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Sony seems to be done with its virtual reality ambitions, as it sells hundreds of patents related to the technology to rival Meta.

First spotted by ZDNet Korea, via Road to VR, the company intends to transfer a total of 419 global patents to its competitor, with 43 US-specific properties changing hands between June and September this year alone.

The Japanese giant was an early entrant into the head-mounted display market, with its HMZ-T1 being an early example of the technology. (It also formed the foundation of the original PSVR project, when PlayStation engineers paired it with PS Move controllers.)

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While the first PSVR was a respectable hit on the PS4, its superior successor never really got a good footing.

Sony didn’t support it with much bespoke software, and while it continues to get new releases on the PS Store today, it’s never really felt like a focus of the firm’s plans.

Meta, meanwhile, continues to forge ahead with the technology: its newly announced VR Glasses are due out in 2027, and aim to do away with the bulky headsets of previous efforts.

I do think once VR reaches a point where it can be worn like standard spectacles, there’s a possibility it could take off again.

But if the sale of these patents is any indication, it doesn’t really look like Sony’s in it for the long haul anymore.

Of course, none of this should come as a surprise: it also recently announced it’ll be skipping next year’s CES in Las Vegas, as it continues its transition from consumer electronics to entertainment products.

[source zdnet.co.kr, via roadtovr.com]