Back to the future

Sony will step into the virtual reality arena imminently, claims a new report published by EDGE. Earlier in the year, sources suggested that the platform holder was deep into development on an Oculus Rift-esque headset for the PlayStation 4, which was close to being unveiled at TGS. Those murmurs are true according to the prestigious British publication, with the firm pulling plans to announce the peripheral at the very last minute.

Apparently, the company didn’t want to cloud the message of its next generation launch, and decided to wait on revealing the wearable technology until the New Year. The magazine notes that development kits have not been sent to studios just yet, but that more information is expected imminently – presumably once the system is actually on store shelves. Interestingly, the report states that Microsoft has got wind of the Japanese giant’s plans and is also working on its own virtual reality device, but is a long way behind the PlayStation maker in the race to market.

The idea of an expensive add-on for the PS4 doesn’t seem immediately appealing, but the Oculus Rift – which the platform holder very much has in its sights – feels legitimately next-gen once you actually try it. For those out of loop, the device includes motion sensors which allow you to “look” around virtual worlds by moving your head. Sony supposedly already has its solution working with DriveClub, which is sure to be one of the first games to be demoed on the device.

[source edge-online.com]