Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited

Elisheva Shapiro

Martin Shenton

Claire Blackshaw

Martin Echenique

Mandana Jenabzadeh

A method of simulating avatar attention in a virtual environment includes, for a given avatar within the environment; periodically calculating the respective interest value of a plurality of elements in the virtual environment in dependence upon one or more factors, where at least one of said factors is evaluated responsive to a relationship between the respective element and that given avatar, selecting the element with the highest calculated interest value, and causing a representation of that given avatar's eyes to point at the selected element within the virtual environment.

Simulation method and system

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

Elisheva Shapiro