Virtual reality (VR) faces huge issues from a marketing perspective, simply because potential customers need to try it for themselves to be sold on it. No amount of trailers and press conferences can convince someone that, above all else, VR works. Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) has come to realise this with its upcoming head-mounted display (HMD) for PlayStation 4, Project Morpheus. In fact, SCE’s market research has indicated that people actually want to try Project Morpheus for themselves right now.
Zoran Roso, Marketing Director at SCE Germany, said as much in a special edition of German magazine IGM, made specifically for Gamescom 2015 and focused entirely on PlayStation. “Our market research has shown that people want to try Project Morpheus,” Roso said, as translated from German. “He who has not tested Project Morpheus himself, will not buy. In order to reach as many people, Morpheus will be at selected trade representatives with the opportunity to play Project Morpheus. We will also help the customers to find these suppliers.
Other companies such as Oculus VR have stressed the importance of giving the others the chance to sample their VR tech in order to market it. SCE holds several press conferences every year that are watched by thousands, but difficulties with communicating VR’s benefits to a wide-scale audience has always kept it from spending too much time talking about Project Morpheus. That said, with the kit releasing in the first half of next year, launch details for the device will need to be discussed in the near future, leaving questions as to just how SCE will divulge this information.
Project Morpheus features a 1080p OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The kit is capable of ‘reprojecting’ compatible videogames in 120 fps without these titles having to naturally reach that framerate. VRFocus will continue to follow Project Morpheus closely, reporting back on any further updates on its progress.
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