索尼或將成爲虛擬現實行業的贏家

One problem facing the companies that make virtual-reality technology, such as Facebook-owned Oculus VR, is a lack of true “presence.” When you strap on VR goggles and drop into a digital environment, you can’t see or interact with your real-life hands.

以Facebook旗下Oculus VR公司爲代表的虛擬現實技術公司面臨的一大問題是，這種技術難以帶來真正的“現場感”。當你戴上虛擬現實頭盔，並不知不覺地沉浸到數字世界之中，你是無法真正看到其中的事物，或者用雙手與之互動的。

At this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Sony Computer Entertainment, the tech giant’s video game division, showed off its solution. The latest version of its Morpheus VR headset works in coordination with playStation Move controllers to allow the wearer to use his or her hands.

在今年的舊金山“遊戲開發者大會”上，索尼電腦娛樂公司展示了自己的解決方案。該公司的最新款“夢神”（Morpheus）虛擬現實頭盔可與PlayStation Move體感控制器協同工作，允許穿戴者使用自己的雙手。

Sony has been experimenting with virtual reality technology for years, long before Oculus founder Palmer Luckey put together his first Rift prototype. Sony used its PlayStation Eye and PlayStation 3 console to test head-tracking technology in the mid-2000s and later built prototype head-mounted displays, known as HMDs. One of the reasons why Sony has been able to commit to an early 2016 release date for its consumer VR product is because of its extensive research and development in the field.

早在Oculus公司創始人帕爾默o拉基組裝自己的首臺Rift原型機很久以前，索尼公司就開始探索虛擬現實技術了。2000年年中，索尼用自己的PlayStation Eye和PlayStation 3測試了頭部位置追蹤技術，隨後就推出了頭盔式顯示器原型機，即大家熟知的HMD。索尼敢於承諾到2016年初就推出消費級虛擬現實產品，憑藉的正是該公司在這一領域深耕多年的底氣。

But key to the company’s VR bid is achieving adoption among its existing customers—those that own PlayStation gaming consoles. Instead of competing with that revenue stream, Sony would rather bring virtual reality technology to customers by creating an experience that marries the two.

不過，這一計劃的關鍵在於，索尼能否促使自己的現有用戶，也就是那些已擁有PlayStation遊戲機的玩家，嘗試虛擬現實技術。索尼並不打算讓這種設備與遊戲機爭搶收入，而是希望通過兩者結合所創造的體驗，將虛擬現實技術帶給用戶。

“We don’t believe that VR is necessarily going to replace the conventional games that people have been playing and developers have been making for over 25 years,” says Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. “VR will give developers another way to entertain people. You’ll see even more variety of gaming experience by having the VR option.”

索尼電腦娛樂公司全球工作室總裁吉田修平稱：“我們並不認爲，虛擬現實技術一定會取代過去25年來玩家一直玩、開發商一直製作的傳統遊戲。虛擬現實技術只不過是開發商取悅玩家的另一種方式。有了虛擬現實技術，大家就會看到更多不同的遊戲體驗。”

Its demonstrations at GDC were a preview of that strategy. Two games—London Heist, about a diamond robbery gone bad, and The Deep, which pits you mano-a-mano against a shark with only a cage for protection—showed off experiences that prompted the VR wearer to stand up, sit down, and lean. Sony says it has worked with partners as diverse as NASA and automakers to explore different virtual-reality gameplay experiences.

索尼在遊戲開發者大會上所展示的兩款遊戲，只是這一戰略的預演。其中一款名爲《倫敦搶劫》，講的是一個鑽石大盜末路狂奔的故事，另一款名爲《深海》，讓僅有一個鐵籠護體的玩家與鯊魚貼身肉搏。它們會讓玩家時站時坐，有時還要側身躲避。索尼稱，該公司已和美國宇航局及汽車廠商等機構建立了合作伙伴關係，共同探索各種虛擬現實遊戲體驗。

Sony is also betting that a plug-and-play approach will help spur adoption of its VR bundle among console owners. “When you buy a Morpheus kit and connect it to your PS4, it just works without needing to set up any drivers or download anything,” says Richard Marks, senior director of research and development at Sony Computer Entertainment. “We want people to have a very easy gameplay experience. Since everybody’s PS4 is exactly the same, it’s easier for developers to make sure that the games and experiences they create are great for all consumers.”

索尼還大膽預計，即插即用的方法會促使其遊戲機用戶購入虛擬現實產品包。索尼電腦娛樂公司高級研發總監理查德o馬克斯聲稱：“如果買一臺‘夢神’套裝，把它聯上PS4遊戲機，無需設置任何驅動或下載任何東西就能用。我們希望玩家能很輕鬆地獲得這種遊戲體驗。鑑於所有人的PS4都一模一樣，開發者就更容易打造讓所有消費者都滿意的遊戲和體驗。”

There is still much work to be done as Sony heads toward a global consumer launch for Morpheus. The company continues to refine its VR headset—the latest version carries a 5.7-inch OLED display—and it is collaborating with game developers to invent new experiences with the technology. “VR is such a new medium that developers have to learn how to design around the new paradigm to create great experiences,” Yoshida says. “That requires a lot of learning and communication with developers.”

要向全球玩家推出“夢神”，索尼還有大量工作要做。該公司正在繼續完善其頭戴式設備——最新款搭載了一塊5.7英寸的OLED屏，並正與遊戲開發商合作，希望利用這項技術創造全新體驗。吉田稱：“虛擬現實技術是一種全新的媒介，開發者必須學會如何圍繞這種新範式來打造絕佳的體驗。這需要開發者大量學習，深入溝通。”

And consumers. A key factor in selling virtual reality? Unless you physically try it, it’s a technology that’s hard to wrap your head around.

消費者是虛擬現實技術能否大賣的重要因素。你很難將這種技術設備套在消費者的頭上，除非他們願意親身嘗試。

“Getting millions of people to understand how amazing VR experiences are is a big challenge,” Yoshida says. “We start with events like GDC where we let people try it, get excited about it, and tell their friends.”

吉田表示：“要讓成千上萬玩家都明白虛擬現實體驗是何等迷人是一大挑戰。所以我們要從遊戲開發者大會這樣的活動入手，讓玩家體驗它，明白它多麼激動人心，再口口相傳告訴朋友們。”