PS3’s 3D mode coming next year, Sony planning full-scale 3D tech rollout

Remember the PS3 3D demo Sony showed off at CES earlier this year? Well 3D talk is back again, and this time there’s now a date for when PS3 owners can experience it.

Remember the PS3 3D demo Sony showed off at CES earlier this year? Well 3D talk is back again, and this time there’s now a date for when PS3 owners can experience it.

According to a report from Engadget, a PS3 firmware update to be released sometime next year will let gamers experience “all” existing PS3 games in 3D. Of course, you’ll have to shell out a few bucks for the 3D glasses and a new TV, but it sure does feel very exciting.

Here’s a vid of WipEout HD running in 3D, although without the glasses all we can really see are double-vision images — basically what the game would look like after a few bottles of beer.

The tech apparently goes like this: The PS3 itself sends a regular HDMI signal to the TV, which in turn will sync with the 3D glasses. Says Engadget, “A 200Hz TV, for instance, alternates 1080p frames, with 100Hz for each eye.”

The Financial Times also explains that the glasses themselves will have “tiny shutters that open and close rapidly in synch with the television image to create a 3D impression.” Sony’s calling this the “active shutter” technology.

Earlier this week, Sony CEO Howard Stringer also unveiled plans for a massive rollout of the 3D tech spanning the Bravia TV line, Vaio laptops, Blu-ray players, and of course the PS3. All of this will also happen next year.

Thanks to Train04 for the tip!

• CES 2009: vid of Sony’s stereoscopic 3D demo
• CES 2009: Sony previews PS3 stereoscopic 3D support
  

Via Engadget