Sony rumoured to reveal Virtual Reality headset for the PS4

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Sony is reportedly working on a virtual reality headset that is ‘on track’ to be revealed in 2014. Various reports have claimed that the device will work with the PS4, Sony’s upcoming entry into the console market.

Sources familiar with the matter speaking to Eurogamer have said that the device will work in a similar fashion to the Oculus Rift, a popular VR headset that found early success on Kickstarter but has since been embraced by developers.

Sony’s rival device has already been demonstrated internally, used in conjunction with DriveClub, a racing title for the PS4. The VR headset allowed gamers to look around the cockpit of the car, and Sony are rumoured to be announcing it at the Tokyo Game Show this month.

Previous forays by Sony into 3D gaming have included the HMZ-T1, T2 and the recently announced T3W (pictured above). The latter creates a viewing experience equivalent to standing 20 feet away from 750-inch (around 60ft) display.

Costing around £1,300 and going on sale in November, UK details for the device have not been revealed. The headset will connect with PCs, mobile devices and consoles using WirelessHD – a standard that Sony says will offer near-zero latency on playback.

Sony’s HMZ line has not had much success in the past, but it seem the Oculus Rift has made the games giant reconsider their position. Rift’s CEO Brendan Iribe says that the company has been approached by potential buyers but that they’re waiting for the right offer. In fact, they want to give the device away for nothing if possible:

“The lower the price point, the wider the audience,” said Iribe, speaking to Edge magazine. “We have all kinds of fantasy ideas. We’d love it to be free one day, so how do we get it as close to free as possible? Obviously it won’t be that in the beginning. We’re targeting the $300 price point right now but there’s the potential that it could get much less expensive with a few different relationships and strategies.”

If Sony are serious about pursuing virtual reality for the PS4, then it seems that ‘different relationships and strategies’ for the Rift might include some serious chats with Microsoft. After decades of failures, could virtual reality gaming finally be in the works? We’ll have to wait and see.