14 DAY TRIAL // 3D seems to be the next huge thing in videogaming, with more and more developers thinking about offering game experiences which rely on special television sets and on special glasses to add a lot more depth. And Sony, which is manufacturing the television sets with 3D technology, is saying that adding it to the PlayStation 3 will be easily done via a firmware update, with no need to tinker with new hardware.
A new document which has been released to investors clearly states “All PS3 units will be firmware-upgradeable to 3D”. The technology is at the moment not too developed and few titles, like G-Force from Disney and Invincible Tiger, offer it, but in the future gamers will be more accustomed to it from its use in movies. One big upcoming release, Avatar from Ubisoft, which comes out alongside the James Cameron movie with the same name, is set to rely heavily on 3D.
Long term profitability for the PlayStation 3 home gaming console is dependent, in Sony's vision, on successfully implementing solution for motion tracking, 3D gaming, and better use of the space on Blu-ray disks. The Sony wand, rumored to arrive in spring 2010, is set to offer gaming which relies on the movement of the player and not on a controller and 3D might actually be implemented quickly after that, in the fall of 2010. This twin technology upgrade might give the PS3 the upper hand in its console battle with the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, which has unveiled no plans to go forward towards 3D at the moment.
Sony is estimating that the PlayStation division, at the moment a contributor to the more than 1 billion loss that the company has posted, could achieve profitability in March 2011 if it all goes according to plan.