Futuristic head-mounted display to launch in Japan

Sony 3D headset primed for commercial release

Sony is targeting Japan as a trial market for its inventive headset display that displays rich stereoscopic 3D.

The head-mounted viewing display, named the HMZ-T1, will launch in Japan on November 11.

The PlayStation manufacturer said the device (pictured) allows customers to view both 2D and 3D content in high-definition.

Sony claims the experience is in scale to watching a 750-inch screen from a distance of 20 metres. Why the company has chosen to relate to this screen size at this distance is unclear; the technology features two 0.7-inch OLED panels held up against each eye.

Both panels boast a resolution of 1280×720, and the set itself boasts integrated “5.1 surround sound” headphones, Sony said.

The company has decided to split the headset away from its processing unit, which will be tethered to the device by cable.

HMZ-T1 has a ¥60,000 RRP, the equivalent of around $800 and £500. There is no timeframe for the device’s launch outside of Japan, if at all. As with many of its new devices, Sony will use Japan as a test market.

PlayStation’s internal R&D divisions have already tested the headset technology with incorporated motion control, as part of a wider experiment to see if virtual reality is viable in the home.

Mick Hocking, the vice president Worldwide Studios Europe, recently claimed there is “potential of mixing stereoscopic 3D with augmented reality, so you’ll combine the two perhaps on a headset, so you’ll be bringing the real world into the gameplay”.

[FEATURE: SONY DISCUSSES THE NEXT TEN YEARS FOR PLAYSTATION]

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