Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited

Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Claire Blackshaw

Elisheva Shapiro

Martin Shenton

Martin Echenique

A virtual reality apparatus includes an image generator configured to generate images representing a user of a virtual environment. The image generator is responsive to selection of a predetermined input by the user. The apparatus also includes a video camera for use in image-based tracking of a user by the image generator. The predetermined input selected by the user is the performing of a predetermined physical gesture in view of the video camera. The image generator is arranged to select a respective emoji responsive to the predetermined physical gesture of the user for display to other users.

Virtual reality

A virtual reality apparatus comprises an image generator to generate images representing a virtual environment, for display to a user by a head mountable display to be worn by that user. The virtual environment includes an avatar representation of the user positioned within the virtual environment so that the user's viewpoint of the virtual environment substantially corresponds to the viewpoint of the avatar corresponding to that user. One or more user controls are provided with which predetermined inputs may be selected by the user. The image generator is responsive to selection of a predetermined input by the user to correspondingly configure a face of the avatar representing that user. The image generator is arranged to generate respective facial configurations of the avatar for display to other users viewing the virtual environment.

A virtual reality apparatus comprises an image generator to generate images representing a virtual environment. The images are to be displayed to a user via a head mountable. The virtual environment includes an avatar representation of the user within the virtual environment so that the user's viewpoint of the virtual environment substantially corresponds to avatar's viewpoint corresponding to that user. The image generator is responsive to operation of user controls by the user to configure the hands of the avatar representing that user. The image generator is further configured to generate respective facial configurations of the avatar for display to other users viewing the virtual environment as a mapping of the configuration of the hands of the avatar, so that the hand configuration of the avatar corresponding to a user provide an indication, to that user, of the facial configuration of the avatar corresponding to that user.

Growing community of inventors

London, United Kingdom

Claire Blackshaw