Road to VR

MAY 4, 2020

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) researchers unveiled a prototype motion controller recently which showcases experimental techniques into full hand tracking using machine learning and capacitive sensors. Like the Index controller, Sony’s prototype features an open-palm design using a wrist strap. Image courtesy SIE.

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The Ghost Howls

MAY 13, 2021

I had the great pleasure to interview SVP of VR at Sony Pictures Jake Zim on his experience with developing, producing, and launching VR games inspired by Sony Pictures’ movies Spider-Man , Jumanji , Groundhog Day , and most recently, Zombieland. Here at Sony Pictures, we publish VR games and experiences across all platforms.

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Road to VR

JANUARY 6, 2020

Despite the growing age of PlayStation VR, Sony has continued to effectively market and sell the headset, leading to steady sales which have now reached 5 million units total, the company has announced. Sony made the announcement today alongside confirming that it has sold 106 million PS4 and PS4 Pro consoles. Data courtesy Sony.

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VRScout

MAY 29, 2019

Though I would love to let my birthday piggyback on that accomplishment, credit actually goes to Facebook-owned Oculus, which launched its Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S headsets on that day. Having participated in a VR tournament using this cutting-edge headset, I can honestly say that Oculus’ hard work is apparent.

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VRScout

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

Dedicated Fandango VR app now available on Oculus standalone headsets. Day One of Oculus Connect 6 in San Jose, CA featured a bunch of exciting announcements for both the Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S headsets. Image Credit: Sony, Marvel. FandangoNow is available, well, now on your Oculus Go and Quest VR headsets.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 21, 2021

Image by Sony Interactive Entertainment). Sony unveils the new controllers of the PSVR2. Sony promises amazing haptic sensations on the controllers, that should be able to provide “impactful, textured, and nuanced” sensations. Header image by Sony Interactive Entertainment). Top news of the week.

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XR Today - Augmented Reality tag

DECEMBER 9, 2022

Like virtually all sectors, the art and entertainment industry has been exposed to significant pressure in recent years. With lockdowns and pandemics changing the way people seek out entertainment and inspiration, companies have been left searching for new ways to engage their audience.

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VRScout

MARCH 14, 2017

Awaken on the Starship Avalon in this Oculus Rift and HTC Vive movie experience. Developed in collaboration with Sony Pictures VR, MPC , and Q Department , Passengers: Awakening is less of a game and more a movie set exploration experience. The Passengers: Awakening VR experience is available on Oculus and Vive for the price of $9.99.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

MARCH 23, 2017

We’ve seen prototypes from Oculus with Santa Cruz and Intel’s Project Alloy-powered devices and now Sony is dipping their toes into the inside-out tracking race. Today we caught wind of a new Utility Patent Application from Sony Interactive Entertainment that would allow for inside-out tracking of interactive VR devices.

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VRScout

SEPTEMBER 9, 2017

Warner Bros and DC Entertainment are stepping up promotion for the upcoming superhero film with a few Justice League VR experiences of their own. Targeted platforms according to Warner Bros include HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung GearVR, Google DayDream and Sony PSVR. The Vive experience will debut at New York Comic-Con.

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VRScout

JUNE 5, 2019

Image Credit: Sony. With Resolution Games already offering Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs on both SteamVR and Oculus, along with an AR version for the Magic Leap One Creator Edition and compatible smart devices, it appears as though Rovio Entertainment is doubling-down on its commitment to immersive entertainment.

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Road to VR

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

Tokyo Game Show (TGS) is upon us, and Sony has today shown off some a few brand new teaser trailers at its PlayStation keynote. Gungrave , the PlayStation 2 title from Red Entertainment , is heading to PSVR in Japan sometime in 2017, with a Western release on the horizon as well. Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner. Gungrave VR.

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Road to VR

JUNE 17, 2018

Image courtesy Sony Japan Studio. Featuring the cute bots first seen in The Playroom (2013) , Sony Japan Studio’s upcoming platformer Astro Bot Rescue Mission uses similar controls and gameplay mechanics as any other 3D platformer, but it has been created from the ground up with VR in mind. Image courtesy Sony.

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Road to VR

JANUARY 18, 2022

It seems Microsoft is speaking about supporting “any metaverse” in a much broader sense here: “Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in a press statement.

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VRScout

MARCH 4, 2021

This rule along with a long list of others will come in handy when you’re playing Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever ; a game from Sony Pictures and XR Games set in the Zombieland universe that draws inspiration from the light-gun games of the 90’s and popular fast-paced racing games of today. Image Credit: SPVR, XR Games.

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VRScout

APRIL 13, 2020

12 immersive ways to keep your family entertained and fit while at home. With all of this family togetherness going down, it comes as no surprise that parents are looking for more ways to keep their families engaged and entertained from within the home. Available on Oculus Store for Rift , PlayStation Store , Steam , and Viveport.

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VRScout

APRIL 17, 2021

Developed by New Zealand-based indie game studios M Theory and Oddboy in partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment , Wanderer blends different types of gameplay—such as escape room-style puzzles, tactical hands-on interactions, and thrilling arcade sequences—to immerse you in what promises to be an epic time-traveling adventure.

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Peter Graham

MARCH 17, 2020

Over the past year, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has released various snippets regarding its next console, the PlayStation 5 (PS5) but nobody knows what it looks like. It’ll be interesting to find out whether PlayStation VR will see any notable visual enhancements from the new console.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

JUNE 27, 2017

In a recent interview with German site Golem.de Sony Interactive Entertainment America President and CEO Shawn Layden noted that it will “probably be some time” before we see the next iteration of the console. Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) is a great headset, but it’s definitely got issues.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

OCTOBER 14, 2016

We’re going to be playing guessing games when it comes to VR headset sales for a long time yet, but Sony has at least given us a ballpark to play with when it comes to PlayStation VR. The real question is if Sony can’t maintain that lead going forward as PC-based VR continues to lower its barrier to entry.

