Sony Is Looking At Games, VR And Robots For Its Future

In an effort to make its company profitable again, Sony has started making more moves into the tech field, while at the same time retaining a huge focus on its gaming division.

During a recent press conference, chief executive Kaz Hirai explained that Sony was raising its sales target for the forthcoming year in the games division, pinning a great amount of potential success on its forthcoming PlayStation VR headset.

Hirai explained that the company’s biggest growth will lean on games, thanks in part to continuously strong sales of the PS4, as well as an increase in subscribers to its PlayStation Plus program and significant game sales, including its recently released Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

But a lot of anticipation is going into the PlayStation VR, which will launch this October for $399—a much lower price than other competitors. “It’s an area where Sony can leverage its expertise in cameras, filming, content production as well as entertainment assets,” noted Hirai, per Reuters. As a result, the company lifted its sales targets from 1.8 trillion yen ($17.6 billion) to 1.9 trillion yen ($18.6 billion).

In addition, Sony is also returning to another technological field—robots. The company thrived in robotic engineering in the late 90’s and the beginning of the millennium, with products like the robotic dog AIBO and humanoid QRIO. Those both ceased production in 2006 due to lack of interest in the market, but Sony has since regenerated that.

Hirai noted that the company has plans to create a robot “capable of forming an emotional bond,” but wouldn’t divulge too many other details. It’s unknown when Sony’s robotic project will come out.

For the time being, Sony’s focus will continue to be on games, with anticipated titles like No Man’s Sky and The Last Guardian set for big fall releases. The PlayStation VR will get a huge push as well, with a library of original titles like Rez Infinite and VR Worlds to draw players in.

How it will fare against the competition, like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, is still to be determined, but its compatibility with the PlayStation 4 (even with the need for accessories like a camera and the PlayStation Move controller) should make it an easily accepted device—and perhaps another big seller for the company.