Sony's new metaverse bet: US$360 wearable that captures your moves

(Nov 29): Sony Group Corp's latest gadget is a set of wearable motion trackers designed to bring users into the metaverse on their phones.

The new Mocopi system consists of six pucks worn around the user's wrists, ankles, head, and hips, used to animate avatars inside various metaverse apps on Sony Android phones or Apple Inc's iPhones. Priced at ¥49,500 (US$360 or RM1,610) and launching in Japan in January, the Mocopi kit adds to the company's ventures into virtual and augmented reality.

Tokyo-based Sony has made a big push to expand its gaming empire beyond its traditional strength of console games with more peripherals for personal-computer and mobile gaming. The company also has the PlayStation virtual-reality (VR) headset and a successor in the offing, both designed to develop an ecosystem of VR experiences along the lines envisioned by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms Inc, which he renamed the company after.

Metaverse and VR applications have failed to break through to mainstream audiences so far, occupying only a niche of the global gaming and peripherals market. Sony is betting on being able to drive this segment with its PlayStation brand and software development talent.