14 DAY TRIAL // With Sony claiming that it can deliver full 3D rendering capabilities to the PlayStation 3 through a simple firmware update, the move to full gaming in three dimensions has taken another step forward as the Blu-ray Disk Association has announced having finished working on a new specification for the hardware, called the “Blu-ray 3DTM,” which is set to allow customers to get the same experience in the comfort of their home as they would get in a theater implementing full 3D systems.
Every Blu-ray player will, under the new specs, deliver Full HD pictures in 1080p resolution to each eye of the viewer. The new standard specifically permits all PlayStation 3 gaming consoles to play back content in 3D from the Blu-ray disk.
Considering that companies like Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, LG, Mitsubishi, Sony, Sun Microsystems, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures and Television and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. are deeply interested in it, the standard will probably be quickly implemented.
Victor Matsuda, who is the chairman of the BDA Global Promotion committee, said that “Throughout this year, movie goers have shown an overwhelming preference for 3D when presented with the option to see a theatrical release in either 3D or 2D. We believe this demand for 3D content will carry over into the home now that we have, in Blu-ray Disc, a medium that can deliver a quality Full HD 3D experience to the living room.”
At the moment, the only videogame that supports 3D stereoscopic gaming is Avatar, the game based on the James Cameron movie, and its impact has been rather limited both in critical and commercial terms. Sony has been suggesting that after the release of its motion tracking system, it will push hard to make 3D games on the PS3 more mainstream.