Project Morpheus and Oculus Rift are more like ‘The Matrix’ and the holodeck than you think

Science-fiction writers have a challenge: describe the potential future. It’s exciting to read about our possible coming realities, but it’s often better when we actually catch up.

That is what’s happening with virtual reality. After decades of trying, we are finally making the concept of inhabiting a computer-generated environment work. Gaming startup Oculus VR is planning on releasing a version of its Oculus Rift headset for consumers later this year, and Sony just introduced its Project Morpheus at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week. These devices go over players’ eyes and fill their vision with a stereoscopic 3D screen. The Rift and Project Morpheus also track movement so that when a wearer looks around, the image adjusts. We’ve tried both as well as some other VR-related peripherals, and it does feel something like entering another world.