Sony teases 3D PS3 tech at CES

by Majed Athab { Jan 8th 2009 at 8:00AM }

Thought playing Gran Turismo 5 in 2160p wasn't insane enough? Then how about playing it in 3D? How about combining the two ... er, we're getting a little too excited about the future here -- let's get back on track. At CES in Las Vegas, Sony had been showing off some 3D tech tie-ins for the PS3, displaying WipEout HD and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue running in true 3D.

Ars Technica went through the whole orgasmic experience recounting it as "one of the best demos of 3D technology [they] have ever seen." But hold your horses, folks; Sony says it's all for show ... for now. "We're not going to talk about specifications," said a Sony rep. "This is just a look at what 3D could look like if Sony decided to move in this direction."

The black shades the gent is wearing in the picture is the 3D goggles for gameplay. It's not as dorky as Ars thinks it is ... imagine wearing those horrid red/blue specs, ew! The blur screen is no doubt an effect of the 3D and, well, we're dying (as much as you are) to know what it actually was like. Guess we'll never know for quite some time.

[Thanks Julian A. and Erico316!]

Tags: 3d, ces-09, gran-turismo-5, ps3, scea, sony, wipeout-hd

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rodz @ Jan 8th 2009 8:04AM

Please Sony, move in this direction!!!

Shin @ Jan 8th 2009 8:09AM

Who's the fat abomination on the first picture? ._.

Ayman @ Jan 8th 2009 8:43AM

Some lucky guy playing g Gran Turismo 5 in 2160p and in 3D

Mo @ Jan 8th 2009 10:18AM

lucky fat guy

shakesquire @ Jan 8th 2009 8:14AM

This seems really exciting. However, if you already wear glasses, you're going to look more than a bit silly wearing those as well.

William @ Jan 8th 2009 8:40AM

Yes, because it's impossible for them to make them a different shape.

Why would you even think that something like eyeglass shape was set in stone? This is the very same polarized eyeglass technology that 3d movie theatres have been using for years.

JaffaBoy @ Jan 8th 2009 8:42AM

I've seen another photo from CES where a different type of glasses were being used and the guy had them over his pair - looked ok (well as ok as you can look with these things)

linebeginstoblur @ Jan 8th 2009 9:36AM

Crap, I've been reading about this and getting excited and then you remind me of that. :( 3D won't look too impressive (in fact, it would be blurry and disorienting) if you can't actually see the screen...

DeforMAKulizer @ Jan 8th 2009 8:14AM

This would totally be awesome if they do move this direction! Imagine GoW 3 in 3D and Heavy rain! =D
Sony are in for many surprises in 2009!

Ayman @ Jan 8th 2009 8:46AM

I love sony and the PS3, but lets be realistic, if they agree to do this, then the developers would need to also accept the challenge, and then have to wait for them as well, so it wont be in 2009, but 2010 or 2011 more likely, also it would be more affordable for the majority. but i sure do hope im wrong

KarlW @ Jan 8th 2009 10:12AM

Maybe developers wouldn't have to change so much of their games to use this. I mean, they already use 3D models, all that's different is a few changes to the renderer and 3D hardware.

Majed Athab @ Jan 8th 2009 8:16AM

you'll just have to switch to contacts. :)

reakt @ Jan 8th 2009 8:34AM

"not as dorky as Ars thinks"? I can't imagine anything dorkier looking than the dork in those dorky glasses!

Shader @ Jan 8th 2009 8:44AM

I guess the tv must be a special one that projects two images at different polarizations and the glasses filters them, similar to how IMAX works.

Nalmaphaus @ Jan 8th 2009 10:37AM

Actually no, it's a normal TV like any other. The 3D technology is not the polarization technique used by for example IMAX, but one that is much simpler to implement for home use.

Basically, the frames alternate between left-eye pictures and right-eye pictures. An IR emitter connected to the playback device sends out a signal synchronized with the framerate. The glasses you wear detect the signal, and the glass covering the eye that should not see the current picture turns black.

When the frames alternate back and forth like this maybe 60 times per second, your brain is fooled into thinking it is seeing a 3D picture.

I have seen several movies using this technique at my local theatre (A Nightmare Before Christmas, Meet the Robinsons and Beowulf to name a few) - and the 3D effect is 100% perfect! The only thing that's better with the polarized IMAX stuff is that the picture tends to be a bit brighter and smoother - but I can't say I care about that when we could all get real 3D gaming and BD movies on our HDTVs very soon, with nothing more than a PS3 firmware update, a cheap USB IR emitter thingy and some IR 3D goggles...

