Straight from the gut-busting festive frying pan and into the gaming fire, the 2014 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is nearly upon us. Running from January 7-10 in the City of Lights, Las Vegas, the event is a showpiece for technological innovation; providing a global stage to flaunt the latest gizmos and gadgets that the world’s leading electronic conglomerates have to offer. Most importantly for us gamers, however, is the implication and influence these announcements could possibly have on our beloved gaming systems, and this year’s show is no exception.
At the forefront of the rumour mill for the best part of the last year, Sony’s much-touted virtual reality headset looks set to make its belated first appearance at the tradeshow, when the company delivers its anticipated press conference at 5 p.m. PST, January 6. Failing an announcement on that front, the unveiling may be the centrepiece of CEO Kazuo Hirai’s keynote speech during the opening day of the show itself. As part of the Tech Titans segment of the convention – where CEOs of the world’s most influential electronics companies layout their vision for technological innovation – Mr. Hirai will be addressing the crowd at roughly 8:30 a.m. PST on Tuesday, January 7, with the official show commencing some 30 minutes later.
Considered to be conceived in tandem with Oculus VR’s Oculus Rift, Sony’s own virtual reality headset looks set to offer PS4 customers a new avenue of gaming, in line with that of their PC counterparts. Given the success garnered by the announcement of Oculus VR’s project, it only seems fitting that one of gaming’s heavy hitters would follow a similar route after the unprecedented launch of its latest console.
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Confirmed details are scarce at the moment, but a new patent which emerged last month seems to suggest that Sony’s newest technology will incorporate an ‘’object avoidance apparatus’’; a new feature that can detect obstacles in the real-world, appraise the spatial relation of them to that of the player and replace them with differing, virtual objects. The patent also alludes to the headset’s built-in camera, which can detect movements and adjustments in the eyes, as well as a biological sensor which, strikingly, can monitor a whole manner of bodily functions, such as temperature, brain waves, pulse and even perspiration. This information will then be fed directly into the respective game and gameplay will presumably be altered accordingly.
As of now, participating titles are shrouded in mystery, but it recently emerged that PlayStation Home-turned-PS4 developer nDreams was experimenting with VR technology in the hope of utilising it in some capacity for its first fully-fledged PS4 title. Aside from that, we can only speculate as to what games will make use of the groundbreaking technology. Either way, with the announcement seemingly inbound, you can expect a plethora of game unveilings cropping up throughout the New Year. It looks to be exciting times ahead, no doubt.
Head over here for the lowdown on how to watch each press conference live and don’t forget to give us your views on the impending announcement of Sony’s latest tech below.
Check back to PSU regularly this week for all the latest CES news and gossip.