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Sony: It’s A “Perfect Storm” For VR Tech

2016 is the year of virtual reality and Sony says the timing is perfect.

The company intends to make a big splash at the upcoming Game Developers Conference, and a lot of that splash will be generated by PlayStation VR.

This according to what SCEA president Shawn Layden said during the latest PlayStation Blogcast . After saying Sony will "have a lot of things to talk about" next week during a special VR event at GDC, Layden spoke about the "perfect storm" that is virtual reality tech right now:

"It's a perfect storm now for VR technology. It's a concept that's been kicking around for quite some time. Some of us remember Virtual Boy way back in the day and a lot of different companies have had a go at virtual reality technology.

I think right now we have a combination of the necessary processing power and graphics power inside the machine," he added. "We have the display technology which can realize these images at a fidelity which looks natural, if you will. And we have the production technology to create a headset and a rig that is well-suited for the human head that won't create a tiresome experience."

Layden added that "now is the time for VR" as the tech will impact not just games, but other entertainment fields as well. Don't forget that in addition to PlayStation VR, we're getting Oculus Rift and HTC Vive this year, and as a teaser, you can try out Google Cardboard. In fact, VR could be so huge that its impact may be not only revolutionary but also extremely widespread. Said Layden:

"VR can be to console gaming like smartphones are to feature phones. When the smartphone came out, it's like, 'Well, it's an iPod but I can make a phone call; what does that mean?' We had no idea then what it would mean to us now. And I think, looking five years into the future, we're going to look back on today and say, 'Wow, there's so much we didn't know that VR was going to do for us but we do know it now."

Recently, Sony said PlayStation VR was designed for "everyday use" and there's a chance the anticipated device will land this holiday season .

You ready?