The era of motion capture with a single smartphone, even when you are outside! Sony "mocopi" announced!

In order to enjoy 100% of the metaverse space created by VRChat and Vket Cloud, VR devices are necessary. In 2016, later called the first year of VR, a variety of VR devices appeared, led by the PlayStation VR. As time has passed since then, VR devices have become higher resolution and more functional in 2022, but there is actually a technology called motion capture that allows you to enjoy the metaverse space 120%. The price for introducing such technology, which varies depending on the accuracy and the number of parts, starts from several hundred thousand yen, and not many VR freaks have introduced such technology on their own. This is a revolution in motion capture! Sony has announced a new mobile motion capture device called " mocopi "!

Mobile Motion Capture "mocopi

The conventional method of motion capture is a very surrealistic one: wearing a full-body suit with dots on it, surrounded by a large number of cameras in a studio equipped with specialized equipment. With the newly announced "mocopi", however, you can now easily perform full 3D tracking anywhere with just six small wireless sensors! The best part is that it can be used anywhere!

"mocopi"製品紹介ページ

The small wireless tracker sensors are attached to the head, waist, right wrist, left wrist, right ankle, and left ankle. Since there are so few places to wear the tracker, we were concerned about the accuracy of the tracking, but that's Sony for you. Sony's proprietary algorithms enable full 3D tracking.

A video showing how to use "mocopi" has been released prior to its release. After pairing the small wireless sensor, the user can attach it to various parts of the body and complete the calibration with a simple movement. You can also check the movements of the avatar that is actually synchronized with the sensor.

Motion data and video data can be output by using a dedicated smartphone application. Real-time...

• VRChat
• Unity
• MotionBuilder
• Virtual Motion Capture

... to external software and services such as ...! At this time, the announced compatible smartphones are limited to iPhone 12 or later and some Android devices, but the developer site is scheduled to open on December 15, 2022 (Thursday). An SDK will be provided, so perhaps motion data can be sent directly to a PC without a smartphone!

Comments from companies expecting service collaboration are also available.

Jesse Jordley, CTO and co-founder, VRChat Inc.

VRChat has been an industry leader in the area of full tracking using PC VR headsets. Now, with the introduction of Sony's mocopi, we are pleased to offer the same functionality for standalone VR headsets. There are a variety of VR headsets on the market. We hope that in combination with "mocopi," users of all types of headsets will be able to fully experience VRChat's full tracking capabilities.

Yasushi Funakoshi, CEO, HIKKY Inc.

We are very pleased that an international company like Sony is approaching a young but vibrant new market where startup HIKKY and its creators are struggling with an "aggressive" product. Such a device is too difficult for us to develop and market on our own, yet it is essential to solving a fundamental problem in the marketplace. We are confident that this device, made possible by Sony's world-class technology and know-how, will create many opportunities for creative revolution.

Reservations begin in mid-December, with a release date of late January 2023!

The hottest release date is scheduled for late January 2023! Pre-orders start in mid-December 2022, which means it will be available shortly after the announcement! The retail price is 49,500 yen (including tax)! Compared to conventional motion capture devices, the low price is obvious. Let's look forward to the "mocopi" that will tickle the hearts of creators, and look forward to the developer site scheduled to open on December 15, 2022 (Thursday)! For more information, please visit the " mocopi" product introduction page!