In recent years, Sony has been attending SXSW where hipsters and tech lovers flock to the once-a-year event where the latest in new age art, science, and technology are on display. It’s here that Sony’s been hard at work promoting and testing Project N, their wireless headset. Having already shown off Project N two years in a row, what was Sony to do? Create a Mixed Reality Cave, of course.

Nathan Ingraham writes this for Engadget:

 Sony’s SXSW “Wow Factory” was the mixed-reality “cave.” Unlike many other experiences at Sony’s event, this one didn’t require strapping on some oddball hardware or even a VR helmet. The cave was a square, four-walled room with Sony’s own GTZ1 4K projectors mounted to each wall — the idea is to make an immersive experience that brings you into other places while still letting you interact with people around you. To that end, each demo had a group of six people in it.

The first experience involved letting participants select a city or natural landmark they wanted to “visit” — once picking a location, the screens lit up with the area all around. It felt like Google Maps street view being projected, as there wasn’t any motion in the visual. The floor and ceiling remained just as they were, and the corners of the room made it feel somewhat unnatural, but it was still a neat effect. Sony also showed off how you can do comparison views where two of the walls showed the scene from 2008 and the other two showing the same view from 2016. 

Other things Sony showed off were the use of sensors which allowed people to interact with the contents displayed on the walls, making it a far more interactive experience than a passive gallery. Those following Sony for the past few years should be fairly familiar with this tech as we’ve seen it pop-up in various products under the LifeSpace UX division.

Out of that department, we’re finally getting a product this year that mixes their short throw projector and sensor technology which allows for any surface to be turned into a touch display Android device with Xperia Touch – though its price tag will surely mean few people will buy it.

The big question for Sony is this: do they see these types of products having a place in their consumer line, or are they better suited for enterprise and retail where they could pop up in airports and amusement parks? From what I’ve seen, I’m not sure Sony knows either.

By the way, if you’ve seen season one, episode two of Black Mirror, this tech should immediately be infinitely more exciting and creepy.