Nintendo recently announced 3D portable gaming on their DS console, dubbed the “3DS”. You would expect Sony to pursue in a similar direction with the PSP console, however, SCEA’s Director of Hardware and Marketing John Koller said the company is only focusing on the 3D console space right now. “Our focus on 3D right now is on the console,” he said. “There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity on PlayStation 3 with 3D.”
A rumor currently doing the rounds on the internet suggests that the sequel to Killzone 2 will support stereoscopic 3D and Sony’s Motion Controller. While we’re still waiting for details of games that will utilise the PS3 motion controller, a title of this calibre would certainly be a positive selling point for Sony.
The latest firmware update for the PS3 was recently released to developers to install on “debug” consoles. Some images of the new firmware have been leaked (as usual) and clearly shows a “3D video output” option. With the release of the first 3D TVs just months away, Sony is already preparing to add 3D support to the PS3.
God of War III is one of the most anticipated exclusives this year on the Playstation 3 – come critics have gone as far as calling it the Game of the Year this early into 2010. Sony recently revealed several technical graphical details on GOW, stating it will run at 720p with 1080p up-scaling. Furthermore, Stig Asmussen, the director of the game, revealed in an interview with Arabic gaming site N4GA that his title will have a variable frame rate from 30 to 60 frames per second depending on the amount of action on screen.
Super Stardust 3D was show off at this years CES, along with several other PlayStation 3 titles in 3D. As we reported last week, the PlayStation 3 will be getting 3D support for games and movies later in 2010 via a firmware update. To accompany the 3D support, Sony has a lineup of existing games that will support 3D, including Super Stardust 3D. Details about the game were revealed by engine lead Seppo Halonen and creative director Harri Tikkanen in an interview with Digital Foundary.
Although games already support 3D audio in the form of 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound, in-game audio between players still lags behind. There is no dimension in the voices you hear when playing with friends online – you cannot tell if the player is behind you or on the side. Dolby have solved this problem with their latest product: Axon.
At Sony’s CES Press Conference, Kaz Hirai announced that the PS3 will be fully 3D compatible this year. There will be two firmware updates at some point in 2010 — the first will add 3D Stereoscopic Gaming functionality to the PS3 and the second will add 3D Stereoscopic Movie functionality. Kaz also revealed that 2009 housed the most successful holiday season in the history of the PlayStation 3, with over 3.8 million units selling worldwide over the last 5 weeks of the year.
In a presentation detailing Sony’s plans to become profitable by the end of 2010, Sony revealed plans to upgrade PlayStation 3 consoles with full 3D support. 3D support for the PS3 has been taked about a lot over the past several months, starting earlier this year at CES 2009. Sony’s presentation indicates that all PS3 units will be upgraded to support 3D games via a firmware update.
Recent footage has surfaced showcasing stereoscopic 3D gameplay for the PS3 at TGS 2009. For those not in the know, stereoscopic 3D vision is any technique which can record three-dimensional visual information or creating the illusion of depth in an image by presenting a slightly different image in each eye. The footage shows gamers with the stereoscopic 3D glasses playing Wipeout HD.
