Sony is currently gauging the interest of the XR community with its upcoming but secretive headset. Already, Sony has experience producing VR devices via its PSVR gaming device line-up. However, this year, reports have suggested that the technology giant is working on another device that covers different XR use cases.
Most recently, the keenly eyed MySmartPrice highlighted how Sony filed a United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) request for XR hand gesture technology to accompany its upcoming headset. While the request may relate to Sony’s existing PSVR portfolio, the developments align with the current status of Sony’s upcoming device.
As always, with patent filings and requests, related information may not directly reflect a final product. However, USPTO developments can highlight the direction of upcoming XR devices.
The recent Sony USPTO filling covers a hand-gesture-based communication feature that uses headset-based sensors to translate users’ hand and finger movements into nonverbal inputs, commands, and messages.
Sony’s “System and methods for enabling communication between users” patent looks to focus on multi-user XR communications within a shared experience, using a gaming example in the USPTO request.
Interestingly, earlier reports regarding the device highlight how a ring-style controller will allow headset users to operate the upcoming Sony device; the most recent hand-gesture patent aligns with this innovative vision of XR input.
Leak Confirms that Sony Will Debut XR Headset
Recent information from a SIG certification suggests that Sony’s upcoming XR headset may debut soon. Sony confirmed earlier this year that the headset would launch in 2024, and the recent SIG listing appears to support this timeline.
However, at the original time of reporting, delays seemed unlikely; Sony has not announced anything regarding the upcoming headset, and with 2025 coming up quickly, a 2024 headset release seems highly unlikely.
While the listing does not provide further specifications or details about the device, earlier announcements this year offer a clearer picture. Sony unveiled the new XR device at CES 2024. It features a head-mounted display with high-quality 4K OLED microdisplays, mixed reality passthrough capabilities, and controllers designed for interacting with 3D objects and digital twins.
The company collaborated with Siemens and Qualcomm to develop the XR device, ensuring it is tailored for enterprise-grade XR content creation and distribution.
Speaking on the enterprise abilities of Sont’s upcoming XR device, Cedrik Neike, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries, noted:
Siemens is partnering with Sony to enable immersive engineering, a critical building block for the industrial metaverse. Together, we are creating an environment where it will be possible to experience the realities of physics without the bounds of time to profoundly improve how our customers work and collaborate.
The device features Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 Platform. This processor powers the 4K OLED microdisplays and offers advanced user and space-tracking capabilities. Sony asserts that this chipset delivers seamless and immersive XR experiences for users.
Said Bakadir, Senior Director of Product Management at Qualcomm, also added:
We designed our Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 to deliver 4K display resolution, cutting-edge graphics, and unparalleled performance to enable creators to build innovative spatial content that will transform all industries for the better. It’s exciting to see Sony enter the enterprise space with their spatial content creation system and utilise Snapdragon XR technologies to unleash more realistic, detailed, and precise Mixed Reality [and] VR experiences that will help developers and creators push forward an even more immersive future.
The head-mounted display features high-definition 1.3-inch OLED Microdisplays with a 4K resolution and a wide colour gamut. This technology enables detailed and realistic rendering of textures on 3D objects and the facial expressions of human characters with great accuracy.
Users can manipulate virtual objects seamlessly with a ring controller. Additionally, the system includes a pointing controller, which ensures steady and precise interaction within virtual spaces, thanks to its optimized button layouts and shapes for efficient operation.
To model 3D objects, creators can use controllers and a keyboard while wearing the head-mounted display. By holding the pointing controller in their dominant hand and attaching the ring controller to the fingers of their other hand, users can have an immersive experience.