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The Ghost Howls

MAY 7, 2022

In the case of VR, we all remember the competition between HTC and Oculus in 2016, with HTC clearly winning the market until Oculus used Facebook’s money to slash the price of the Rift around 2017. This led to a growing importance of Oculus, until with the Quest it started dominating the market in a way no one was able to face.

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AR Insider

APRIL 17, 2020

Sony Music Entertainment collaborated with Liverpool-based studio Draw & Code on a WebAR experience for Pink Floyd: The Later Years, that allows fans to experience the band’s music like never before. Sony Pictures and Trigger — The Mixed Reality Agency® teamed up once again to create a WebAR experience for the feature film.

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Cats and VR

JUNE 16, 2016

The Rogue Initiative and Michael Bae announced a partnership to develop original entertainment properties with a focus on virtual reality and interactive hardware. This is Bae’s first foray into interactive entertainment; he will direct and The Rogue Initiative will produce and develop original content in cinematic-style VR.

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Road to VR

MARCH 5, 2020

Google has taken its sweet time bringing its VR creation app Tilt Brush (2016) to PSVR, although having recently slimmed down the app to fit on the modest mobile chipset of Oculus Quest may have given the company needed incentive to finally launch on PSVR. Europe – CUSA18231_00. Japan – CUSA18283_00. Image courtesy Gamstat.

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VRScout

FEBRUARY 10, 2020

Headsets such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift have made PC the go-to platform for a majority of AAA VR developers. Meanwhile, Sony is effectively dominating the console VR space with the Playstation VR. Microsoft’s Xbox, on the other hand, has remained continuously skeptical of VR technology and its place within modern entertainment.

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VRScout

JUNE 18, 2019

VR hardware is front and center at this year’s festivities following the release of Oculus Quest and HP Reverb. VR Hardware of the Year: Oculus – Quest. Oculus – Rift S. Sony London Studio – Blood & Truth. First Contact Entertainment – Firewall Zero Hour. Force Field Entertainment – Anne Frank House VR.

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The Ghost Howls

OCTOBER 13, 2020

Superdata reported about a -72% in revenues for out-of-home VR entertainment , and there is the common consensus that “LBVR is dead “ Pretty ironic, considering that when at-home VR was considered “dead” by many mainstream journalists, LBVR was considered the only VR sector that could succeed. Is LBVR dead?

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Road to VR

OCTOBER 15, 2016

Sony is setting high near term sales figure expectations for PlayStation VR’s rollout. Speaking with CNBC earlier this week , Jim Ryan, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, spoke to the company’s confidence in early traction of the PSVR headset.

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VRScout

FEBRUARY 14, 2017

Organized by the Advanced Imaging Society (AIS), the Lumiere Awards have been recognizing and enabling the creation of cutting edge entertainment and storytelling using emerging technologies since James Cameron first set the bar with Avatar. The 8th Annual Lumiere Awards were held last night at Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood.

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Peter Graham

OCTOBER 1, 2019

There’s a lot going on over at Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) currently, with the company currently shaking up its promotional events by hosting State of Play broadcasts and not appearing at events like the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). It’s not just Shawn Layden leaving Sony.

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Road to VR

FEBRUARY 26, 2017

Sony is the first of the big three tethered VR headset makers to drop official PSVR sales figures: 915,000 PlayStation VR headsets sold as of February 19. Speaking with the New York Times recently , Andrew House, President of Sony Computer Entertainment, confirmed the PSVR sales data.

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VRScout

JUNE 3, 2021

Sony reveals new VR games and exciting updates during its latest PS VR Showcase event. Today marked yet another PS VR Showcase by Sony, during which the company revealed new games for the PlayStation VR as well as exciting updates on several highly-anticipated titles. Feature Image Credit: Sony PlayStation.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

OCTOBER 13, 2016

Sony is about to bring the third weapon to the high-end VR fight, and it could have a major impact on the market. The combination of content, pricing, and simplicity may mean that Sony could take a dominant position in the market over competition like HTC and Oculus. VR for Everyone.

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AR Insider

MARCH 1, 2021

This week, we look at Sony’s tease for PSVR2, new features in Snapchat’s Lens Studio, and a whole slate of new AR glasses emerge. Let’s dive in… Sony Confirms New Playstation VR2 for PS5 with New Controllers. Will it be this year? Will it be next year?

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Peter Graham

OCTOBER 10, 2019

Now it’s the turn of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) with possible new designs for PlayStation VR which include possible improved tracking and wireless options. VRFocus has seen recent patents appear for a virtual reality (VR) floor mat by Microsoft and a new headset design for Nintendo Switch.

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VRScout

JUNE 19, 2018

To compliment the theatrical film release of Distorted on June 22nd, Minds Eye Entertainment and SkyVR have partnered to produce Distorted Reality , a scripted, live-action cinematic VR distributed through OneTouchVR on Google Daydream, Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, and iOS. Image Credit: Minds Eye Entertainment.

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VRScout

MARCH 21, 2017

Sony has answered our call, bringing the first in a series of VR Ghostbusters episodes to PlayStation VR today. During a press preview event on the Sony Pictures lot in LA, where even Dan Aykroyd made a surprise appearance, I got an early look at the Ghostbusters VR experience. Well now you finally can—in VR.

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