Morpheus details revealed

Morpheus details revealed

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES

“PROJECT MORPHEUS” − A VIRTUAL REALITY SYSTEM

THAT EXPANDS THE WORLD OF PLAYSTATION®4 (PS4™)

With Project Morpheus and PlayStation®Camera, Games will Immerse Players in Virtual Worlds, Delivering a Sense of Presence in Gaming Never Before Possible 

 

Tokyo, March 19, 2014 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced the development of “Project Morpheus” (Morpheus) − a virtual reality (VR) system that takes the PlayStation®4 (PS4™) system to the next level of immersion and demonstrates the future of gaming.  SCE will continue development of Morpheus looking towards a future commercial launch.     

“At SCE we view innovation as an opportunity to build on our mission to push the boundaries of play,” said Shuhei Yoshida, President of SCE Worldwide Studios.  “Project Morpheus is the latest example of innovation from SCE, and we’re looking forward to its continued development and the games that will be created as development kits get into the hands of content creators."
Morpheus enables developers to create experiences that deliver a sense of presence - where players feel as though they are physically inside the virtual world of a game.  Presence is like a window into another world that heightens the emotions gamers experience as they play.  Morpheus features a visor style head-mounted display and works seamlessly with PlayStation®Camera to deliver a unique VR experience right before the player’s eyes.  Inertial sensors built into the head mount unit and PlayStation Camera accurately track head orientation and movement so as the player’s head rotates, the image of the virtual world rotates naturally and intuitively in real-time.  Furthermore, in supporting games, the player can use a PlayStation®Move (PS Move) Motion Controller as an object, such as a sword.  Morpheus will reproduce the player’s hands and sword within the game so the player feels like they are physically fighting off enemies with their sword in the virtual world.
Morpheus adopts 3D audio technology uniquely developed by SCE.  In addition to sounds coming from front, behind, left and right, Morpheus re-creates stereoscopic sounds heard from below and above the players, such as footsteps climbing up stairs below them, or engine noises of helicopters flying overhead.  Sounds that players hear change in real-time depending on their head orientation, creating a highly realistic audio environment within an immersive 360-degree virtual world.  
Along with PlayStation Camera, Wireless Controller for PS4, and PS Move, Morpheus will deliver immersive breakthrough entertainment experiences to gamers through the PS4 system, leveraging SCE’s expertise across key areas for VR – including display/optics, audio, tracking, control, ease of use, and content. 
Developers will be able to create Morpheus content for PS4, a platform which has sold over 6 million units only after 3 months and a half of its launch, and is continuing to show strong momentum. The Morpheus dedicated SDK is currently under development and will become available when ready.
During the Game Developers Conference 2014 held in San Francisco from March 19 through March 21, attendees can visit the Sony Computer Entertainment America booth to have a hands-on experience with Morpheus, which will be exhibited for reference.  Attendees can enjoy exclusive technology demo such as EVE Valkyrie (CCP), a multiplayer dogfighting shooter that uses virtual reality to give the player the sense of being a real pilot in an EVE Online spaceship, Thief (SQUARE ENIX Co., LTD.), which allows players to explore the dark shadowy world of the stealth action title, “The Castle” (SCE) that shows various VR　interactions utilizing PS Move, and “The Deep” (SCE), where players can observe the waters from inside a shark proof cage.

- Ends -

<Specifications of “Project Morpheus” Prototype >

Component	Processor unit, head-mounted unit
Display Method	LCD
Panel Size	5 inches
Panel Resolution	1920×RGB×1080  (960×RGB×1080 per eye)
Field of View	90 degrees
Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscope
Connection interface	HDMI + USB
Function	3D audio, Social Screen

*Specifications and designs are those of the prototype and are subject to change.

Titanfall coming to XBox 360 on April 10th

TITANFALL NOW COMING TO XBOX 360 ON APRIL 10

Since its debut on March 13, Titanfall and its adrenaline-fueled gameplay on Xbox One and PC has taken the gaming world by storm. I’ve spent many hours already dropping titans into the heat of battle and running along walls as a pilot, and I can tell you I am hooked. Our partners at Respawn have made a truly awesome and dynamic new experience that I will be playing for a long time to come.

The fan content that has been created so far has also been incredible. From taking out multiple titans with a perfectly timed Nuclear Ejection to pulling off one of the most impressive satchel kills to date, the fun that Titanfall delivers is clearly captivating the community. Those are just a sample – there’s a ton of amazing content on the brand new TitanWall launched by Respawn. Check back often for some of the latest and most entertaining new content from fans around the world.

