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January 9, 2024
Showcasing its diverse initiatives and technologies that empower creators to turn their creative sparks into stories
Sony Group ("Sony") will exhibit at CES® 2024, taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada from Tuesday, Jan. 9 (PST), under the theme "Powering Creativity with Technology."
Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman and CEO of Sony Group Corporation took the stage at Sony's press conference held on Monday, Jan. 8 ahead of the exhibition's public opening. He opened by stating that as a creative entertainment company, Sony has always placed people at the heart of creativity and has been committed to being a force for good by empowering creators. He was joined by a diverse array of presenters, and together they introduced initiatives to support creators across Sony's music, movies and television production businesses; new solutions for visual production and spatial content creation; fan engagement in communities such as anime, sports and games; and initiatives in entertainment and safety to advance the mobility space. The presentation also showcased the various technologies underpinning these initiatives. He closed the press conference by emphasizing that Sony embraces people's ideas and elevates their stories as it continues to power creativity with technology.
From creation technology to fan engagement to expanding spaces for Kando, the exhibition will focus on how Sony is empowering creators to do more, explore more, and create more by providing innovative technologies for storytelling, entertainment, and beyond, and enabling new ways to fill the world with emotion.
Sony is also working to reduce the environmental impact of its exhibition, by reusing materials from last year and adopting a layout design that reduces the use of large-scale structures. Furthermore, the information panels within the booth are made of "Original Blended Material*," a paper material developed by Sony.
Sony introduces Torchlight, a new groundbreaking advanced visualization space featuring the latest in proprietary technology from Sony Group companies in collaboration with Epic Games' Unreal Engine, the world's most open and advanced real-time 3D tool. Torchlight allows filmmakers to create digital scenes prior to principal photography, in a hands-on virtual environment using Unreal Engine and virtual cameras, including the Virtual Production Tool Set, which seamlessly links virtual environments with on-set production using Sony's digital cinema VENICE camera. In addition, creators will have access to various Sony proprietary technologies including the mobile motion capture system, "mocopi™". These technologies, and more, are incorporated into the workflow at Torchlight and support creators to unleash their creativity in real-time.
To further empower creators, Sony is supporting the growth of Virtual Production, a new form of content production, right from its technological development through to providing production solutions. In this field, Sony is combining advancements in its imaging, sensing, and display technologies, and leveraging real-time rendering using game engines. Pixomondo, Sony PCL and SPE are providing end-to-end creative services and stage infrastructure globally to cover the entire production process, from pre-production and on-set filming using Virtual Production, to post-production.
Sony Interactive Entertainment showcases the latest PlayStation 5 hardware lineup, featuring innovative products like the new PlayStation 5 console in a smaller form factor, PlayStation Portal™ remote player, Pulse Explore™ wireless earbuds, Access™ controller, and the upcoming Pulse Elite™ wireless headset. The Deep Earth Collection of stylish metallic PS5® console covers and DualSense® wireless controllers will also be on display. Attendees can also experience Gran Turismo 7® on both PS5 and PlayStation®VR2 (PS VR2) in immersive racing pods at the booth, as well as preview the brand-new No Return mode in Naughty Dog's The Last of Us™ Part II Remastered, which launches on Jan. 19.
Sony is advancing fan engagement initiatives in sports. Together with Manchester City Football Club, Sony is currently conducting a PoC (proof of concept) with the aim of providing new services that create a global online fan community. A beta service will be launched for fans later this year. Closed testing has already started, and fans were intrigued and excited about the project. At the booth, visitors can view new content from the Virtual Etihad Stadium, and engage in experiences to share their passion for the team and players.
Sony's sports businesses are exhibiting initiatives with multiple major sports properties across the globe, that bring together Hawk-Eye Innovations' optical tracking, Beyond Sports' data visualization technology and Pulselive's expertise in fan engagement to create never-before-seen fan experiences aimed at diverse audiences, including younger generations.
Sony Music is developing new opportunities for artists to expand their engagement with fans on gaming platforms and in other entertainment environments using game engine creation and virtual production technologies. Visitors to the booth can sample three applications of its next generation immersive music experiences. The exhibit will showcase how Sony's virtual production capabilities and Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) from Epic Games were used to create the music video for the song "Jericho" from Columbia Records artist Iniko, as well as Journey Through Jericho, a companion Fortnite island based on the video. Visitors to the booth will also be able to experience Nitewave, a new music-focused island for Fortnite built with UEFN. Additionally, they will be able to play AVNU: Where Music Meets, a music destination for Roblox centered around music-related gameplay, challenges and virtual goods collecting featuring music from Sony Music talent including Arista Records artist Paul Russell.
Sony Pictures Virtual Reality (SPVR) showcases their latest cross-platform, multi-player VR game, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, a world-building expansion of the beloved Ghostbusters universe. The exhibit will include eye-tracking and headset feedback of the PS VR2, the latest generation virtual reality headset for PS5, along with PS VR2 Sense controller adaptive triggers. SPVR expands SPE's use of IP by providing immersive entertainment through the production and distribution of VR games and experiences globally across all consumer channels, including in-home and location-based entertainment.
In order to provide creators with new avenues for expression and expand the value of content IP, Sony is promoting PoCs for immersive experiences that utilize its sensing and interactive technologies through Group-wide collaboration. In this demonstration, visitors can experience the immersive world of Ghostbusters using Sony's unique haptics technology, marker-less motion capture, and the "mocopi™" mobile motion capture system.
In addition, SPE is focusing on location-based entertainment worldwide, including Thailand's Columbia Pictures Aquaverse which was chosen as one of CNN World's Best New Theme Parks. This exhibit introduces a video of these initiatives including the studio's first in-house operated immersive entertainment destination, Wonderverse, opening in the Chicago area this January.
"Safety Cocoon" is a concept to advance vehicle safety by detecting 360 degrees around the vehicle in various daily driving situations, allowing drivers to take early action to evade risk. At the booth, visitors can experience Sony's diverse sensing technologies that support the realization of this concept. By pursuing resolution and sensitivity that transcend the human eye, Sony's sensing technology aims to enhance safety by serving as the eyes of mobility, and contributing to delivering new mobility experiences.
