Sony slims down 3D headset, cooks up eye candy
Also updates NEX snappers and projector tech
IFA 2012 Sony's roaring IFA presence this week continues with an update to its 3D headset and further developments in the imaging domain.
The Sony HMZ-T2 is more compact and lighter than its predecessor, weighing in at 330g, and comes with a new array of fitting options for greater comfort. There is also the ability to add one's own headphones should the supplied pair fail to meet fussy audiophile's requirements.
The HMZ-T2 comes with stereo OLED panels, one for each eye, to deliver 3D visuals free from the crosstalk, or image ghosting, associated with traditional 3D hardware.
There's no word on dates or pricing as yet, but we hope that its eventual release will spawn a significant price drop from the HMZ-T1, which cost up to £800 at launch.
The Japanese firm has several imaging devices up its sleeve too, with new projectors and various photography hardware on show.
The latest Sony NEX-5R compact-system-camera adds Wi-Fi to the specs roster and features a newly developed 16.1Mp APS HD Cmos sensor.
The sensor - identical in size to those found in traditional DSLR snappers - is boosted by a Bionz processor and "Hybrid AF" autofocus, which combines phase- and contrast-detection to quicken proceedings.
It's the first interchangeable lens camera from Sony to feature Wi-Fi connectivity, paving the way for downloadable photography apps and instant upload capabilities.
The Sony NEX-5R CSC hits shelves this October in Europe for €750 (£600).
For those interested in living-room cinema setups, Sony also revealed an HD 3D home projector, the VPL-HW50ES. The beamer is 30 per cent brighter than its predecessor, the VPL-HW30ES, and features a dynamic contrast ratio of over 100,000:1.
With automatic contrast control and 3D Crosstalk reduction, the HW50ES is one of Sony's most premium projectors yet. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, however we can expect to see the hardware hit shelves sometime this October. ®
COMMENTS
Nevermind Sony...
The Oculus Rift is the headset tech that has the games industry excited...
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game
Loads of developers are talking about this.
Re: Nevermind Sony...
I saw some video where Carmack was going on about why previous headsets sucked so much and his major point was that the delay between moving your head and the screen updating was way too long.
Now correct me if I am wrong, but your standard vuzix or whatever glasses are just 3D HDMI and do not cause excessive delays? So the issue is with the head tracking, which is a nut which has already been perfectly solved (TrackIR / FaceTrackNoIR)
For the Oculus, they have gone with gyros, so they have no sensors for translation (only rotation) ie 3DoF instead of full 6DoF. (Carmack said in same video that he may be able to bodge something but there are no sensors that actually detect translation)
IMHO they should have gone with triangulation (ie TrackIR or FaceTrackNoIR style) which would have kept the weight down on the head unit, plus would plug into existing TrackIR / FaceTrackNoIR APIs for instant compatibility with lots of games, while allowing full 6DoF head tracking.
I would say with a triangulation style system you would probably want markers / IR LEDs on the sides and top etc, as with normal triangulation systems, you keep eyes on the screen, and motion is amplified (So you can always just about see the front of your head) - however with a VR headset, you probably want 1:1, so allowing the software to track sides and top of head etc should allow this. If FaceTrackNoIR can be made to track a face, I would imagine crash test dummy style symbols should be easy to track.
Plus with they gyros, Carmack admitted that sometimes if you look around a lot they get confused (like inner ear sloshing), and apparently it doesn't handle looking ?up? ?down? very well.
Nah, I think keeping the visual display and head tracking as two systems makes sense. Then you can improve each independently.
Re: Nevermind Sony...
Or... you could just tape your Track IR 5 to this and hey presto!
If only I had a spare £800 knocking about this is exactly what I would do. Would be fantastic for flight sims.
Sony
Have always been near the front of the queue with innovation that others were quick to copy.
Re: VR
The Sony headsets don't have motion feedback systems built in - they simply show a video feed into each eye. The promotional demo's I've seen suggest watching from a chaise lounges or the like.
Thats not to say I don't think they could be adapted with sensors to make them motion compatible, but I don't know what the lag is like - if these are like the the v1, the video input has to be run through a processing box before it gets sent to the headset. I'm no expert, but if this adds a noticable action vs reaction in the screens, then it will be straight to barf central.
