Inside Sony's tech-infused HQ in Tokyo

A VR experience is one of several things to check out at the company’s head quarters.

Not to be outdone by its competitors, Sony hosted myself and few other media friends from the Middle East and Africa region at it’s headquarters in Tokyo recently. The reason? To introduce us to some of it’s leading innovations, especially those found on the all new Xperia XZ2.

And, just like its rivals, the Tokyo company has packed spaces in it’s headquarters with loads of technology. Inside, you’ll find a virtual-reality experience powered by 4K projectors, augmented reality game play and a wearable system designed to help you experience next level haptics. But Sony wanted to make its visitors feel connected to its technology, and what better way to engage than through physical exertion? Let’s take a look at what tech Sony is featuring at its home.

One of the most interesting things at the space is the Haptics room, a system that uses sensors and an app to bring the haptics feature found on the Xperia XZ2 to life. The goal is to help users experience whatever they’re seeing and hearing virtually, in reality. The feature is available on your Xperia XZ2 as the Dynamic Vibration System (DVS). It offers a greater range of dynamic actuation, which effectively means Sony can offer more defined haptics, both when you tap on-screen and – by analyzing audio data – according to the music or game sound effects currently playing.

In the experience, we wore a haptic vest and 3D glasses. We were then ‘dropped’ in an alien invaded game scene playing as one of earth’s last survivors fighting off these viscous creatures. Once in game, we must explore the world, or remains thereof, feeling each movement as the haptic vest reacts to objects such as stings, branches and fires.

I was more impressed by the Air Hockey demo. Using a pair of Sony’s high-speed vision sensors, the system is able to track the puck and paddles on the table, and not only project colors onto each projectile, but also create virtual pucks. These come at you in later stages of the game, creating more challenging rounds.

Each paddle also housed vibration engines that buzzed when you touched a virtual puck, making the impact feel more realistic. There was barely any lag between the haptic feedback and me making contact with one of these faux pucks. At the height of drama during the game, things got so crazy that I had a hard time differentiating between the physical puck and the digital ones.

What’s intriguing about this particular demo is that the sensors are actually being used in self-driving cars to study moving objects at speeds of up to 1,000 frames per second. But instead of explaining how all of that works in a boring slideshow, Sony encouraged its engineers to come up with creative ways to engage the audience.

If your home theater setup is so advanced and pricey that you scoff at the thought of buying a high-end OLED TV, Sony has the perfect thing for you. We experienced Sony’s Warproom, which essentially consist of a set of Sony’s very own 4K Ultra Short Throw Projectors fixed to the ceiling of a square room. Sony continued to showcase some of it’s latest and greatest tech in the active showroom, which houses tons of tech, including those few in the below images.

See our review of the Sony Xperia XZ2 here

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Papi Mabele

Papi Mabele has a marketing background, he is a digital marketing expert with extensive experience in launching and building global brands in the emerging markets. Papi is also an avid tech writer, enthusiast and all round tech junkie. As a freelance writer and analyst he has been numerously published in Popular Mechanics (SA), GQ South Africa, Premier Magazine, Driven Magazine, Bloem News, Courant, The Weekly, Enthooze Magazine and PiE magazine amongst others.