Sony will make a oculus-like hmd for ps4

[PasticheDonkey]

sony could bring in oculus like they did mark cerny's company. it's important to remember that the person who designed the PS4 isn't a sony employee; and they could take the same approach to VR ventures. depends on shuhei yoshida's masterplan; and we know he likes the rift. you could consider oculus a hardware indie and sony have been courting indies heavily.

[Fractalys]

sony could bring in oculus like they did mark cerny's company. it's important to remember that the person who designed the PS4 isn't a sony employee; and they could take the same approach to VR ventures. depends on shuhei yoshida's masterplan; and we know he likes the rift. you could consider oculus a hardware indie and sony have been courting indies heavily.

So it basically becomes an acqui-hire. Sony isn't that interested in applied technology of the rift, more the people behind it (human capital). The way Palmer speaks in interviews tells me that, he isn't going to sell his company. Selling to Sony also means creating synergy with their products. They are pretty much stuck with move in terms of motion control.

There is a connection between Sony and Oculus in terms of Gaikai. So it's always a possibility. I'd like to see Oculus being independent for a (long) while. Selling to Sony feels like throwing in the towel way to early. Even outside of gaming there is still an tremendous opportunity. I'd rather see Oculus moving into a strategic partnership with Myo for example.

[colocolo]

sony could bring in oculus like they did mark cerny's company. it's important to remember that the person who designed the PS4 isn't a sony employee; and they could take the same approach to VR ventures. depends on shuhei yoshida's masterplan; and we know he likes the rift. you could consider oculus a hardware indie and sony have been courting indies heavily.

So it basically becomes an acqui-hire. Sony isn't that interested in applied technology of the rift, more the people behind it (human capital). The way Palmer speaks in interviews tells me that, he isn't going to sell his company. Selling to Sony also means creating synergy with their products. They are pretty much stuck with move in terms of motion control.

There is a connection between Sony and Oculus in terms of Gaikai. So it's always a possibility. I'd like to see Oculus being independent for a (long) while. Selling to Sony feels like throwing in the towel way to early. Even outside of gaming there is still an tremendous opportunity. I'd rather see Oculus moving into a strategic partnership with Myo for example.

perhaps they were already infiltrated just at the beginning....
conspiracy!

[mickman]

Is it safe to say that both Sony & Microsoft will be targeting consoles & Oculus P.C gamers & Indie developers ?

[blazespinnaker]

There's really only two reasons they buy OVR:

1. Some patentable tech they're concerned about losing in court too (juries can be weird)
2. The Good Will it would engender by not rolling over a small innovative american company

I think 2 is the most likely reason, I really don't see anything patentable. Sony is going to look like a big-evil-japanese-company unable to innovate on its own so it's just copying Oculus if they don't do #2. That sort of negative good will can be damaging to the bottom line.

The problem with 2 though, is Sony isn't all that rich these days. They're only worth about 20B... The most they could spare for something like OVR is probably less than what the venture capitalists want out of it.

Who knows though. Life is strange sometimes.

Palmer's a bright guy, this isn't going to be his only great idea. I'd sell if I were him and use the money to fund something more fun... like building VR worlds.

[blazespinnaker]

perhaps they were already infiltrated just at the beginning....
conspiracy!

Hardly a conspiracy. That's pretty much how it works. Work at big company, make friends in senior management, leave to work at startup, prove that your idea was good, sell to big company.

Big companies like that too, because it means less risk to their rep when the project fails.... they have to pay a premium for the successful startup, but that works out.

[PasticheDonkey]

my point was that they don't need to buy them they can bring them in as consultants.

[Fractalys]

my point was that they don't need to buy them they can bring them in as consultants.

That would be weird helping the competition.

[PasticheDonkey]

my point was that they don't need to buy them they can bring them in as consultants.

That would be weird helping the competition.

sony aren't the competition unless they decide to be. they can just as easily be allies.

[Fractalys]

my point was that they don't need to buy them they can bring them in as consultants.

That would be weird helping the competition.

sony aren't the competition unless they decide to be. they can just as easily be allies.