Now, I want to update everyone on Titanfall for Xbox 360 in development with Bluepoint Games. I’ve been playing the game a lot, and it is fantastic. But we see a few things that can be made even better, so we’re giving Bluepoint a little more time to do just that and deliver an epic Titanfall experience for Xbox 360 players. Titanfall for Xbox 360 will now be releasing on April 10 in Australia and New Zealand. The game will feature the same 6v6 gameplay, maps, modes, weapons and Burn Cards as the Xbox One and PC versions of the game.

Generation Iron: Movie Review

Generation Iron: Movie Review

Director: Vlad Yudin

It's to the beefed up world of body building that this doco goes.

From some of those involved in the original classic Pumping Iron, comes this new doco which looks at the people involved in bringing their bodies to the fore at the Mr Olympia competition.

Chances are you've possibly not heard of this competition before - it's one that Arnold Schwarzenegger's won 7 times and considers the height of entertainment within its domain.

Yudin chooses to follow some prospective hopefuls as they build up to the competition and their road to the top - the likes of Phil Heath, Kai Greene, Branch Warren, Hidetada Yamagishi to name but a few.

From an opening shot of a pumped up beefcake doing a sensitive pencil drawing, you can tell Yudin's trying to smash a few stereotypes and reveal the personalities behind the attention grabbing bodies. It's no spoiler to say they're not exactly what you expect - a bodybuilder who's driven by his mum - but it's no surprise either that their characters are away from their on stage personas.

Along with Mickey Rourke's gruff and slightly dry, grinding voiceover (an inspired choice though, nevertheless) the film will probably appeal to those who've got an interest already in the subject matter, rather than attracting newcomers to the sport and theatrics of those involved. Whilst it's a watchable doco, it's less than gripping and occasionally the interest wanes.

That said, Generation Iron pokes a small hole in the psyche of those willing to exploit their bodies for the quest of physical perfection - but it's a once over lightly rather than a deeply engrossing piece.

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Brand new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro

Brand new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro

Hey webslingers - it's here - the brand new final  trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro has just dropped.

Featuring Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, it's due to hit screens in April 2014.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro synopsis

“We’ve always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man,” the release says. “But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead.

“It’s great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realise that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.”

The BoxTrolls trailer released

The BoxTrolls trailer released

The Boxtrolls are an underground cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs who wear recycled cardboard boxes the way turtles wear their shells. 

The Boxtrolls have raised an orphaned human boy, EGGS (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright), since infancy as one of their dumpster-diving and mechanical junk-collecting own. 

When the Boxtrolls are targeted by a villainous pest exterminator ARCHIBALD SNATCHER (Acadamy Award winner Ben Kingsley) who is bent on eradicating them as his ticket to Cheesebridge society, the kind-hearted band of tinkerers must turn to their adopted charge and an adventurous rich girl WINNIE (Elle Fanning) to bridge two worlds amidst the winds of change – and cheese.

First look at Peanuts Movie

First look at Peanuts Movie

Here's your very first look at the Peanuts movie coming in 2016.

PEANUTS

For the first time ever, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang we know and love from Charles Schulz's timeless "Peanuts" comic strip will be making their big-screen debut; like they've never been seen before in a CG-Animated Feature film in 3D.

In NZ cinemas  January 1, 2016

Thief: PS3 Review

Thief: PS3 Review

Released by Square Enix
Platform: PS3

Sneak'em'ups have never fully been my forte when it comes to gaming.

You see, I'm more of a go-in-all-guns-blazing kind of guy, with no hint of strategy or subtlety - but for Thief, I had to radically reappraise that approach to get anywhere in the game.

Taking on the role of master thief Garrett, who disappeared after being out on a job, only to return a year later to an area known as The City and tries to piece together what exactly happened to him....

And cue lots of skulking about in shadows, picking pockets and generally thieving your way around as you travel through the city. During missions, it's easy to get distracted by the thievery and is clearly there to stop you from completing your goals. As you move around the dark, dimly lit city, you'll find there are less and less shadows about which makes it kind of hard to skulk around - but it forces you to refine your skills and also to work out exactly what you want to do.

It's here that Thief really kind of comes into its own, particularly in this world that has given us the likes of Dishonoured and trained us into thinking about how to reach a target or complete a mission. Throw into the mix a revolution as well and there's plenty for Garrett to get his teeth into. The game changes along with your choices and you get graded at the end of each level, so there's an incentive to do your best, rather than to simply hurtle through the level for completion.

Along with the ability to focus to heighten Garrett's chances of effecting his aims, there's plenty within to keep you entertained, particularly if you have the OCD tendencies to open every single cabinet and thieve as much as you can.

Overall, Thief looks striking and the definition within the dark environment is certainly worth praise in itself - there are certainly a fair few game play elements that seem familiar to other games of its ilk, but if you're willing to overlook those foibles, you can find yourself with time stolen away as you delve deep in to the world of Thief.

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