A three paragraph press release issued by Sony Interactive Entertainment and Lenovo suggests the companies quietly resolved a disagreement over the latter’s use of Sony’s PlayStation VR headset design.
Lenovo’s Mirage Solo headset is an intriguing developer kit which is getting upgrades by way of a new Google add-on that will give the standalone headset a pair of 6DoF hand controllers. The way the headset balances weight distribution and tightens for a snug fit, however, bears a striking resemble to Sony’s headset, as you can see here:
At left is the Lenovo Mirage Solo, which started shipping in 2018. In the center is a patent image from Sony with dates listed on the patent going back to 2014 and 2015. At right is the Sony PlayStation VR headset which started shipping first in 2016.
The release suggests the outcome — a two-year patent licensing deal for PSVR’s industrial design — was viewed by Sony’s Riley Russell, Chief Legal Officer, as the best one for “helping the VR industry expand.”
“The industrial design for PS VR has been widely acclaimed, and that was the result of years of hard work by PlayStation engineers,” according to Russell’s prepared statement.
It is unclear whether the agreement covers future headsets, but it seems possible Lenovo could double down on the Daydream ecosystem in 2019 with a new headset that features two 6DoF hand controllers. We’ll be curious to see a.) if that headset actually comes to pass and b.) whether it bears any continued similarity to Sony’s design. We’ll also be curious to see if any other agreements are announced by companies with headsets which bear more than a passing resemblance to Sony’s.
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via Mint VR