AR Spectator Content Positioning for Shared VR Interaction

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing virtual reality (VR) systems often limit social interactions, resulting in a significant disparity between the user experience of the main user wearing a head-mountable display unit (HMD) and secondary users who do not, with secondary users experiencing a less immersive and less engaging experience due to lack of interactivity and constrained viewing.

Innovation Solution

Generating augmented reality (AR) content elements that are synchronized with primary VR content, allowing secondary users to view relevant information and interact with AR elements displayed in their environment, enhancing their experience without requiring simultaneous multi-user VR rendering capabilities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multi-user VR arrangements are provided to allow multiple users to view content simultaneously, then social interaction capability is improved, but device complexity and processing requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesocial interaction capabilityVSAvoidprocessing requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the viewing experience into two distinct modes: primary content for the HMD user and secondary content for non-HMD users. This segmentation allows each user type to receive optimized content delivery without requiring the system to handle complex multi-user VR rendering simultaneously, thus improving social interaction capability while managing device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces a spectator screen as an intermediary device between the primary HMD user and secondary users. This mediator displays relevant content information to non-HMD users, enabling them to participate in and understand the VR experience without requiring full VR rendering capabilities, thereby improving social interaction while avoiding excessive processing requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a spectator screen is used to display primary content to secondary users, then social interaction is improved, but user engagement and interactivity for secondary users deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesocial interactionVSAvoiduser engagement
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by providing different content experiences tailored to different user positions: the primary user receives full immersive VR content through the HMD, while secondary users receive curated secondary content through the spectator screen that is specifically selected to be engaging and relevant to their viewing context, thus improving both social interaction and user engagement

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The spectator screen dynamically adjusts the content displayed based on the primary user's current activity, game state, and user preferences. This dynamic content delivery ensures that secondary users remain engaged and interested in the experience, transforming the static spectator role into an interactive experience that adapts to the ongoing content

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Device complexity

If secondary users view constrained content through a spectator screen, then processing requirements are reduced, but user experience quality and immersion deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing requirementsVSAvoiduser experience quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-curating and selecting appropriate secondary content based on the primary content being experienced. This advance preparation of relevant, engaging content for the spectator screen ensures that secondary users receive high-quality, immersive content without requiring the system to perform complex real-time multi-user rendering, thus maintaining user experience quality while reducing processing requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4010096B1Content generation system and method
Publication Date: 2025.12.24 SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
  • EP4010096B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4010096B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4010096B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A system for generating secondary content for display, the secondary content being augmented reality content corresponding to primary content for display by a first display device, the system comprising a primary content characterisation unit operable to characterise the primary content, a secondary content generation unit operable to generate, in dependence upon the characterisation of the primary content, secondary content comprising one or more secondary content elements associated with the primary content, and a content positioning unit operable to position one or more secondary content elements with respect to one or more elements in a real environment, wherein the user of a second display device is able to view the secondary content elements overlaid upon a view of the real environment at the respective specified positions