CES 2023: Sony moves people Forward
by Shawn Chung - Singapore
Sony kicked off CES 2023 with a press presentation by Sony Chairman, President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, that focused on the future, with Sony exhibiting a number of initiatives and research projects that, under the theme of "Moving People Forward," showcases the multinational’s efforts to expand the possibilities of entertainment through various technologies and initiatives relating to the metaverse, mobility and other areas, and through its collaboration with creators.
STAR SPHERE
STAR SPHERE is a project that Sony kicked off in Jan 3, 2023 with the launch (from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA) of the EYE nano-satellite, which Sony states is remote controllable and equipped with a camera that will generate images for Sony’s "Space Shooting Lab," an experimental simulator that proposes a "space" for experiential photography from space that STAR SPHERE plans to offer in the future.
SONY CINEMA
Sony supports a wide range of production activities to get closer to various communities, from top creators to future creators. This booth showcases vast image production solutions, including digital cinema cameras such as VENICE 2, the full-frame mirrorless camera Alpha series, the VLOGCAM series, the professional drone Airpeak, Xperia smartphones and the Creators' Cloud, a cloud-based media production platform. In addition, Sony will propose high-quality sound content production through microphones and headphones for professionals and general creators.
VIRTUAL FAN ENGAGEMENT
Sony announced its Virtual Fan Engagement proof of concept project with English Premier League football club Manchester City in 2022, aiming for the realization of the next generation of online fan communities and engagement through the combination of physical and virtual to excite and engage with both new and existing sports fans. Visitors can experience metaverse content as if they were in the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City's home, reproduced in virtual space. Fans can express their feelings and passion for the team by creating their own customizable avatars on their smartphones and, in the future, connect with millions of fans across the globe, in addition to accessing various services to increase engagement.
New Sports Fan Experiences Created from Live Sports Data
This exhibit introduces initiatives related to new data-driven sports fan experiences, taking visitors through the journey of sports data from data capture on the field, creating virtual content in real-time, and offering it on various platforms to fans. Multiple technologies from Hawk-Eye Innovations ("Hawk-Eye"), Beyond Sports and Pulselive, all Sony Group companies, will showcase Sony's sports businesses' ability to truly revolutionize how we capture, visualize, deliver and make interactive live-action data for the fans.
Portable Volumetric Capture
This exhibit showcases a prototype of a new system that can capture and distribute animated 3D reconstructions of people, objects, and spaces with low latency in any location. The system only requires seven sensors, which allows it to be set up anywhere quickly, meeting the demand for live 3D video distribution. The booth lets visitors enjoy experiencing a 360-degree view of Manchester City players and the audience shown in a 3D metaverse space, through tablets and Sony's Spatial Reality Displays.
SPATIAL REALITY DISPLAY
Sony has unveiled a 27" prototype of the Spatial Reality Display (SR Display) which reproduces the real world with 3D spatial images. The larger screen format enables the display of life-sized objects so that medical images and product designs can be reproduced more realistically. At the booth, the SR Display will be used to show 3D computer graphics content with applications in various fields, such as point cloud data used in VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality), as well as architecture and computer-aided design (CAD), in a virtual space. In addition, multi-view video created by Hawk-Eye's live sports data and virtual characters can now be reproduced on the SR Display as a new style of entertainment.
MOCOPI
Previsualization technology will be demonstrated using Sony's mobile motion capture system Mocopi, which was announced in late November 2022. By wearing six tracking sensors, Mocopi allows creators to check their camerawork and character positions with VFX editing at the pre-production stage. A CG model is shown on the viewing monitor, which is synchronized in real-time with the movement of a performing model who is wearing the Mocopi device. This technology contributes to streamlined production workflow, allowing creators to simulate production at an early stage, improving the quality of their work.
PLAYSTATION VR2 AND PLAYSTATION5
Sony will exhibit PlayStationVR2 (PS VR2), the next generation virtual reality headset for PlayStation5 (PS5) that brings an immersive gaming experience like never before. PS VR2 has some key features that are realized through PS VR2 Sense Technology, such as headset feedback, eye tracking, 3D Audio and adaptive triggers, as well as haptic feedback from PS VR2 Sense Controller. Select PS VR2 and PS5 games are available to try, along with PS5 accessories that will be showcased at the booth.
SONY HONDA MOBILITY AFFEELA
AFFEELA is a new prototype vehicle exhibited from Sony Honda Mobility, whose purpose is to "Move people, through the pursuit of innovation with diverse inspirations.”