Sony Group on Wednesday teased details of its next-generation virtual reality headset for its PlayStation 5 console, as the Japanese conglomerate seeks to secure a lead in the nascent sector amid growing attention from tech giants.
The PlayStation VR2 device will have an OLED display, use integrated cameras to track players and offer feedback via a built-in headset motor and the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller.
“Players will feel a heightened range of sensations unlike any other,” Sony said in a statement without providing details on visuals, pricing or launch date.
A game in the Horizon franchise, Horizon Call of the Mountain, has been custom built for the system, Sony said.
While Sony is a pioneer in virtual reality its earlier PlayStation VR headset, which launched in 2016 for the PlayStation 4, failed to become a major sales driver.
Virtual reality and the metaverse, or the idea that consumers will spend more time in shared simulated environments, has become a major talking point after Facebook changed its name to Meta to signal its focus on the area.
Sony Beefs Up EV Ambitions, Plans Mobility Firm
Sony, whose business includes chips, music and movies, also said on Wednesday it would launch a new company focused on electric vehicles as it explores entry into the market.
Announcing the new company, Sony Mobility Inc, in a news conference ahead of the CES technology trade fair in the United States, Sony’s chairman and president, Kenichiro Yoshida, said the company was “exploring a commercial launch” of electric vehicles.
Shares in Sony jumped 4% in morning trade in Tokyo, outpacing a flat Nikkei index.
Sony already has advanced technology in sensors critical to autonomous driving, as well as the audio and entertainment systems that are increasingly a focus for next-generation vehicles.
The launch of Sony Mobility comes after the consumer electronics giant unveiled a prototype sport utility vehicle (SUV) now being tested on public roads.
The prototype, the VISION-S 02, uses the same electric vehicle platform as the earlier VISION-S 01 coupe that began testing on public roads in Europe from December 2020.
- Reuters with additional editing by Jim Pollard
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