Sony hopes to bring virtual reality mainstream with the release of a headset for the PlayStation 4 sometime in 2014, according to Eurogamer. Sony is said to have planned originally to show off its new technology at Gamescom in late-August, but pulled the product at the last minute in favour of a 2014 launch.

Oculus Rift has been leading the way in the VR gaming space, but it is popular only with a niche gamer set and the development community. A headset release from Sony for the PlayStation 4 could yield some serious attention as it looks to move its Move motion controller out of the way for a serious competitor to Microsoft's Kinect.

A VR headset would be a vastly different experience for gamers. According to Eurogamer, Sony has been showing Evolution Studios' racing title DriveClub internally, and players are able to look around the cockpit of a car - a huge difference from seeing it on your television screen.

Publication CVG adds to the report, saying Sony will show off the new virtual reality headset at the Tokyo Game Show in September, though Eurogamer says we'll have to wait until 2014. Sony is said currently to be considering whether to market the headset as an essential piece to the PlayStation 4 (like Microsoft does with the Kinect) or just as a non-essential add-on.

A developer says the headset will look like Sony's previous 3D efforts and, coincidentally, a new launch on Tuesday may provide just the indication we need.

Sony announced its third-generation head mounted display, the HMZ-T3W, that let's you strap the equivalent of a 750-inch screen to your face. There's nearly zero latency and two OLED panels offer a 3D picture, not to mention 7.1 surround sound wireless beaming into your ears. 

Sony has yet to confirm the existence of a virtual reality headset in its plans. But with two sources both confirming its existence, we wouldn't bet against Sony releasing the product sometime in the next year, so we'll definitely be keeping our eyes peeled.