Sony's CES 2024 presentation is a mixed bag, with the A9iii camera on display but a lot more weird and wonderful tech too
(Image credit: Future)
At Sony's press conference, the company had a lot to talk about, and creatives were clearly important to the company, though with Sony-owned Colmbia Pictures celebrating its 100th anniversary, the film studio's birthday was top of the agenda.
Photographers and videographers will have been pleased to see the "world's fastest full-frame camera," the Sony A9iii (which you can preorder now) making plenty of appearances in the presentation, but in general the more interesting tools for creatives on display are connectivity tools for remote musical performance.
Like other companies, Sony seem concerned with the authenticity of creations – the battle to protect original content is being fought at Sony as well as elsewhere.
Sony's success with PlayStation is well-known, and of course they took the opportunity to talk about the PS5's 50 million sales and the PSVR2, but a new worn device – targeting a more professional & creative audience – also emerged.
(Image credit: Future)
This looks like a stripped down version of the PlayStation VR2, and didn't even get a name, but does come with a kind of controller wand ring. Pricing will be announced later in the year, when the device is due, so presumably what we're seeing here is Sony's attempt at establishing itself against the Apple Vision Pro. It'll be powered by the just announced Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 which can drive dual 4K OLED microdisplays and cope with the user / space tracking. Oh, and there will be 'video see-through'.
(Image credit: Future)
Toward the end of the presentation, it's time for the latest version of the Sony car which – just for fun – is being controlled using a PS5 controller. Apparently this won't be a feature of the final product, a partnership with Honda and now, it seems, Microsoft. Perhaps it'll use the new AI button!
Pro Travel and Adventure Photographer, Educator and Author
Dan M Lee is a professional travel and adventure photographer who has shared his knowledge with hundreds of individuals through his in-person wilderness photography training and thousands more through his writing. That includes a book, Creating Photography: The Professional Edge but the way to get involved is to join him on an expedition via kodiakphotoworkshop.com.
Dan has a broad range of photographic interests – and tech enthusiasm – which he can trace back to his first job, while still at school, in a photography shop in England. He has since been lured across the Atlantic to New York City where he undertakes commissions for numerous publishers.
His extensive traveling means he can be out of his home for more than half the year, which has also seen him develop an interest in smart security systems.
