Sony has transferred a large batch of extended reality patents to Meta, according to US Patent Office assignment records. Reports say 43 US patents changed hands between June and September (2 in June, 20 in July, 21 in September), covering VR, AR and mixed reality as well as head-mounted display systems.
A wider confirmatory assignment agreement signed in December reportedly covers 419 patents worldwide, about 119 of them in the US. The rest belong to patent families filed in Japan, China, South Korea, Europe and other regions.
Neither company has explained the deal. The sale is read as a sign that Sony is scaling back its virtual reality ambitions after PlayStation VR2, though no official statement confirms that.