an edge among other VR headsets with its in-house studio that will be focusing on game development. Sony’s goal of integrating its gaming console, the PlayStation, and the Project Morpheus headset is going to stir up the VR race even more. Project Morpheus is competing head-to-head against other high-end VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and the HTC Vive.
For more information on Sony’s new VR studio, please visit the following websites:
https://www.playstationjobs.co.uk/jobs/vacancies-in-north-west-studio/salaryid/0/rateid/0/Locations/0/Departments/1574/jobtype/0/keyword/page/2
http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/20/playstation-morpheus-studio-uk/
http://www.polygon.com/2015/5/19/8624735/playstation-north-west-studio-virtual-reality-project-morpheus-vr