It isn't a wise business decision to help/consult an indirect competitor (who eventually could become a competitor).
Consulting is a short term gain (in this case) for some extra cashflow. If Oculus needs more cash they should have raised more money.

[yoshithedog]

That would be weird helping the competition.

sony aren't the competition unless they decide to be. they can just as easily be allies.

It isn't a wise business decision to help/consult an indirect competitor (who eventually could become a competitor).

But just imagine how much further they could push VR if they worked together...
well, I guess "our world" doesn't work that way. Business, right? It's a shame that amount of money gained in comparison to "competitors" is the only measure of success nowadays...
Someone forgot that our civilization is built on cooperation and that without cooperation there is no civilization.

[PasticheDonkey]

not only that but it could make business sense if they get a piece of the pie from sales. since sony can probably improve the profit margin and numbers sold to an extent that oculus would earn more than just doing it themselves.

[MSat]

Sony could potentially ask for an exclusive console partnership (while Oculus covers the PC and mobile market) to exclude Microsoft from also getting in on the action. This is good for Oculus since Sony could prevent the Rift from working on the PS4 anyway if they wanted to. As they say, If you can't beat em' join em'.

[Fractalys]

But just imagine how much further they could push VR if they worked together...
well, I guess "our world" doesn't work that way. Business, right? It's a shame that amount of money gained in comparison to "competitors" is the only measure of success nowadays...
Someone forgot that our civilization is built on cooperation and that without cooperation there is no civilization.

Competition actually drives innovation.
Innovation happens when there is an incentive. Going out of business is a big incentive (this can only happen when there is competition). I'm sure that this rebirth of VR wouldn't have happened this fast, if it weren't for Oculus.

Sony has more resources to kickstart VR atleast 2 years earlier. THey just didnt get their product right. Palmer put all the pieces together This took him years and iterations to pull it all together. Sony employees just didn't came up with it, because they had deadlines from upper management to get results. This puts a burden on on innovation.

Indie developers create amazing games while developers working for publishers make relatively small improvements on their games. They play it safe, while the indies have to be innovative to create some buzz around their game in able to survive. There is a catch which is lots of indies fail and the very reason big companys don't take that much risk.

Sony isn't dedicated to VR that's just a small piece for them. They would only slow Oculus down (Sony management will interfere for a variety of reasons). Move was introduced due to competition mid lifecycle. Sony was being reactive to Nintendo.
Its just the same for this announcement.

Edit:
@PasticheDonkey
I would consider this a strategic partnership (instead of consulting). As you say Oculus would probably benefit its just a sales boost (once you enter a strategic partnership you really have to follow thru), I believe Oculus would be better of alone. PS4 isn't a be all and all, Elon Musk demonstrated lots of growth for Oculus outside of gaming to businesses who can easily pay $300.

Sharing costs and revenue is a little different then what MSat describes.

@MSat
That would be interesting, if Sony actually does this. Since Microsoft definitely has an edge over Sony. Oculus could just as easy pull the same thing of with Microsoft. This gives Oculus at least some leverage. If you cant beat them join them, that's to early to say if you ask me. Mobile VR is the future, Microsoft and Sony both suck at mobile.

[PasticheDonkey]

and collaboration can make you more competitive against others.

sony are always working on making the new they just wait till they think it's the right time. move for example isn't going to capture the casual market when attached to a $599 console. they even waited to release eye toy on the most successful console of all time. for move they were also waiting for better sensors (which nintendo had to add adhoc and with little support via wii remote +). i think for them to go vr they'll be waiting for a design without such compromised image quality, and that has robust positional tracking.

[Fractalys]

and collaboration can make you more competitive against others.

sony are always working on making the new they just wait till they think it's the right time. move for example isn't going to capture the casual market when attached to a $599 console. they even waited to release eye toy on the most successful console of all time. for move they were also waiting for better sensors (which nintendo had to add adhoc and with little support via wii remote +). i think for them to go vr they'll be waiting for a design without such compromised image quality, and that has robust positional tracking.

Welcome back I just edited a response.

Is it waiting for the right time or copying (and improving) the competition?

