Sony bolsters PlayStation VR with Softkinetic acquisition

Sony has acquired Softkinetic, the developer behind a range of gesture recognition software.

The move is almost certainly designed to benefit PlayStation VR, with Softkinetic’s work on the DepthSense series of camera and middleware products focusing on hand-tracking and other new ways of detecting movement. 

Samples available to download from Softkinetic’s site include demos of hand-tracking software for rival VR platform Oculus Rift.

There was no word on how much the acquisition cost Sony, according to GamaSutra, and the platform holder has avoided specifics when it comes to what the acquired company will be working on.

Sony has said that the purchase of Softkinetic will enable the development of “the next generation of range image sensors and solutions, not only in the field of imaging, but for broader sensing-related applications as well”.