Sony spatial XR headset gets showcased at CES 2024, arrives later this year

Sony has introduced a new XR head-mounted display with controllers at CES 2024. It is geared for “spatial content creation,” allowing users to craft 3D models while wearing a virtual reality (VR) / mixed reality (MR) headset. At the presentation, the company detailed some of the core specifications of the headset.

Under the hood, the new Sony spatial XR headset packs the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 platform, which Qualcomm announced at the beginning of CES 2024. This chipset drives dual 4K OLED microdisplays and offers “user and space tracking” for mixed reality experiences.

All these mean the spatial XR headset is a self-contained system that doesn’t require a computer to run. While it is possible to use it like a PlayStation VR (PSVR2 curr. $550 on Amazon) to play games with it, Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony, said it aims to deliver a “crisp viewing experience” and “intuitive interaction for 3D design.”

With that, the CEO has hinted that the mixed reality headset is primarily aimed at professionals who work with 3D. The unit also comes with a “video see-through” functionality and features six cameras and sensors. As for the controllers, Sony envisions that creators will be able to use them to manipulate 3D objects.

Sony has also talked about the design of the spatial XR headset. It says that the center of gravity balance has been fine-tuned to offer greater comfort while wearing the headset. Another design aspect of the headset is that the display portion can flip up, allowing the creators to jump in and out of the mixed reality environment.

From all that Sony has shown, the spatial XR headset seems less of an Apple Vision Pro rival. Instead, it’s more of a creative tool, such as the HoloLens from Microsoft. But it will definitely face some competition from the Vision Pro, which is about to start shipping from next month.