[PasticheDonkey]

well i think it's waiting because of demonstrations they gave long before anyone knew what the wii was. Richard Marks and Anton Mikhailov are pretty much always R&Ding new interfaces.

for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PtoxKDcCXc

[Fractalys]

well i think it's waiting because of demonstrations they gave long before anyone knew what the wii was. Richard Marks and Anton Mikhailov are pretty much always R&Ding new interfaces.

for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PtoxKDcCXc

Now it becomes products in development vs released products
Consumers cant play with R&D stuff (so this means nothing to me). Its the bigger company that waits and the smaller company that innovates (brings it in consumer hands).

[PasticheDonkey]

consider that the rift isn't really a released product; it's in development. that development is more inclusive and open to the public tho.

[Fractalys]

consider that the rift isn't really a released product; it's in development. that development is more inclusive and open to the public tho.

If consumers can buy Oculus, it's a released product. It doesn't matter what they call their product releases.

[PasticheDonkey]

but that's just an artefact of them having to prove themselves as a company. and a VR revolution cannot be built on 20k orders. sony can wait like that general in Kagemusha. maybe they should have released a cheap under powered system with move controls. they could have but didn't. even smart companies don't make the best short term plans all the time. but mostly cos long term plans secure position far more.

[Fractalys]

Sony also has to prove themselves everytime they release a product.

VR revolution has to start somewhere and Sony didn't start it.

Sure Sony can wait since Oculus needs their permission for PS4.

I just don't give Sony credit for their waiting game.

[PasticheDonkey]

sony have to prove the product not themselves. they proved themselves with trinitron walkman and playstation.

and you want something now well fine there's the rift development kit for that.

[colocolo]

sony is holding tomorrow a press conference in Japan concerning the release date in Japan.
But this should not be the only news. on a chinese website namely sony has hinted that 'we' could expect
great news.
http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2013/09/08/ ... -tomorrow/
that title: Sony Promising The News We've "Been Waiting For" Tomorrow smells suspiciously like VR finally there!
unfortunately that also sounds like Sony will gather all the attention and Oculus could drift into the background. lets hope that it wont be like that.

Serious: ive thought about it twice. They will present their VR headset tomorrow or better said their today. You cant misread this news. what else could be beyond our expectations???? it cant be clearer.

[Fractalys]

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/sceja-pre ... ce-english

7AM UK

Curious to see what happens.

Oculus doesn't seem to be there...unless its a secret.

http://www.oculusvr.com/events/

[colocolo]

naaa, i dont think so. VR will be divided into a PC and console market much like it is today with games.
Because VR is simply not only about gaming. for things like 3D modeling, CAD or whatever you still need PC software. Sony, say game developers wont deliver that.
VR needs to be a open platform. Its not a gimmick. It will be a very new powerful form of creativity
and adultainment as we very recently were tought.

[PasticheDonkey]

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/sceja-pre ... ce-english

7AM UK

Curious to see what happens.

Oculus doesn't seem to be there...unless its a secret.

http://www.oculusvr.com/events/

well it obviously would be a secret but that doesn't mean lack of evidence implies truth.

[android78]

Regarding the idea that oculus could sell out to Sony or Microsoft. I think they would be wise to struggle along independent of the two games consoles manufacturers. I think that VR is likely to follow the same path as the latest 3D movies/games pattern, which is:
1. Emerging technology is getting a lot of press and positive reviews. There is some negativity, but that seems to be countered with the promise of $$$.
2. Big companies see the above and jump on board to cash in on it. They create products promising to be the future.
3. General public are initially curious about the new tech and sales appear to be good.
4. Due to limitations of the technology, the general public start to turn away from it due to the hassles/expense
5. The market for the products returns to being niche and enthusiasts.
6. Big manufacturers stop pushing the tech and go back to promoting other features.
7. Hopefully the small players that started developing the tech are still there to cater to the niche that still exists.

I'm not meaning to be negative, just realistic about the acceptance of the current limitations. When the majority of people who are really enthusiastic about this technology are still not able to enjoy the hours of gameplay in the rift that they can with a standard 3D monitor, I don't see the general public getting behind it. Look at the 3DS as an example; the press seemed to be pretty positive when it was revealed, and the 3D was a big selling point, but now you will rarely see users with the 3D slider up because it is just more comfortable to play in 2d. There are only a few (like me) who are still playing in 3D, but with the quality of 3D in a lot of games, even I start to wonder if it's worth it.
I could be proven wrong, and I hope I am, but I think that we will all be worse off in 5 years time and once the dust settles on VR if we don't have oculus catering to those of us left still keen on a (gradually improving, yet still imperfect) VR experience.

