Sony’s Xperia Touch projector, which lets you turn pretty much any flat surface into an Android touchscreen, has been updated to Android 7.1.1 – and there’s plenty of new features worth talking about.
While a boost to Android 7.1.1 might sound like an incremental upgrade, the bump actually brings a host of new functionality to the Xperia Touch, most notably the introduction of gesture controls for the device in Wall Mode.
Now, the Xperia Touch will be able to recognise that you want to interact with it using gestures simply by a raise of the hand. From there, you’ll be able to use the full suite of Xperia Touch gesture controls, from navigating menus to controlling music and video playback.
Projection settings have also been tweaked to help users better deal with distortion issues, while the Touch’s presence sensor – which allows it to wake up automatically when you approach it – will now work in table as well as as wall mode.
Lastly, there’s been a small change to the Xperia Touch’s portrait mode that will let you select left or right orientation for the Android apps you want to display.
Does this now mean the Xperia Touch is worthy of its enthusiastic price tag?
It’s difficult to say, as we haven’t been able to review the product in full. The semi-portable projector (it’s small, but not pocket-sized) is priced at £1300 here in the UK, which means checking out its intriguing feature set for yourself isn’t exactly an afterthought.
Here’s some basic details of the Xperia Touch to give you a better idea of what it’s all about.
Sony Xperia Touch Projector: What is it?
As we’ve said, the Xperia Touch is certainly an intriguing proposition, letting you beam an interactive, multi-touch Android display on to nearly any surface.
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Coming with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth baked in, you’ll be able to do things like watch films and play games without the need for a dedicated TV/console setup, making it a space saver as well as an enabler of forced family fun.
Sounds cool, right? Well, yes and no.
In the Xperia Touch’s defense, it’s worth noting that pricing for full fat projectors often reaches the outer limits of the cosmos – we recently reviewed the Sony VPL-VZ1000ES, which is listed at £22,000.
But while the Xperia Touch is way cheaper than that, the £1300 price is still too hard to justify, especially given it can still only beam out a miserly 1366×768 pixels.
It’s a crucial spec, as a decent 4K TV and new-gen console combo will set you back, at most, £1000 – you could do it for less if you dealhunt on the telly front.
Here’s hoping this is just Sony testing the waters, because a similar product at a significantly lower price point would look far more appetising.
Got the spondulix to spare and think the Xperia Touch sounds pretty neat? You can buy it from Sony here.
Do you think the Sony Xperia Touch projector is overpriced? Let us know in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
