Sony unveiled last year a concept projector product that allowed users to interact with any surface as if it was a touch screen. The machine uses ultrashort-throw projection technology to display apps on a nearby table or wall. The resulting 720p image can be configured to be between 23in to 80in (58.4cm × 203.2cm) in size. Built-in sensors let the surface used act like a large touchscreen.
Called the Xperia Touch, the projector can turn table tops and walls into interactive displays. Sony says that it expects families to ‘huddle’ around the image when using it. This device is designed to be used while connected to a power source, but it can work for up to an hour unplugged.
Sony Xperia Touch Design
This blocky device will sit wherever you want it to and even has an embedded battery to let you take it out and about – and there are multiple ways to use it, from projecting down onto a table, gesturing in the air to connecting to your PS4 as a Remote Play machine.
The Xperia Touch has built-in speakers and is small enough to be portable. It can project against both a vertical and horizontal surface with a screen of up to 80 inches. However, at the 80 inches, the image loses its touch capabilities, something Sony said it’s working on to improve.
As well as this digital pinboard functionality, the Touch can do anything you would expect an Android tablet to. You can browse the web, slideshows or watch videos, and download apps and games from Google Play Store. It also works with PS4’s Remote Play feature, meaning that you can use it to game over the internet if someone else is using the TV attached to your console.
The Touch uses Sony’s SXRD projection display technology and detects users’ gestures and taps using a combination of infrared sensors and a regular 60 fps camera. It is going on sale in Europe sometime this spring and has a suggested retail price of €1,499 ($1,583).
