sony vr

Long-running gaming site CVG revealed earlier today that Japan’s Sony Computer Entertainment is poised to unveil a new “virtual reality headset” at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, stating that the unit will be the final piece in the company’s PlayStation 4 hardware strategy.

This is not by any means the first time Sony has experimented with head-mounted displays. Last year saw the company show off its HMZ-T2 Personal 3-D Viewer, which left quite the impression on the RocketNews24 team, itself an updated model of a product Sony brought to the market in 2011.

Rather than being a fixed stereoscopic viewer, however, the rumoured headset is thought to be closer in terms of functionality to the likes of Oculus Rift–a crowdfunded head-mounted display that has been generating a great deal of excitement in the games industry over the past few months.

An unnamed source close to Sony reportedly told CVG that “Sony’s device will be a categorical rival to Oculus, and for months there have been rumours suggesting the two companies are seeking a partnership.” Although it will likely be sold separately from the soon-to-be-released PlayStation 4 console, the headset is expected to be pushed as a part of the overall PS4 experience, along with the new and improved PlayStation Eye camera accessory.

The same source suggested that Evolution Studios, the developer behind upcoming ultra-realistic racing game Driveclub, is currently working with the new device to simulate a cockpit view in the game, completely immersing players in the game world, but another developer CVG spoke with is of the opinion that the unit Sony will exhibit at TGS will in fact be much closer to headsets we have previously seen.

RocketNews24 will of course be at Tokyo Game Show 2013 and will continue to bring you the latest news as it happens.

Source: CVG
Title image (used for illustrative purposes) via Uber Gizmo