Japan's Sony Corporation became the first big player to jump into virtual reality gaming by introducing a virtual reality headset for the PlayStation 4 video game console at the ongoing Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Sony said the headset called Morpheus will be available in a future commercial launch but didn't reveal release dates or how much the cool looking VR headset likely to cost.

Developed under the codename "Project Morpheus," the virtual reality PS4 headset features a head-mounted display with 1080p HD resolution and a 90 degree field of view. Sensors built into the black and white headset track head movements.

The head-mounted display that works with the PlayStation Camera. The headset has 3-D audio technology that allows players to hear sounds from all angles, even above and below the player's vantage point. The headset is compatible with the motion-based PlayStation Move.

Initially, Morpheus can be used with a handful of games. These include the stealth game Thief; intergalactic dogfighting shooter EVE Valkyrie and The Deep, where players are underwater inside a shark proof cage.

Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, said Project Morpheus is the latest example of innovation from his company. He said Sony had been working on the technology for more than three years.

"We're looking forward to its continued development and the games that will be created as development kits get into the hands of content creators," he said.

Rival Microsoft is reported to be working on a suite of virtual and augmented reality systems for its Xbox One console.