Patents point to possible PS4 virtual reality headset

Evidence of a possible PlayStation 4 virtual reality headset continues to mount as NeoGAF user "gofreak" spotted two patents that indicate Sony's plans for the next-gen may expand beyond the PlayStation Eye camera.

The first patent is for a head-mounted display (HMD):

A head-mountable display system comprises a frame to be mounted onto an observer’s head, the frame defining one or two eye display positions which, in use, are positioned in front of a respective eye of the observer; a display element mounted with respect to each of the eye display positions, the display element providing a virtual image of a video display of a video signal from a video signal source to that eye of the observer; a motion detector for detecting motion of the observer’s head; a high-pass filter arranged to generate a higher frequency component and a lower frequency component of the detected motion, according to a threshold frequency associated with the response of the high-pass filter; and a controller for controlling the display of the video signal in dependence upon the detected head motion, the controller acting to compensate for the higher frequency component of motion of the observer’s head by moving the displayed image in the opposite direction to that of the detected motion.

The second patent is for an audio system that "comprises a headset comprising a pair of earpieces positionable with respect to the user’s ears so that, in use, the user is inhibited from hearing sounds from the user’s environment."

It's all pretty standard stuff, which you can read about in the links above, but the important thing to take away from this is that it provides further evidence of Sony's VR plans. What's even more interesting is that these patents, filed in May 2013 but published yesterday, were invented by two former Evolution Studios staff members: Sony Computer Entertainment senior development manager Simon Benson, and Ian Bickerstaff, a 3D specialist at Sony Computer Entertainment's stereoscopic team.

It's believed that Sony's VR headset is set for reveal in 2014, following Eurogamer's report that it has been demonstrated on Evolution's PS4 racing game DriveClub.