MS working on simulated reality headset

Microsoft looks to be developing a simulated reality gaming headset that works through the use of projected images, Projector Point writes.

The design for the headset - which is thought to be most likely for use with future Xbox 720 hardware and mobile technology - was uncovered by the PatentBolt Web site, and was originally filed in 2010.

The computing giant appears to have worked on two principal designs, one being a full helmet with the other taking the form of a sunglasses-like design.

Ars Technica says the document describes both a helmet and a set of eyeglasses (which "could be at least partially transparent"), using two laser-based, "dilation optic" displays to project what appears as a 21-inch diagonal, 16:9 ratio image viewed at arm's length.

The only reference to videogames in the patent is a throwaway sentence referring to "applications ranging from video gaming to aviation”.

The devices would not just be used for displaying video, or a virtual reality; the projectors could feasibly be transparent, allowing viewers to continue seeing the world around them, Slash Gear notes.