Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida Responds To Xbox Head Phil Spencer’s VR Comments

Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida made a comment on Twitter that seemed directed at Phil Spencer’s suggestion that nobody is asking for VR, in relation to Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox, codenamed Scarlett.

Microsoft’s Head of Xbox Phil Spencer suggested that VR support for the next generation of Xbox was unlikely in a recent comment. “I have some issues with VR — it’s isolating and I think of games as a communal, kind of together experience,” Spencer explained. “We’re responding to what our customers are asking for and… nobody’s asking for VR. The vast majority of our customers know if they want a VR experience, there’s places to go get those. We see the volumes of those on PC and other places.”

“I think we might get there [eventually],” Spencer concluded. “But yeah, that’s not where our focus is.”

Following the comments from Spencer, Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida posted a comment on Twitter that seemed to respond to Spencer’s assertion that ‘nobody’s asking for VR.’

On Twitter, Yoshida wrote the following:

“(´-`).。oO(we oftentimes work hard to make things that no customers are asking for them.”

We should note that as of March this year, Sony had sold over 4.2 million PSVR headsets – making it very clear that there is an audience for VR support on consoles.

Yoshida, who was Head of Sony Worldwide Studios until a recent change, has been a long supporter and proponent of VR and Sony’s PSVR offerings in particular. He most recently made comments in September that he feels better hardware will improve the VR experience, but that VR as a platform still has ‘a lot to learn’ overall.

In contrast to Xbox Scarlett, Sony’s next console, the PlayStation 5, will support VR – that being said, at launch it will only support the current generation of PSVR, and the next generation, PSVR 2, probably won’t launch alongside the PS5.

How do you feel about Shuhei Yoshida and Phil Spencer’s comments on VR? Let us know down below.

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New Head of Sony Worldwide Studios Confirmed, Shuhei Yoshida Heads New Independent Developer Initiative

At the end of September, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) announced that Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden would be leaving. At the time a successor wasn’t revealed but that has now happened today. Guerrilla Games’ Hermen Hulst has been appointed Head of Worldwide Studios (WWS) effective immediately.

Having co-founded Amsterdam-based Guerrilla Games back in 2000, the studio is best known for the Killzone franchise and most recently Horizon Zero Dawn, which launched in 2017 for PlayStation 4. The studio is also responsible for developing proprietary game engine Decima, which has been used to create a number of videogame including Death Stranding by Kojima Productions.

As head of WWS, Hulst will now oversee all game development across the 14 studios under the WWS umbrella – which still includes Guerrilla which Sony Computer Entertainment acquired in 2005.

“Hermen is one of the most effective and well-respected leaders in the video game industry. He is a passionate advocate for the teams he leads and understands how to empower creative talent to build great experiences,” said Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment in a statement. “Worldwide Studios is a critical part of the future success of the company, and we must deliver on the promise we have made to gamers to create imaginative and exciting content that is truly unique to PlayStation. I have no doubt Hermen can lead our teams to deliver compelling and diverse experiences at a steady cadence.”

Shuhei Yoshida

In addition to Hulst’s announcement, SIE has also confirmed that PlayStation veteran Shuhei Yoshida will leave his role at WWS to lead a new company initiative. This will be focused on supporting external developers, ensuring they all have the necessary tools, technology, and services to make successful products for PlayStation gamers.

“I am thrilled to announce Shu Yoshida as head of this new initiative. Everybody knows just how passionate Shu is about independent games – they are the lifeblood of the industry, making our content portfolio so special for our gamers. These wildly creative experiences deserve focus and a champion like Shu at PlayStation who will ensure the entire SIE organization works together to better engage with independent developers through a culture of supporting and celebrating their contributions to PlayStation platforms,” added Ryan.

As their roles develop, VRFocus will keep you updated.

Sony Has ’10 Year Vision’ For Media Molecule’s Dreams

Media Molecule’s Dreams has, understandably, been taking its time.

The platform, which lets players make their own games, has been in development for pretty much the entirety of PS4’s life. Even now, it’s only available as a limited Early Access version to early buyers. Given that Sony’s PS5 is widely expected to release next year, you might fear the game’s life span will be short lived. Fear not; Sony says it has a long-term vision for the experience.

