Sony has stamped its official brand on Project Morpheus, renaming the prototypical project as the rebranded PlayStation VR to indicate that the company is ready to put its full corporate weight behind the virtual reality headset being developed in its headquarters.
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Atsushi Morita unveiled the new name for Project Morpheus on the floor at the Tokyo Game Show 2015, saying he hopes the PlayStation VR will become a "sensation" with gamers when it launches.
"The name 'PlayStation VR' not only directly expresses an entirely new experience from PlayStation that allows gamers to feel as if they are physically inside the virtual world of a game," says Masayasu Ito, division president of PlayStation product business and vice president of Sony's software design, in a statement. "[...] It also reflects our hopes we want our users to feel a sense of familiarity as they enjoy this amazing experience."
It's official: Project Morpheus is now PlayStation VR! pic.twitter.com/iwthYKbrVM
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 15, 2015
Unfortunately Morita did not reveal any details about when we could expect the newly named PlayStation VR to hit the store shelves, only pointing out that the headset is "on schedule." Earlier this year, Sony unveiled that the then-named Project Morpheus will make its debut sometime during the first half of 2016. The latest update as of June came from Shuhei Yoshida, Sony's chief of worldwide studios, who said the specific launch details remained undecided.
As for the price of the hardware, Yoshida did not mention a ballpark figure, but he said Sony aims to offer the headset "at the lowest possible cost" to remove barriers that might prevent gamers and developers from purchasing the device.
"We are not talking about any specific number, but this is a console business," Yoshida said. "We try to provide the hardware at the lowest possible cost so that more people can come in. And so that developers can make games on to create the market. So we'll have the same approach."
Although PlayStation VR could just about be the most uncreative name Sony could have thought up for its virtual reality headset, it is far more recognizable than Project Morpheus. And if Sony plans on bringing its newest technology to the masses, it is important that people recognize the device for what it is and who it comes from.
Sony first took the wraps off Project Morpheus at the Game Developers Conference in 2014. To date, the company has named 20 virtual reality games that will launch with PlayStation VR next year, including Battle Zone and London Heist. However, it will not be the only virtual reality headset expected to make its debut in 2016, as the HTC Vive and the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift, widely considered to be the device that jumpstarted the nascent industry, also have launch schedules at the same time.
