Sony has filed a patent for new PlayStation VR technology that should pique the interest of anyone who enjoys VR gaming. While no details for a new VR rig were announced during the "future of gaming" even that Sony held a few weeks ago, the existence of this patent suggests that Sony isn't letting go of VR just yet, if at all.

The existing PlayStation VR rig is the most popular non-phone headset on the market today, boasting well over 1 million units sold. Part of this popularity may be attributed to the success of the PlayStation 4 overall, but also because of the triple-A franchises that can easily make the leap to VR, such as Resident Evil 7. With over 500 titles to pick from, it's easy to see why PlayStation VR is so popular and why Sony will continue to develop the technology.

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GamingIntel shared the news online a couple of days ago but didn't provide a lot of specifics on what we can expect. What they did provide, was the link to the patent which—if you use Google Translate to understand the Japanese—gives us everything we need to understand where Sony is going to take their next VR experience. The patent calls for two images to be used in the headset. The first is an image of your physical space, and the second will be the virtual space.

It appears that Sony is looking to provide a more immersive experience for live physical events by allowing the user to truly feel like they are at the event, rather than just watching a screen. The patent outlines how the two (three?) images—one from your living room and one computer generated—will allow you to feel like you are watching concerts, sporting events, and other live events as if you were actually there. Part of this process means that the headset will make your room "disappear" while sill showing you the edges of where you actually are in relation to, say, a wall.

The implications for this kind of technology are pretty exciting. Yes, it may be limited to live performances and sporting events for now, (which is fantastic in and of itself given that we can't physically do this at the moment) but if you look into the future a little bit, you can see the direction that we're headed in. If Sony can pull off mapping your room and projecting a virtual image based on the constraints of that room, it's not a far stretch to imagine a world where AR and VR are "combined" to create more immersive gaming experiences. For now, though, can you imagine getting the movie theater experience every time you watch a movie from now on? It's a pretty exciting development that you should keep your eye on.

Source: GamingIntel

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