In a recent interview with Play-Asia, Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida said that the company has “a 10 year vision for Dreams to keep growing with the community.”

We know that PS5 will be backwards compatible, so Dreams can certainly live there. The question, though, is if the app will get PS5-specific features.

There’s also the question of when and where the game will get the long-promised VR support. Media Molecule has long talked about Dreams’ PSVR support, but it’s not available in Early Access. It might be that support gets added to the PSVR version of the game, though we wonder if Sony might hold off for PS5’s release. The new console will support the original headset, which would definitely help in terms of processing power.

As for potential compatibility with a new, unannounced version of PSVR? That’s another topic entirely.

Either way, we eagerly await Dreams PSVR news. We’ve messed around with the game a little this year. It’s an incredibly accessible toolset, at the prospect of unleashing it on the VR community is tantalizing. Perhaps we could hear more during Sony’s State of Play broadcast next week? Fingers crossed.

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Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida: ‘The Human Brain Is Getting Used To’ VR

Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida thinks that people are beginning to overcome the dreaded VR simulation sickness.

Yoshida said as much speaking to Famitsu at TGS last week (roughly translated via Google). Simulation sickness refers to people becoming nauseous in VR. This can be especially apparent when a VR game simulates walking or if it takes control of the camera. However Yoshida noted that he believes “users have become accustomed to VR” in the past three years.

In his interview, Yoshida pointed to experiences like Borderlands 2 VR and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR as examples of this. Both games offer comfortable teleport options but also smooth locomotion.  This is “because the human brain is getting used to it,” he said, later adding that “as the brain gets used to VR, sensory disagreements are less likely to occur.”

Another example Yoshida pointed to is the upcoming Iron Man VR. The game, developed by Camouflaj, lets players fly in any direction using a unique control scheme. Indeed, we’ve been really impressed with how natural the experience feels on the headset. “I think this is a VR game that has never existed before,” Yoshida said.

Yoshida’s words are reflective of how VR design has evolved at both Sony’s own Worldwide Studios and Oculus’ exclusive games for its Rift and Quest headsets. Back in 2016, both companies were cautious to move players too much (with some exception *cough* RIGS *cough*). However, recent titles like Blood & Truth and the upcoming Stormland feature smooth locomotion.

Do you agree that the wider VR user-base is getting used to VR and overcoming simulation sickness? Should Sony and Oculus continue to design more intense experiences or are they leaving people that still suffer from nausea behind? Let us know in the comments below!

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Develop:Brighton 2018 Opening Keynote To Be Delivered By PlayStation Legend Shuhei Yoshida

As the days to the start of Develop:Brighton come tick down the conference has revealed that the PlayStation Legend Shuhei Yoshida will be attending the event and also delivering the opening keynote. Furthermore, Yoshida will also be awarded the Legend Award at the Develop Awards, organised by Future Publishing as well.

Shuhei Yoshida

This year Develop:Brighton is trying a new three-day format with Yoshida opening the event on Tuesday 10th July with a fireside chat where we will be sharing his perspective on a long and celebrated career. This will cover his early days at Sony where he started in the 1980s to joining the original PlayStation team two years ahead of its launch and overseeing the development of some of the companies global best-selling franchises including God of War, Grand Turismo, The Last of Us and Uncharted. Yoshida is also a fan of virtual reality (VR) owning a HTC Vive and Oculus Rift alongside the PlayStation VR.

A 25-year veteran of the videogames industry, Yoshida is a renowned software developer who was a part of PlayStation’s immense and sustained success for more than 20 years. During the keynote Yoshida will also talk about the mission of managing the worldwide studios and share valuable insights on Sony’s current success.

“We are delighted to welcome Shuhei Yoshida to Brighton this summer,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of Develop:Brighton organisers, Tandem Events. “Shuhei has a wealth of experience in developing world-renowned games and overseeing top class development studios which is hard to match. Looking back over his 20 years in games development, our delegates will have a fantastic opportunity to hear about the lessons learnt in forging a successful career from a man who was at the birth of the PlayStation and his insights into Sony’s current successes. I can’t think of anyone better to open this year’s conference.”

