[Faline]

Technology giant Sony has unveiled a head-mounted display that takes the wearer into a 3D cinema of videos, music and games.
The HMZ personal 3D viewer is being targetted at people who prefer solitary entertainment rather than sitting in front of a television with family or friends.
Resembling a futuristic visor, the £480 ($800) device is worn like a pair of chunky goggles and earphones in one.



The HMZ - which stands for head-mounted display - displays footage that is crystal clear.
It is equipped with two 0.7in high definition organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels and 5.1 channel dynamic audio headphone.
The gadget enables the wearer to experience cinema-like viewing, equivalent to watching a 750-inch screen from 20 metres away,

The music video on display at a Sony showcase for reporters in Tokyo was of a Japanese singer and was so clear that it felt like peering into a dolls house in which a real-life tiny singer is moving.
It seems unlikely that most people - or even technology enthusiasts - will want to buy a product that involves sitting alone and wearing a little helmet.
For this reason, the HMZ might not be Sony's long-awaited answer to Apple's iPod or iPad, but just another quirky device packed with cutting-edge technology that is headed for a limited niche following.



Nintendo's Virtual Boy, a 3-D wearable gaming machine that went on sale in the 1990s, bombed, partly because of the bulky headgear required as well as the image being all red.
Sony's latest product is far more sophisticated, delivering an experience that is as immersive as sitting in one of the best seats in a cinema.
It is not recommended for people 15 years old and younger because some experts believe overly stimulating imagery is not good for teenagers whose brains are still developing, according to Shigeru Kato, a Sony vice president.
On the plus side, consumers are growing more accustomed to 3D these days, with the arrival of 3D TVs and game machines.
The HMZ uses Sony's own OLED screen, a relatively new kind of display that relays superb image quality and colour, compared to the more prevalent liquid crystal and plasma displays used in laptops and flat-panel TVs.
Mr Kato said the major challenge had been making a very small display without compromising image quality.
The HMZ is set to go on sale in Japan on November 11; a U.S. and European release could come as early as Christmas.

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[kellyhound]

wish they invented a holodeck

[Viking64]

I would wear it while driving.

[curious observer]

until they can do full FOV like the VRD technology, it's the same old shit 'like viewing an X inch screen from Y feet away'

[Zodiak]

I used to have one of those virtual boys, the all red screen was.hell on the eyes. And the straps that went around your head had to be pretty tight to hold that bulky ass visor to my face since that part was at least a good 6-7 lbs maybe? Been years.