TOKYO — The Sony Corp. says it will start selling a head-mounted display that provides a 3-D theater of music videos, movies and games, targeting people who prefer solitary entertainment rather than sitting in front of a TV with family or friends.
Sony said Wednesday that the $800″HMZ personal 3-D viewer” is set to go on sale Nov. 11 in Japan and is planned for the U.S. and Europe, perhaps in time for Christmas, although dates have not yet been set.
Resembling a futuristic visor, HMZ, which stands for “head-mounted display,” is worn like chunky goggles and earphones in one. The footage before the viewer — a music video of a Japanese singer in the demonstration for reporters in Tokyo — is crystal- clear and feels like peering into a dollhouse 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. 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.
The Associated Press
