Inside Sony's secret cave of tech treasures - CNET

I'm invited to relax in a leather armchair and listen to hi-fi recordings of the Sony Philharmonic Orchestra -- kind of like a massage for the ears. After watching a welcome video that dances across 50 feet (15 meters or so) of screen real estate, I'm allowed to explore Sony's room of tech toys, under careful supervision, that is. That makes sense because, along with the movie theater and a fake soccer stadium, The Square contains actual treasure.

I get to see Sony's cameras filming a soccer match and shooting an 8-foot-high replica of New York's Times Square inside a dedicated studio. I stare at props, costumes and other mementos from Sony Pictures' movies, like "The Amazing Spider-Man." Some music paraphealia, such as a Michael Jackson and a guitar in a glass case, are signed by producers.

I get to amuse myself, too. Thanks to augmented reality, I play with adorable robots that look as if they're in the room with me; motion sensors let me swipe through Sony's interactive music library. It's gesture tracking tech I've never seen before from the company, but would be ideal if implemented into its PlayStation VR offering.

Many of Sony's products are staged to reveal how the company expects us to use them. It makes me feel as if I'm wandering a high-end Ikea showroom. At one point, I find myself reclining in a lounge decked out in leather sofas while immersed in a projected 4K video image of blue whales gliding through the pale sea. Surrounded by trinkets like a Will Smith "Men In Black" action figure and strategically placed piles of books, I realise I've been lured into feeling at home. If this were Ikea, I'd be sold.

My group gathers in semidarkness around the Glass Sound 360-degree speaker, shown at CES in January. A filament emits warm light, sort of like a candle, while acoustic guitar plays through the cylindrical speaker. The sound vibrates through the Glass with impressive clarity. Perfect for a dinner party, don't you think?

The Square could have been a museum decked out with Walkmans. Instead, it's a celebration of the company's vision of the future.

It's pure geeky fun.