Sony appears to be stepping back from virtual reality hardware. According to US Patent and Trademark Office assignment records first reported by ZDNet Korea, Sony has transferred 43 US patents covering VR, augmented reality, mixed reality, and head-mounted display technology to Meta, the company behind the Quest headsets.
Those 43 are only the start. ZDNet Korea reports the transfers happened between June and September, with two patents moving in June, 20 in July, and 21 in September. A confirmatory assignment the two companies signed in December 2025 covers 419 patents worldwide. Of those, 180 are US patents, and the other 239 are related filings in Japan, China, South Korea, Europe, and other regions, so the number shown in the US records is expected to keep climbing.
Neither Sony nor Meta has commented on the deal, but the sale has been widely read as a sign Sony is done investing in its own headsets. VGC notes that PlayStation VR2 launched in February 2023 at $549.99 and got strong reviews, but Sony published only two original games for it, Horizon Call of the Mountain and Firewall Ultra. The headset received a price cut of more than 30% in 2024, and later that year Sony added PC support through an adapter. PS VR2 and its Horizon bundle are still listed on PlayStation Direct.
At the time, Sony Interactive Entertainment marketing head Eric Lempel called VR “a nascent business for us” and said it was “never going to be the only way people play games.” ZDNet Korea also points to Sony declining an Apple request to expand production of the micro-OLED displays it supplied for Vision Pro as another sign the company isn’t chasing XR hardware.
For Meta, the patents add to a portfolio it is still spending heavily on as it pushes Quest headsets and AI glasses.
It’s the latest in a series of moves that show Sony narrowing its focus, including its decision to skip the biggest consumer tech show next year, as RCG reported: Sony will skip CES 2027 entirely. Sony hasn’t announced any change to PS VR2 support, and the headset is still on sale.
