- Sony’s new XR headphones aim to create content
- New Xyn sub-brand covers 3D scanning and creation
- It is similar to other headphones, with an important design difference.
Even without introducing its line of next-generation Bravia TVs, Sony still has a pretty packed CES 2025. A good example is Xyn, a new sub-brand within Sony focused on capturing, creating and playing in space worlds, and I have to go. hands-on with the Xyn headset prototype, as well as a new solution for capturing in 3D.
The entire range revolves around spatial creation, so unlike the PlayStation VR 2, Meta Quest 3 or 3S, the Xyn headset revolves around people and brands, big or small, who want to create content.
The Xyn headphones are quite lightweight and have a familiar shape; I was at home demoing the prototype, which rested easily on my head and, like many other headphones, could be tightened or loosened using a dial on the back. The real stars here are the fact that it can be self-powered (meaning it doesn’t need to be connected to any other device) and the 4K displays.
@PakGazette ♬ original sound – TechRadar
In my hands-on experience, which you can watch a video of below, I was viewing a digital environment on 4K micro-OLED displays, one for each eye. The space around me consisted of some terrain, various building elements, and even skeletons. The main event, so to speak, was a bunch of crystalline rock formations of different shapes and designs; I was tasked with placing them in and around the environment.
And these items were not only drafted in a creative app, they were scanned using another part of the Xyn portfolio. With the controller in hand, I could change the size of the crystals and place them anywhere, all quite easily. Everything seemed pretty smooth even for an early prototype. While the graphics were good, the real difference here is that the screen can be easily raised, bringing you back to the real world.
Considering that these items were scanned using a traditional Sony Alpha camera station that had a phone with a prototype Xyn app attached, it can be considered that a screen that can be rotated could be used to potentially view the items that you are creating 3D images. quite useful.
And that process of scanning items, whether crystals, shoes, or even fancy china, was pretty simple. I watched as a Sony representative took several photos of the object and saw the phone app display a heat map that glowed blue over the captured area.
From there, it’s rendered in the cloud and I can view those 3D models again on a custom glasses-free 3D monitor that has an eye-tracking camera to make the effect really pop. You might find this useful for people who want to get started with 3D production, building or creating these elements for the virtual world and even for larger productions.
What’s really nice is the accessibility, because you don’t need a degree in 3D modeling or design, as the app makes the experience pretty seamless… at least at this early stage.
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It could potentially help open up spatial content creation to more people, so while the Xyn headset itself remains a prototype and may not be sold directly to consumers for content consumption, the worlds, objects and environments potentially created with Xyn Capture and modified. The perfection in headsets will be seen in more mainstream virtual reality platforms in the future.
