It’s looking increasingly likely that you’ll be playing your PlayStation 4 with an Oculus Rift-esque headset in the near future. Rumours regarding the wearable technology have been seeping out of Sony for several weeks, but now one eagle-eyed NeoGAF poster has uncovered a couple of patents pertaining to the technology which sprinkle a little more fuel on the futuristic fire.
The first of the two filings discusses an audio system able to alert you of real-world dangers for safety reasons. Basically, the documentation considers ways in which the manufacturer could draw your attention to a crying baby or alarm if you’re immersed in a game while sporting a wearable 3D display and noise cancelling headphones. The second, meanwhile, hints at a headset with motion detection and image stabilisation. Say, that sounds familiar, huh?
While there’s nothing particularly revealing about the broad nature of the patents themselves, the most interesting thing is that the papers were filed by Simon Benson and Ian Bickerstaff, two former Evolution Studios employees. Those of you that have been keeping up will know that DriveClub has long been associated with the headset rumours, with the Cheshire-based company’s next generation racer supposedly already compatible with the unannounced accessory.
In fact, the MotorStorm developer actually plays host to Sony Worldwide Studios’ Stereoscopic 3D team, which was last employed to front the platform holder’s ill-fated 3D game development push a couple of years back. Could the group's recent silence be down to that fact that it’s been secretly working on the hypothetical headset behind closed doors?
It’s certainly looking likely at this stage. Previous rumours suggested that the Japanese giant was aiming to announce the peripheral this year, but decided to hold back the reveal in order to concentrate on its upcoming console’s launch. All of the signs are pointing to an early 2014 unveiling now, though, aren’t they?
[source freepatentsonline.com, via freepatentsonline.com, neogaf.com, eurogamer.net]
Comments 12
This could be an epic addition to gaming. If they get it right, it could change the definition of immersion for gamers. At least it'll be able to alert you of outside things, so parents don't leave they're crying babies to fend for themselves.. Lol. Good call
This will be awesome Sony FTW
Sweetness! !!
I will cost too much, which is a shame, because that means upon release of this fandangled headgear I'll be instantaneously strapped for cash
@benrawr "It will cost too much,"
People were saying the same thing about the PS4 up until Sony proved them all wrong at E3. Plus it'll use those little ping pong ball things that are on the move in order to track head movement, so that should cut costs a pretty good amount.
I think the price will really depend on what industry it is targeting and how it is marketed. If it is strictly a Playstation accessory then I think it will be 'affordable'. I am so excited for all this VR tech. Childhood dream coming true. The good stuff will probably not be around until 2016/17 but its definitely coming.
@eLarkos @Lelouch @benrawr hopefully they'll only cost like $200 by the time they work out the kinks and stuff. Shouldn't be more than yeah 2-3 years of heavy dev before cheaper, awesome-er, 3rd party, retro-engineered ones appear
I do agree that this could be expensive. However, I just don't believe that they'd be exploring this if they didn't think they could make it relatively affordable for "average" PlayStation consumers.
@get2sammyb I'm hoping for it to be about $90 or $100 now I know it be higher but I'm still hoping for it to be around those prices
@get2sammyb Yea I agree, if this is not going to be some crazy HiFi targeted headset like their previous products, then they will be well aware of the price point that they need to achieve to make this enticing to the mass playstation user.
I'm so excited for this. For years, I've dreamed of VR gaming...
@Lelouch I could argue the PS4 or heck even a Wii U costs too much... ($400/$300 price tags)
Too early to be thinking of price drops though :L
@get2sammyb I'd hope for around $80 or less if lucky, but It'd cost me 3 arms and 3 legs before I ever get one so I'd have to pass. (because I'd need the PS4, this headset, and probably some games or softwarez that use it.)
maybe $30 or less if it included in-your-face ads. (Would love to see how that would work)
Can't Justify paying more than $40(not including tax) for an official controller of any kind. (no wonder I have almost all colors of the Wii Remotes lol)
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