Remember how you tripped over your coffee table while exploring a haunted house with a virtual reality (VR) headset on? Yes, we all have those embarrassingly hilarious moments we would rather forget. But, Sony Interactive Entertainment might just have a fix for us with Patent number: US11776166B2.
We all know that playing VR games can spell danger in the real world. But wait, who wants to think of real issues when they're fighting a Dragon in a mythical land, right? This is exactly the problem Sony's new safety-oriented patent, 'Discrimination between Virtual Objects and Real Objects in a Mixed Reality Scene', aims to solve. It addresses the little but significant risk that we all choose to ignore while having our share of fun in the pretend world.
So, what's the real issue? Well, as exciting as it is to fight monsters, chances are you might knock over your grandma’s favorite vase or worse, bump into a person, if their existence collides with your virtual excursion. Now, this not only brings potential dangers to the user but also poses risks to those around.
Here comes the magic of Sony's patent. Imagine putting on a VR headset that not only takes you to magical lands but also spots real-world dangers on behalf of you? Yes, Sony's patented headset is designed to notice potential risks in your surroundings. If it sees something alarming, it makes the pretend stuff look different, warning you to be careful.
Imagine this. One day, you are wearing your PlayStation VR headset, walking amidst dinosaurs. Suddenly, your coffee table looks like a massive stony rock or your cat glows like a magical creature. Now, wouldn't this spare you some an embarrassing trip or collision?
This might seem insignificant on a day-to-day basis but consider eSports arenas where multiple players exist together. Human reactions are typically based on shared physical realities. But when players see different realities, it could bring along numerous issues. Imagine tripping over a cable or colliding into another player who is not visible in your pretend world. Therefore, Sony's VR headset could just reshape the future of eSports making it a safer game for all participants.
However, remember, this is only a patent and there's no certainty that it will turn into an actual product and climb on to the market shelves. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that Sony's patent breathes life back into immersive virtual reality experiences that occasionally ended up with bruised knees or broken furniture.
P.S.: A patent is just an idea that one company had before anyone else. It doesn't always mean that they will bring this idea to life. So, whether we will get to see Sony's VR safety system in action or not is completely up to Sony.