Sony unveiled its own mixed reality headset at CES 2024 that was designed with a new "spatial content creation" system that could give Apple's Vision Pro a run for its money.
The system is supposedly able to let users edit and shape 3D models while wearing a virtual reality headset. The tech company showed off its new product along with a unique pair of controllers during its presentation at the event.
Sony's New Mixed Reality Headset
The headset is powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 platform and features 4K OLED displays. It was not designed primarily for gamers like how the PlayStation VR was. Instead, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said that the new product is made for professionals who work with 3D.
The headset would allow its wearers to expand the "creation space by overlaying virtual objects into physical spaces." Sony's demo at CES 2024 showed users manipulating virtual objects while using two controllers; a ring and a pointer that fits into an individual's hand, as per The Verge.
Additionally, the front part of Sony's new headset flips up to let users switch between virtual and physical spaces. The tech company said that its "proprietary rendering technology" allows for "real-time, high-definition, and realistic rendering of textures of 3D objects and facial expressions of human characters.
Yoshida added that the new product gives creators seamless access to virtual objects, which allows them to work in real space with an immersive development experience. Prior to the latest product, the tech company made a "Spatial Reality Display" that allows users to see digital objects in 3D using face- and eye-tracking.
Sony noted that its new mixed-reality headset will be available later this year but the company has not yet revealed any details about its pricing. It is expected to face competition with Apple's own VR headset, which is expected to start shipping out next month.
Rivaling Apple's Vision Pro
The new device also has "video see-through" functionality and a total of six cameras and sensors. The tech company is talking up its new headset's balance, arguing that it has fine-tuned the balance of the device's center of gravity, according to Engadget.
Instead of being marketed as a direct competitor to Apple's Vision Pro, the new Sony headset could be seen as a rival to Microsoft's HoloLens. One thing that onlookers were excited about was the demo that showed a user having two monitors nearby that showed more detail about the work they were doing using the new headset.
The reveal of Sony's new device comes after Apple's Vision Pro ramped up interest in high-end mixed-reality headsets. However, the newly unveiled product is a standalone that would rely on software tools from Siemens' Xcelerator platform that was designed for business.
What sets Sony's product apart from Apple and Microsoft is that the latter two have not developed any wearable controller accessories for mixed reality just yet. However, it would make sense for wearables that are mixed-reality ready to start coming out in the next few years as interest and support for the sector continues to rise, said CNET.
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