The effort to create a 3-D TV for the entire family hasn't exactly been a rousing success, so Sony has decided to cater to each viewer individually. The HMZ-T1, Sony's personal 3-D entertainment goggles, basically attach a home entertainment center to your face.
The concept of virtual reality goggles are a sci-fi staple, and even though they have failed in previous marketing campaigns, Sony expects the opportunity for personalized 3-D content to make the HMZ-T1 attractive to the 21st-century consumer.
The Sony goggles contain separate OLED screens that feed a different image to each eye to create a 3-D effect. This method is considered less likely than other systems to create headaches in users. Each 0.7-inch screen has a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, and Sony says this is equivalent to watching a 62-foot screen from 60 feet away.
Built-in speakers that fit over the ears emit 5.1-channel virtual surround sound.
The HMZ-T1 will attach to any Blu-ray player and even some game consoles, via an HDMI cord, and there are interesting possibilities for use in the growing 3-D gaming market. Another headset can be hooked into the first via another HDMI connection, making it possible for a 3-D game to have more than one participant.
Aside from the obvious problem of feeling silly with a giant device strapped to your head, there's another issue that's bound to make potential users pause: the price tag. The Sony HMZ-T1 will sell for nearly $800.
It launches Nov. 11 in Japan, with an unspecified global launch date to follow.