Sony Does Not Have Plans for 3D for the PlayStation Portable 2

The three stars of the E3 trade show were the PlayStation Move from Sony, Kinect from Microsoft and the Nintendo 3DS handheld. Possibly because we had already seen both motion tracking system working before the Nintendo device, which promises full three-dimensional gaming without the use of special glasses, it was the biggest surprise of the event. But it seems that the 3D craze is not for everyone, as Sony, which is pushing the technology for the PlayStation 3, seems not to be interested in it for the much rumored PlayStation Portable 2.

Scott Rohde, who is the vice president of Sony Worldwide Studios, told IndustryGamers when asked about 3D in the next version of the PSP, “No, no plans for that.” He then added that even talk about a PlayStation Portable 2 was premature as “It’s just not something we’re announcing right now. It’s just as simple as that. It’s all I can tell you.”

The same opinion is held by the leader of Sony Computer Entertainment, Kaz Hirai, who stated that “Based off internally conducted research, naked-eye 3D for portables does not have high precision, and at present there are limitations.”

The problem with the lack of interest in the 3D portable device means Sony actually has something else big planned for the PlayStation Portable 2. The company might not be ready to talk about the device but an unveiling at the Tokyo Games Show, on home ground, or at the Gamescom conference is to be expected if Sony is interested in staying in the fight for the mobile gaming audience.

Rumors that came out before E3 pointed to the fact that the PSP 2 would deliver motion tracking capabilities and would have a control system combining touchscreen technology with analog control. It's not clear whether the gadget will have a UMD drive or will get its content via digital distribution.