Sony’s Project Morpheus “Behind Closed Doors” Session, War Thunder, and Refreshing Openness
Sony’s Project Morpheus prototype VR headset has been in the public eye for a little over six months since being announced at GDC in March. Since then, Sony’s commitment to their PS4 based virtual reality device has been palpable—if not in words, most definitely in actions.
Sony have not only had high profile public and press demonstrations at every major show since GDC, they’ve also been front and centre in the VR community, attending event such as the SVVR Meetup. What’s more, throughout that time, when questioned on the device, Sony’s representatives have been open, honest and forthcoming about the project. It’s also fair to say that the Morpheus headset plus PlayStation Move controller have been a big hit with VR fans and general gamers.
See Also: Sony Morpheus, Oculus Rift DK2, Unity 5, and More at VRLA #3 This Weekend in LA
This attitude of openness continued with my visit to Gamescom, although ironically at a “behind closed doors” press event dedicated 
to Project Morpheus. At the event we were first treated to an informative behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of one of their VR demo titles, VR Luge. Dave Raynard, Studio Director at Sony London Studio, walked us through the team’s experiments in VR and finally the multiple iterations of VR Luge, documenting the roadmap to its current state. More on this soon.
The usual tech demos were on display: The Deep, The Castle, and of course the newest build of VR Luge. But the big surprise was that, when I glanced around the low-lit demo room Gaijin Entertainment’s War Thunder occupied one of the demo stations. Not only that, but sporting HOTAS controls!
See Also: Sony Shows War Thunder Running with Project Morpheus and HOTAS Support
I made a bee line for the pod and managed to spend an extended period with the game and its luxurious controls. I was impressed—but with reservations—and we’ll have more on my thoughts and impressions of the event plus gameplay video of my time with the system and an interview with Sony Magic Lab engineer Anton Michailov (co-designer of the Move controller) which will be published soon.
