索尼似乎通过向 Meta 出售专利结束 VR 野心

End of an era

• by Sammy Barker
• 48 mins ago

Sony seems to be done with its virtual reality ambitions, as it sells hundreds of patents related to the technology to rival Meta.

First spotted by ZDNet Korea, via Road to VR, the company intends to transfer a total of 419 global patents to its competitor, with 43 US-specific properties changing hands between June and September this year alone.

The Japanese giant was an early entrant into the head-mounted display market, with its HMZ-T1 being an early example of the technology. (It also formed the foundation of the original PSVR project, when PlayStation engineers paired it with PS Move controllers.)

While the first PSVR was a respectable hit on the PS4, its superior successor never really got a good footing.

Sony didn’t support it with much bespoke software, and while it continues to get new releases on the PS Store today, it’s never really felt like a focus of the firm’s plans.

Meta, meanwhile, continues to forge ahead with the technology: its newly announced VR Glasses are due out in 2027, and aim to do away with the bulky headsets of previous efforts.

I do think once VR reaches a point where it can be worn like standard spectacles, there’s a possibility it could take off again.

But if the sale of these patents is any indication, it doesn’t really look like Sony’s in it for the long haul anymore.

Of course, none of this should come as a surprise: it also recently announced it’ll be skipping next year’s CES in Las Vegas, as it continues its transition from consumer electronics to entertainment products.

[source zdnet.co.kr, via roadtovr.com]

As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.

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