14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Computer Entertainment has recently registered two very interesting patents that reveal the company's intentions regarding the technology behind its 3D devices. As it seems stereoscopic 3D imagery is not the only function available, as Sony is planning to break the mold regarding split-screen gaming and allow two players engage in the same game on the same TV in full screen at the same time.
The stereoscopic 3D system inside Sony's 3DTVs uses glasses with "shutters" that block out half the frames for one eye and half the frames for the other, producing the spatial 3D effect. According to website brokemycontroller.com, this can also be used to block half of the frames for one set of glasses half for another, allowing two people to essentially be able to see different full screen images at the same time.
The patent means to register an “Apparatus, systems and methods of providing respective video signals to at least two viewers using a common display are disclosed. An image from a first video signal corresponding to a left perspective of a scene and an image from a second video signal corresponding to a right perspective of the scene are alternately displayed with the display. ” Furthermore, one of the images in the patent clearly shows a pair of glasses with ear buds attached that could allow each player to hear their own audio signal without any interference from outside.
The other patent registered recently by Sony is called 3D Shutter Glasses with Mode Switching Based on Orientation to Display Device. The description roughly states that these glasses would have a tracker attached that would give signals to the 3DTV and the console to emit different images or for the glasses to shutter various frames based on the position of the player. There may be a long way to go until these products become available, but it is something to be excited about because it may have a stronger impact than 3D itself.