Being a Gamer, it becomes very hard not to feel excited by the prospect of Virtual Reality in the Gaming Industry. Whether you’re an FPS (First Person Shooter – Counter Strike, Unreal Tournament, etc) enthusiast, a Strategist (turn based games – Age of Wonders, ) or an RPG lover (Diablo, Assassins Creed, Prince of Persia), Virtual Reality fits. Imagine holding a gun or sword in your hand, living inside the game, looking at things the way we look at them through our naked eyes. That’s what the respective teams at Oculus and Sony are trying to create, a world in which you can immerse yourself without those nosy external irritations. Before I compare them, let me give you a little backdrop on how the two exploded on the scene :
OCULUS RIFT :
A Wedding Camera on Your Face (source : Wikipedia)
What The Fuck?? (source : lasvegas2014.org)
The Oculus Rift is a tale of speculation, butchery and vivid imagination. Speculation because Virtual Reality was rumored to have existed over a decade ago, but we all know that it wasn’t really on anyone’s mind until The Matrix Trilogy released. The pre and post Matrix era butchered VR with countless thoughts and possibilities on how VR should actually be. But it was Oculus founder Palmer Luckey (famously known for his active participation in Meant To Be Seen (MTBS) 3-D discussion forums) who dared to dream when he launched his project Oculus Rift on Kickstarter. Having grossed over $91 million, the Oculus Rift got some serious attention both from the Tech and Media world. The age for speculation had ended and the age of possibility had begun. Ever since (2012), Oculus Rift has gone through a series of dynamic changes and they recently displayed the sequel, The Oculus Rift Crystal Cove, at the CES 2014.
SONY’S PROJECT MORPHEUS:
I’m the Cool Guy (source : faud.com.au)
Sony’s Glowing Dildos (source : allgamesbeta.com)
Cut the guys a break! They’re working on something creative and original. Why? Why would Sony scoop in and steal their thunder? Unless…it wasn’t so original in the first place. Soon after Oculus publicly announced their VR headset, Sony revealed their project, Project Morpheus (sound familiar? Here’s a hint : The Matrix), had been in the pipes for a while now and that they’d be taking the fight to Oculus. Unlike Oculus, Sony doesn’t need funding, which is a huge plus point when you think about development cost. Ofcourse, 91 million dollars isn’t really a small number either. Like the OR (Oculus Rift), Morpheus immerses the uses in a gaming world with a headset. OR uses customizable accessories however, unlike Morpheus which comes with a gamepad and two positional trackers, capable of identifying the position of your hands and responding accordingly. So now that we’ve got the intro’s out of the way, let’s pitch them in a death battle and see who’ll emerge victorious! Oculus Rift will get my attention first, since I root for the underdog, after which Sony will get it’s say.
Design and Aesthetics
The OR : Sleek and Sexy
The Oculus VR looked a little crude during the prototype phase, but the latest headset looks beyond comfortable. The Oculus VR has a small, finely crafted strap which allows the headset to sit directly in front of your eyes as you loop the strap behind your head. The headset has now been modified to work with/without spectacles, which would be a large part of their customer base because of…well…the gaming. The Oculus Rift takes a bit of adjusting to, beyond which you’ll just get lost in the game. The viewing angles extend up to 90 degrees, providing a fairly large range from extremity to extremity. It also comes with a USB port which allows users to create for OR, a feature I will address later on.
Buy the Morpheus, get a sweat band absolutely free. (source : digitaltrends.com)
The Morpheus is just a tad bit more uncomfortable to get on, but it has the amazing ability to just fit as soon as it clamps on. There’s a small gap just below the nose as the Morpheus clings on, but you’ll hardly notice the difference once the device is powered on, and Sony still has a lot of time to work on that issue. It doesn’t have USB compatibility, but again that’s a matter of minimal importance. It feels like it’ll fall off at first, but as you keep shaking your head, you soon realize you’re wasting your time. The only thing I can’t get over is the ridiculous sweat-band fitment above the Morpheus. Other than that, it looks just as good as it’s competitor.
