Sony Interactive Entertainment has acquired Cinemersive Labs, a UK startup specializing in converting 2D photos and videos into 3D volumes. The Cinemersive team will join Sony’s Visual Computing Group, which focuses on graphical technology including game rendering, video coding, and generative AI models.
The acquisition is significant for Sony as it aims to enhance its gaming experience through advanced visual computing techniques. Cinemersive’s technology, particularly its virtual reality app Parallax, enables users to view three-dimensional images using natural head movements. This aligns with Sony’s ongoing efforts to incorporate machine learning to elevate graphical performance across its gaming platforms.
Cinemersive’s Parallax app is designed to function as a viewer for parallax photos captured by existing smartphones and professional cameras equipped with stereo lenses. The startup developed custom AI tools for this conversion process, suggesting that Sony intends to leverage these capabilities for its future projects.
Sony stated, “Following the acquisition, the Cinemersive Labs team will join SIE’s Visual Computing Group (VCG) and contribute to our broader efforts in advancing state of the art visual computing within games.” The company plans to integrate machine learning to enhance gameplay visuals, improve rendering techniques, and unlock new levels of visual fidelity for players.
Machine learning is central to Sony’s strategy for enhancing graphical performance on the PlayStation 5 and forthcoming consoles. The PlayStation 5 Pro is built around a new GPU and features faster storage and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This technology enables the console to run games at lower resolutions and upscale them to 4K.
