Sony’s next-generation plans have come up over the past few months when we dug up multiple patents regarding PlayStation VR 2 and PlayStation 5. Today, we have found probably the most interesting patent yet. The information is quite simple yet it shows Sony’s plans to cast a broad net over the augmented and virtual reality market.

On December 26, 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment filed a patent for “GESTURE-BASED USER INTERFACE FOR AR AND VR WITH GAZE TRIGGER.” The patent reveals the company’s efforts to create a user-interface for VR/AR gaming devices as well as other consumer electronics. The UI supports hand-gestures and movements. Some of the gesture examples can be seen in the image below.

The user interface is designed to support a multitude of devices including PlayStation consoles, consoles created by Microsoft and Nintendo or other manufacturers, VR headsets, AR headsets, portable televisions, computers, laptops, and tablets. It seems the UI can be modified to serve any device you would want. The UI is compatible with Linux, systems from Microsoft, and Unix operations systems among other software.

From what we can gather from the patent here is that Sony is bringing gesture-based UIs to consumer electronic devices from a range of manufacturers. The UI is flexible and can be used with non-VR/AR devices as well which indicates that future Sony TVs and devices will have gesture UIs. Another interesting fact about the patent is that the processing of the gesture is cloud-based so everything will be off-site.

The patent mentions using cameras to track hand movements and gaze. Like always, there is no guarantee such an interface will ever see the light of day. Companies file a ton of patents and not even half of them ever see actual implementation. However, if this comes to pass than the earliest we’ll see its implementation is with PlayStation VR 2. The VR headset can serve as the perfect testbed for this kind of tech.

In other Sony news, we were able to confirm with sources that Dualshock 4 will be “fully compatible” with PlayStation 5. One of the reasons for hardware backward compatibility is the PlayStation VR. Although we are expecting to see PlayStation VR 2, Sony is reportedly supporting PSVR1 in its next-generation.

According to a rumor, based on a cryptic tease from Sony, suggests that PlayStation 5’s reveal is set for CES 2020 rather than E3 2020. The move will further dent E3’s relevance in the gaming industry.