The virtual reality hype is all about gaming, but Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Shawn Layden believes that it might enjoy greater success beyond the world of games.
"Now I think the entry point for VR is going to be from the gaming community, because [gamers] are accustomed to being on the bleeding edge and trying new things," he told Forbes. "[But] the more linear content folks, they want to get into this thing seriously. We have dozens, if not hundreds, of inquiries coming in from TV production houses, movie studios, record companies, sports arenas, museums, scientific and aerospace organizations, all coming to look at this technology and how it can speak to them. I think over time, the non-gaming applications of VR are really going to explode and perhaps even be larger than the gaming piece."
Layden then asserted that Sony's upcoming virtual reality headset, Project Morpheus, is not just another PlayStation 4 peripheral.
"It's not a, 'here's the latest way to interact with the game' thing," Layden claimed. "It's a platform. It has the ability to impact gaming the same way that smart phones [changed] cell phones... before it was, 'I can talk to a person, I can text a person, what more do I need?' But then the smart phone came out and it's like, wow, I can do all that in my hand? I think Morpheus is going to have a similar impact on gaming or entertainment consumption."
