Up close with Sony’s futuristic Life Space UX projector

Sony unveiled Life Space UX, its wildly ambitious vision for future home displays, onstage at CES earlier today. In a tiny room in a tucked-away corner of their booth, we got a closer look at the interface — and we came away impressed.

Sony’s demonstration was set in a mocked-up living room of the near future. There was nothing terribly futuristic about the setting, which was surely the point; Sony intends for each display to live seamlessly on the surfaces we normally interact with on a regular basis. Projectors concealed strategically in the room displayed a number of concepts, like a skylight showing a spring day. At the kitchen table, another projector showed a tablet interface ready for playing with, very reminiscent of the original Microsoft Surface. Meanwhile, the mirror on the far wall showed off a library of magazines.

However, the linchpin of the entire experience was the 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector, which is due out this summer. Disguised as a simple piece of furniture, it can throw a 147-inch image on the wall ready for viewing.

Perhaps the most impressive thing is that all these displays can be coordinated to create an immersive experience, whether you want to imagine you’re on a Paris street or underwater for some reason. It’s all up to how far Sony (and the consumer) wants to take things. We’re not sure when this will all come to fruition, but it’s pretty cool to see here now.