Sony's CES press conference had the usual glitz you would expect from the entertainment giant. There was a movie star Tom Holland on stage, a sneak peak of upcoming games and movies, football teams and electric cars.
After a look at the game-turned film Uncharted that Sony is releasing this year, we got to see a little more about the highly anticipated second-generation virtual reality glasses. The name is as expected: PlayStation VR2, or PS VR2 for short. Some of the features of the headset were also confirmed – there are new sensors, eye tracking and responsive feedback to heighten the gaming experience.
It was confirmed that they will have a 4K resolution, an expanded field of view and foveated rendering. This is a technique to concentrate the high level of detail to where the eye is looking – allowing a reduction in pixel shading and reducing the bandwidth required.
Sony also revealed details of the first big game to come to PS VR2. Horizon: Call of the Mountain is due to follow Horizon: Forbidden West, which comes to the PS5 on Feb 18. Call of the Mountain has been specially built for VR and we got to see a short clip of the gameplay, which looks like a lot of fun.
We also got a look at a new virtual fan engagement program created in partnership with Manchester City Football Club, created using Sony's Hawk Eye innovations. Hawk Eye is used in various sports for ball tracking and it was hinted that it could be used here to provide more experiences for Man City fans watching the game virtually. I expect the PS VR2 will be involved here too.
Sony also rolled out its Vision S prototype electric vehicle that was first announced at CES 2020. It then brought out a new version, the Vision S 02. This is an SUV version of the EV prototype and like the original is designed around safety, adaptability and entertainment.
The Vision S 02 has over 40 sensors across the vehicle, including Sony CMOS sensors to monitor for safety. It also has network connectivity and the cabin can be personalized for each user.
Inside there is a giant display that spans the dashboard and incorporates Sony's latest 360-degree audio, gaming and vision technologies.
This is not just another prototype to show what Sony can do though, it's a statement of intent. Sony has created a new company called Sony Mobility Inc with a view to creating a commercial launch of its own EV. There was no word of a timeline for this project or any collaborators on the vehicle side but we can expect to hear more on the Vision S soon.
