Sony developing XR headset and controllers for 3D content

Aimed at 3D content makers, Sony has announced a spatial content production system with an XR head-mounted display and controls. The headset features 4K OLED microdisplays and is powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 Platform. HD 3D depiction of objects and facial emotions in real-time is made possible by Sony's in-house rendering technology. There will be six cameras and sensors in the system.

The XR headset, according to Sony's announcement, will feature the company's proprietary rendering technology for real-time high-definition 3D rendering of both objects and human facial expressions. The spatial content creation system will also come with six cameras and sensors that enable video see-through functionality and spatial recognition. The two controllers will include a ring controller for manipulation of 3D objects in virtual space and a pointing controller — to be held in the dominant hand — for precision pointing. The controllers are designed in a way that enables 3D modelling using both controllers and a keyboard, while wearing the head-mounted XR display. 

“Creators will not only be able to see real-scale 3D models in an Extended Reality (XR) environment with the high-definition display, but also create and modify 3D models in it,” Sony's announcement post said.

As mentioned before, the Sony XR headset will be powered by Qualcomm's latest XR processor, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. The XR head-mounted display will sport 1.3-type 4K OLED Microdisplays with 96 percent of DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. Additionally, the headset will also feature a flip-up mechanism that allows users to quickly twist up the display part of the headset and switch from virtual to physical space seamlessly. 

Sony is also partnering with Siemens at launch to integrate NX Immersive Designer software, a product engineering service from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software. The spatial content creation system will cater to creators in industrial design and product engineering field, with Sony planning to collaborate with 3D production software developers from entertainment and industrial design fields. 

Sony's headset, which seems geared towards immersive product engineering and industrial design in 3D space, will launch later in 2024. Additional details about the device's specifications, launch date, regional availability and pricing, sales channels, and software compatibility will be announced in time.