[7][8] The headset also has a processor box which enables the Social Screen video output to the television, as well as process the 3D audio effect, and uses a 3.5mm headphone jack.

In early 2014, Sony Interactive Entertainment research and development engineer Anton Mikhailov said his team had been working on Project Morpheus for more than three years.

According to Mikhailov, the PlayStation 3 Move peripheral, itself revealed in June 2009, was designed with unspecified, future head-mounted technology in mind.

"[14] Shuhei Yoshida, the president of Sony's worldwide studios, also said the project started as "grassroots" activity among engineers and programmers, which came into focus in 2010 once the Move controller had been released.

SIE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida introduced the device on March 18, 2014, and stated Project Morpheus was "the next innovation from PlayStation that will [shape] the future of games.

[18] Later in 2015, Sony acquired SoftKinetic, a tech startup whose focus includes visual depth-sensing gesture recognition, for an undisclosed amount.

Shuhei Yoshida, president of SIE Worldwide Studios, explained in regards to a demo by Japan Studio, Monster Escape (in which four players playing off the TV must evade a monster controlled by a player using the headset), that this ability allowed VR to become an asymmetric "social experience", similarly citing the existing game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes as another example of a VR-compatible game that emphasizes interaction.

[30] The Aim Controller is an optional, abstractly-shaped light gun-like peripheral that was bundled with Farpoint and also sold separately for US$59.99.

It is also compatible with a limited selection of VR shooter games, and mimics the feel of a gun more closely than a traditional gamepad.

[31] In March 2016, Sony said there were 230 developers actively working on content for PlayStation VR, with 50 titles available by the end of the year.

[32] Existing, non-VR games can be played within PlayStation VR via "Cinematic Mode", which renders the content on a simulated projection screen in a 3D space.

[40] Sony announced new information regarding Project Morpheus at the 2015 Game Developers Conference, in line with the official schedule posted on their website[41] and released updated specifications.

[42] In an interview with Nikkei Japan in March 2016, Sony indicated the possibility of enabling use of the PlayStation VR in connection with a PC.

[43] Reviews from most publications were positive;[44] critics praised the PS VR's physical design, ease of use, and availability.