PlayStation 4 Headset

It’s looking increasingly likely that you’ll be playing your PlayStation 4 with an Oculus Rift-esque headset in the near future. Rumours regarding the wearable technology have been seeping out of Sony for several weeks, but now one eagle-eyed NeoGAF poster has uncovered a couple of patents pertaining to the technology which sprinkle a little more fuel on the futuristic fire.

The first of the two filings discusses an audio system able to alert you of real-world dangers for safety reasons. Basically, the documentation considers ways in which the manufacturer could draw your attention to a crying baby or alarm if you’re immersed in a game while sporting a wearable 3D display and noise cancelling headphones. The second, meanwhile, hints at a headset with motion detection and image stabilisation. Say, that sounds familiar, huh?

While there’s nothing particularly revealing about the broad nature of the patents themselves, the most interesting thing is that the papers were filed by Simon Benson and Ian Bickerstaff, two former Evolution Studios employees. Those of you that have been keeping up will know that DriveClub has long been associated with the headset rumours, with the Cheshire-based company’s next generation racer supposedly already compatible with the unannounced accessory.

In fact, the MotorStorm developer actually plays host to Sony Worldwide Studios’ Stereoscopic 3D team, which was last employed to front the platform holder’s ill-fated 3D game development push a couple of years back. Could the group's recent silence be down to that fact that it’s been secretly working on the hypothetical headset behind closed doors?

It’s certainly looking likely at this stage. Previous rumours suggested that the Japanese giant was aiming to announce the peripheral this year, but decided to hold back the reveal in order to concentrate on its upcoming console’s launch. All of the signs are pointing to an early 2014 unveiling now, though, aren’t they?

[source freepatentsonline.com, via freepatentsonline.com, neogaf.com, eurogamer.net]