Sony demos 3D gaming on PS3

Posted by Al Warmington on Tue 13 Jan 2009

Disappointing spokesperson mantra: "This is only a look at what 3D could look like if Sony decided to move in this direction."

3D technology was all over the CES show floors, but Sony was definitely one of its loudest supporters this year. Sony boss man, Sir Howard Stringer waxed lyrical about the idea in his keynote speech before bringing in Pixar’s John Lasseter to discuss 3D production. On the stand itself, Sony had Bravia sets to show off the tech in action, demoing short reels of footage from both TV and gaming sources.

3D telly is nothing new of course, but the idea of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, Wipeout HD and MotorStorm being playable on your home telly in 3D from a PS3 is a big step above even what NVIDIA has achieved with its proper 3D product launch. The glasses also have an edge on rival solutions – all Sony’s 3D demo required was a pair of ordinary Real-D Cinema glasses, exactly the same as you’ll get if you go and catch a current 3D movie at the cinema.

Unfortunately, we just can’t get too excited by the idea just yet; Sony’s booth demonstrators were very meticulous about explaining that this is not a proper 3D gaming demonstration, refusing to get drawn in exact specifications and diligently repeating the line “This is only a look at what 3D could look like if Sony decided to move in this direction.”

The games on show were not really 3D versions of the real titles either – they were only converted movies. Furthermore we don’t even know for sure if the PS3 is up to running an actual game in 3D, particularly one as graphically outstanding as Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Although it drew a decent crowd, Sony could still decide the whole thing is a waste of time and R&D money.

So what would benefit most? We had a chance to check out a few game types on NVIDIA’s PC solution as well as viewing alternatives from other parties. It’s no real surprise to find Sony subliminally pushing 3D racing games most heavily. Gran Turismo 5 could be utterly incredible when you’ve got a real sense of depth to immerse yourself in, while our experience with twitchier playing styles, such as on first-person shooter Left4Dead or MMO World of Warcraft left us feeling a little less comfortable with the mind-juggling 3D perspective.

Sony’s backing of the 3D gaming is not quite at the pitch as its 3D movie ambitions, but from what we learned at the show, it certainly sounds like an technology worth pursuing, and we hope Sony will have some playable examples going very soon.

Link: Sony

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