The Verdict : It’s a tie.
Gameplay
I haven’t had the chance to personally test either contraption, but the feedback has been absolutely amazing, and I mean amazing! In terms of graphics development and overall usability, both OR and Morpheus are on par with each other. Check out these insane reactions for Oculus Rift and Morpheus.
The Verdict : To be decided…too early to tell.
Platforms
To me, this could be the deciding factor between which of the two goes on to become more successful . OR has already synced with the PC and Android platform. Since both these platforms are the most popular in their respective categories, they will provide the most reach in terms of publicity and usability. Not to mention that PC games have a much broader game base. Oculus took a leaf out of Google’s playbook bu allowing open source integration, which allows users to code for OR and it’s games, using the earlier mentioned USB port, thus raising the bar for Morpheus. But there seems to be a trouble brewin for OR, primarily because most of the PC games are not capable of handling the VR integration. Add to this the restriction of viewing angles and it may not be all that fascinating. That being said, technology is unpredictable. Who knows, pretty soon we may see the very same headsets with 360 degree functionality!
Crysis_3 at it’s best (source: maximumpc.com)
Pushing the Boundries of Mobile Games(source : gadmobindex.com)
Sony is as Sony does, and if OR can steal Google’s plays, Morpheus can steal Apple’s. As per the latest reports, Morpheus will release only with the PS4, which is no joking matter, because the PS4 has managed to sway the hearts of even the most dedicated x-box fans. Sony’s been smart in integrating a camera in the PS4, which surprisingly collaborates with the Morpheus in perfect harmony (maybe they have been working on Morpheus longer than I thought). But while Morpheus has the infamous PS4, that may not always be a good thing. We all know what happened to Nokia, and it would be a shame if history were to repeat itself.
Presenting the PS4 (source : wikipedia)
A World of Madness, a Moment of Solitude (source : theballthegame.com)
The Verdict : Oculus Rift
Games Being Developed
I’ve tried to look at this objectively but to me it seems like Oculus Rift is the obvious winner here. Not only does it have over 50 compatible games, it’s also collaborated with some of the biggest names in the Gaming industry such as Doom 3, The Fear sequel, Half Life (1 & 2), Everquest Next, etc. Sony hasn’t officially integrated Morpheus with any major title, nor has it managed to create an exclusive game for it. However, Sony does have the added advantage of it’s own console and we might even see a few Morpheus compatible titles very soon. But for the time being, it’s OR for the win.
The Verdict : Oculus Rift
Price
Cha-Ching! Another critical factor I’ve taken into account is the price. Now I’m sure you’re wondering, “if someone’s willing to pay $400 for a Playstation 4, then price shouldn’t really be a factor, should it?”
(source : Gamespot.com)
Wrong! Not all markets are price sensitive, but why pay more just for the heck of it? After the massive success of the Moto G, companies have had to re-think their strategies. While the Oculus Rift is poised at around $ 300-350, speculation has it that Morpheus could be anywhere between $400-600. Now I don’t want to look at this cynically but isn’t that more expensive than a PS4 itslef? Not that the Oculus Rift is much more affordable, but if Sony is pricing it’s unit above the OR backed by nothing but the brand name, Morpheus might only see sales in the PS4 domain, even if it does open up to other platforms.
The Verdict : Oculus Rift
The Winna : Oculus Rift (for the moment)
Look, I know I’ve been a little critical of Morpheus but I know Sony is capable of incredible things. They did create those incredible fish phones (you know, the first ones to enter water) and I’m sure that given the time, they’ll come out with a blockbuster product. But that’s the question : Do they have time? The Oculus Rift Developers Kit is already available and the longer Sony waits, the more uphill their task will seem. Can Sony pull another rabbit out of it’s hat? Only time will tell…….
Source : The Verge (www.theverge.com)
Always An Endless Future 