Please, Sony! This IS the direction to move in!

mareviq @ Jan 8th 2009 12:28PM

This is nothing new. ASUS V7700 had it, and it was based on GeForce 2. (There may have been other cards using this tech, but I actually owned ASUS V7700 so I know for certain that it did) The only difference was that the glasses provided with ASUS had to be connected by cable to the card and you looked like a dork in them.

polgas @ Jan 8th 2009 9:36AM

imagine this while playing FPS, like KZ2
bullets flying through you, i might jump out of my seat to dodge the bullets hahaha
it will be awesome.

as for the glasses change it to the
goggles of the helghast = EPIC

Towhee @ Jan 8th 2009 8:51AM

This would be sort of scary paired with Rock Band 2. Free seizures!

Devin @ Jan 8th 2009 11:33AM

No, that would be Wipeout....

KGG @ Jan 8th 2009 9:39AM

srsly? do you really care that you look like a dork with those glasses? srsly?

korwyn @ Jan 8th 2009 12:13PM

ya, to non-gamers playing vdo games already make us all look like nerds anyway. who cares if those glasses would make us look like dorks. and by the way I could wear those 3d glasses on top of my regular glasses no problem (at least in a dark theater there wasn't any problem.

Dan Rabot @ Jan 8th 2009 9:40AM

I had a play with some of these at a games show in Stratford a few months ago (forget the name, we snuck in the back as a mate works there)

But.. they are AWESOME! Played some racing game and a shooter, just some generic demo type games to show of the tech, but they were awesome! Clear 3D images were superb.

I'm 24 and I actually got ID'd to see a demo of Dead Space. This was a while before it came out. Still didn't buy it though.

3D tech will rock!

Jacksons @ Jan 8th 2009 9:52AM

Wipeout in 3D... That must be insane.

GGCAN @ Jan 8th 2009 10:24AM

This looks like a great feature to what we already have.

Been hearing much about 3D lately and I think Sony is right to support it.

Miles @ Jan 8th 2009 10:31AM

I doubt such technology will work with videoprojectors :/

Mo @ Jan 8th 2009 11:04AM

there was mention of this being in a new firmware.... does that mean that it would make any game 3d? THAT would be quite chunkey. or would the games need to be patched up/coded to support it.

/ignorance.

gravewolf @ Jan 8th 2009 11:48AM

Is that guy wearing lipstck??!!!???

dave @ Jan 8th 2009 8:25PM

No, he's just very happy to see you.

Slaytan @ Jan 8th 2009 12:02PM

Sony: Release this very soon and beat M$FT to the punch!

Miguel @ Jan 8th 2009 12:10PM

Indeed, move in this direction Sony!

Batzi @ Jan 8th 2009 12:12PM

The guy in the picture with the shades looks so gay. Otherwise, meh. Sony better stop hyping stuff for nothing. They've been promising things that they couldn't deliver. I mean look at HOME. No one gives a damn about it and the open BETA sucks. What next 3D gaming? What about the 4D thing they've been talking about? I'd say stick with games and bring back our exclusives from that damn 360 or take some of theirs instead of losing yours in return of nothing.

NeoSnake4 @ Jan 8th 2009 12:43PM

Man, I wonder what MGS4 would look like with those glasses. Damn, lately movies are starting to use more 3D. I want to see My Bloody Valentine 3D...although when it comes out on Blu-ray and any other Blu-ray disc could we see them in 3D as well? I wonder. More likely if you watch it on the PS3 and the 3D option comes as an update.

iamkid @ Jan 8th 2009 1:07PM

i am now excited, and i wanna try it

anthonyjh @ Jan 8th 2009 3:17PM

I don't see this hitting the market for a looong time.

tmontana213 @ Jan 8th 2009 3:29PM

cool

SlapGT @ Jan 8th 2009 9:05PM

the ultimate BCG's

SlapGT @ Jan 8th 2009 9:26PM

also...

this could be wrong technology but I heard about a 3D signal but it like split a 120hz signal into 2 60hz signals and overlapped the images to where who wear those special glasses (which are pretty expensive I think, involves like LCDs and all kinds of crazy stuff) to see the 3D ... I could be wrong tho

SlapGT @ Jan 8th 2009 9:09PM

enoch @ Jan 11th 2009 11:28PM

I went to the show and tried this demo. it was pretty cool. to correct a few other comments, the 3d tech that sony was using is the traditional polarized TV and glasses. The alternating frames you are thinking about is being released by Samsung and Nvidia. That is pretty cool too. however the glasses for that are much more expensive but you get the full 1080p picture since it is pumping out twice the frames as the sony demo. the sony demo still uses 1080p but it splits that up between each eye. so you are seeing a 540p image. They but need special TVs however.