E3 2014: SONY’S PROJECT MORPHEUS (HANDS-ON!)

Virtua Boy’s Revenge

Sony’s “Project Morpheus” is the latest apparatus to enter the virtual-reality headset fray, after Oculus Rift made a big splash on Kickstarter. Project Morpheus was available for trying out and Nuke The Fridge got a hands-on peek at the newest addition to the PlayStation family.

I got to try out London Studios’ Street Luge game, and it was visceral to say the least. I sat down in a bean bag (or as I called it, a gravitational field simulation device), and had the VR helmet placed on. Basically, I looked like this:

Like an extra from Tron, but you know, the Black guy version. Anyway, it was much more comfortable than I thought it’d be, which means you can play for long durations of time without neck pain, though eye rests are probably recommendable.

There is no controller for Street Luge except the gyroscopic interface with your head tilting left and right. It feels very futuristic. You’re careening down a mountain road at 103 miles per hour, swerving around traffic and dodging incoming traffic in the other lanes.

Gameplay like this fires off the right neurons to create a sense of panic while speeding towards these digital vehicles. You dodge like your hide depended on it; I was laughing my head off the whole way through.

The graphics are PS3/360 good, which are still good enough for something like this. The stereoscopic rigging can be tweaked for your vision. It’s the type of experience you’d fly to Orlando or Anaheim for; if this is headed for consumers soon, gamers are in for a real treat. It’s exciting to be this much closer than ever to virtual reality.

I remember Nintendo’s Virtua Boy, and it was ahead of its time. It was a red monochrome display, uncomfortable after long periods of time, and just plain weird.