Develop:Brighton is of course Europe’s leading videogame developer conference and expo, hosting over 100 sessions with over 120 speakers and nearly 1,000 companies attending. The event will be running from 10th July to 12th July, 2018 with tickets available to purchase now. Early bird tickets are still available until the 6th June where from the 7th June onward only standard tickets will be on sale. Recently it was also revealed that Chet Faliszek of Bossa Studios will giving a keynote at the event as well.

VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest from Develop:Brighton so make sure to stay tuned for all those.

Apple AR/VR Product to Debut in 2017, Predicts Sony’s Head of Worldwide Studios

sony-project-morpheus-ps4-vr-headset-reveal-captionTo many, the question of an Apple AR or VR headset has become a “when” rather than an “if”. The President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios thinks 2017 is the year that Apple introduces its first immersive device.

Apple does R&D on a wide range of technologies and has been actively researching the fields of VR and AR for years, including submitting and receiving several relevant patents. And while much of Apple’s R&D doesn’t see the light of day, the company certainly excels at taking novel tech and marketing it as something that everyone can use. VR and AR are on the rise, and Apple is widely expected to jump into the immersive device space when the time is right. But exactly when that time is has been up for debate.

As for Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios, 2017 is likely the year that Apple makes its first move. That’s according to Virtual Reality Pop, who queried a number of VR and AR industry insiders in a brief Q&A about their biggest predictions for the landscape in 2017.

Yoshia is a major believer in VR and has been closely involved with the creation of Sony’s PlayStation VR headset; he was the one to introduce the device (formerly called Project Morpheus) to the public for the first time at GDC 2014 (see leading photo). Since then he’s appeared numerous times to herald the headset and has carefully followed the evolution of the VR and AR landscape by attending and participating the industry’s top conferences.

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It’s doubtful that Yoshida has any specific knowledge of an Apple AR or VR device announcement, but his prediction certainly contains the wisdom of a long time Sony veteran who is carefully considering PlayStation’s forward-looking VR strategy with regards to Apple’s possible entry into the marketplace.

Do you think Apple will come to the market with an AR/VR product this year? Let us know in the comments.

The post Apple AR/VR Product to Debut in 2017, Predicts Sony’s Head of Worldwide Studios appeared first on Road to VR.

Sony: PS VR Owners Spending “Many Hours” With System “Every Day”

Sony: PS VR Owners Spending “Many Hours” With System “Every Day”

Despite numerous analyst reports and predictions, we’re still left guessing how many units Sony’s PlayStation VR has sold since launch in October. The company did recently provide a small insight into how long owners are spending with the headset, though.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Sony Interactive Entertainment Head of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, stated that “people are spending many hours on the system every day.” It’s come as a surprise to the company as VR in its current state can often be uncomfortable or, in Yoshida’s words, “intense”. In fact, the PlayStation figurehead himself wasn’t anticipating that players would spend hours inside their headsets at this point.

He also noted that the kit was “selling out pretty much everywhere”, though declined to give official stats.

Yoshida didn’t reveal what games were being played the most inside PS VR, though last month Sony did confirm that Batman: Arkham VR [Review: 5/10] and Job Simulator [Review: 8/10] were selling best on the PlayStation Store. We’ve reached out to PlayStation for some concrete stats and we’ll update this article if we get them.

VR companies have made great strides in increasing VR comfort over the past few years, though many PS VR games still use artificial locomotion with the analog sticks on the DualShock 4 controller, which can be a key cause of simulation sickness. We’ve long wondered if this might hurt the headset’s chances of success, but Sony’s supposed data seems to suggest it won’t.

That’s a relief considering that arguably the two biggest games coming to the headset next year, Resident Evil 7 and Farpoint, use stick-based locomotion. Though far from ideal, it’s a form of movement that is likely to stick around at least during the early days of PS VR.

Still, there aren’t a great many PS VR games that it’s possible to spend many hours with yet, aside from the multiplayer titles.

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