[colocolo]

Good night everybody!
Tomorrow 8am german time i want to see Palmer Luckey in Tokyo speaking about the Rift for PS4 and its costless concept. Fingers crossed.

[blazespinnaker]

I can see Sony buying out Oculus or at least licensing their tech. I wouldn't be too surprised to see that as the news tomorrow.

Of course, I can see it being something boring too.

[pizzy00]

Who know what is going to happen. Myself being a PC gamer and having had the Rift for quite awhile now. I think I will only want to only buy one VR headset at first. I want it to be everything Oculus has been saying they will make and in their stated price range. I am an OR fan boy no doubt. But it is not like we know the specs of the Sony HMD yet. There are tons of unknowns. Like will Sonys HMD work on a PC? After using the Dev kit for all of this time and trying all of the great content out for it already not all being games, I have made up my mind not to buy a console for this coming gen. I am not excited about screen or monitor experiences/games anymore. Its like would you rather be in the stands watching or would you rather be in the game.

[virror]

Cant connect from work, anyone knows whats happening? : p

[colocolo]

Look at this ugly small stupid wireless streaming adapter! that was their surprise, surprisingly announced by Andre House.

[PatimPatam]

The news we've been waiting for, a new PS Vita model :-/

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/09/ ... vita-model

[TheHolyChicken]

I'm relieved. I'd love to see Oculus release their consumer version BEFORE any competitors do, because frankly I think that Microsoft or Sony will do a shash job of it. I fear that their attempt at VR would be mediocre, driving people away from VR, and giving VR (and Oculus by association) a bad reputation. I'd much prefer if Oculus were able to release their consumer version uncontested, and become the standard that others must compare against, as I have confidence their solution is going to be superior.

[ss248]

The news we've been waiting for, a new PS Vita model :-/
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/09/ ... vita-model

Look at this ugly small stupid wireless streaming adapter! that was their surprise, surprisingly announced by Andre House.

Chill out, guys.
Lets wait till TGS first.

[PatimPatam]

Chill out, guys.
Lets wait till TGS first.

I really doubt they are going to announce anything at TGS, it wouldn't make much sense.. i think if they're planning to release a VR headset for the PS4 it's probably going to be end of 2014 and the announcement should be around E3 next year. We will see..

Also agree with TheHolyChicken, it's probably better if the Rift comes out first, or at least around the same time.

[ss248]

Chill out, guys.
Lets wait till TGS first.

I really doubt they are going to announce anything at TGS, it wouldn't make much sense.. i think if they're planning to release a VR headset for the PS4 it's probably going to be end of 2014 and the announcement should be around E3 next year. We will see..

If they gonna announce it this year, they will do it on TGS.
Nothing on TGS? - Wait for 2014.

[Kazioo]

People actually expected VR at TGS?
That rumour was denied by multiple sources a few days ago.

It could be shown behind closed doors, but not publicly.

I think that Microsoft or Sony will do a shash job of it. I fear that their attempt at VR would be mediocre.

I doubt that Microsoft will try to do anything with VR.
I'm sure they are perfectly aware of Sony's plans for VR and have more details than we have.
They will probably offer something more family friendly and criticize VR for being anti-social and for nerds with no life.
Heck, it's already begun: http://i72.servimg.com/u/f72/17/79/34/56/xbox_310.jpg

We know about their AR research and patents, but it's still more like sci-fi, despite their rumoured/leaked plans to unveil it in 2014.

[blazespinnaker]

Yeah, I definitely agree with the above, especially Dan's viewpoint (though I wonder if he tried it with headphones on).

The oculus rift is more for fan boys like us. Things like "Guitar Hero" or "Dance Central" or "Wii Sports" .. Those games just don't work with the rift.

Also, it doesn't work when I try to play video games with my kids.

That being said, I love the Rift.