Sony Computer Entertainment’s (SCE) Project Morpheus is the latest step into virtual reality (VR) by a home console manufacturer and despite only having been revealed for a month is already making waves through the community. Project Morpheus is a very different vision of VR to the current poster boy for the technology, the Oculus Rift, and one aspect in particular has been that of multiplayer gaming.

Originally unveiled at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) last month, VRFocus reported that SCE had already begun work on multiplayer projects for the device. Anton Mikhailov, Sony Research & Development, revealed that, “Online and local multiplayer will be included in Sony Computer Entertainment’s VR plans,” at the event, but further to that London Studio’s Dave Ranyard has gone on record to reveal some of the currently in-development assets for Project Morpheus.

“One of the things that we have worked on quite hard is something we call the social screen,” Ranyard states in the latest issue of MCV. “And that is where you can see on the TV a version of what the person within the [Project] Morpheus is seeing.”

This would reportedly allow for ‘companion app’ gameplay, as is the current trend for multi-screen gaming. This is apparently already functional in one of the demos revealed for Project Morpheus, The Deep.

“In our demo The Deep a second person with the companion app can add in extra sea life, like a giant turtle, which the shark can then attack before it gets you. If you put these things together, you can have one person in [Project] Morpheus and a group of people in the living room either helping or hindering that person.” States Ranyard.

SCE has recently been subject to some criticism from the VR community due to their intentions to trademark a number of ‘social VR’ terms. However, in light of Ranyard’s comments and the technology that the Project Morpheus team are developing the decision to follow this path makes more sense.

“The 1970s future vision of virtual reality was a very solo experience of people playing on their own. But actually it might not be that, it might be quite a social experience.” Concludes Ranyard.

The Project Morpheus device is still some way from release, though many expect more details on the eventual consumer version to be revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, June. VRFocus will of course keep you updated with all the latest details on Project Morpheus.