At E3, Sony and Nintendo show off 3-D video game technologies
After taking over the big screen, 3-D is poised to hit the small screen via video games.
Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co. presented dueling versions of 3-D gaming Tuesday at the opening of the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, where attendance was expected to reach 45,000.
FOR THE RECORD:
3-D video games: An article in Business on June 16 reported that Nintendo Co. had struck deals with Warner Bros., Walt Disney Co. and DreamWorks to carry 3-D movies on the upcoming Nintendo 3DS portable game console. In fact, Nintendo, which showed 3-D movie trailers from those studios on its device at a news conference, is still negotiating with the studios. —
Both companies are investing heavily in 3-D video game technology to drive the next wave of consumer spending in an industry that generates roughly $45 billion in sales worldwide.
Sony showed off a number of game titles it hopes will prompt players to don glasses and enter the third dimension, including Gran Turismo 5, a much-anticipated racing game debuting Nov. 2, and Killzone 3, an adrenaline-soaked shooting game that is due out in February.
The company recently sent out a software update to 35 million PlayStation 3 game consoles to enable the device to process stereoscopic 3-D graphics, and a handful of downloadable titles are already available in 3-D, including Super Stardust and Wipe Out HD.
As a company, Sony has made 3-D a priority. Its consumer electronics division is rolling out 3-D Bravia TV sets, professional broadcast 3-D cameras capable of capturing 3-D video and 3-D movie projectors.
Sony Pictures, its movie studio, debuted a 3-D film, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” and will be releasing “Resident Evil: Afterlife” in 3-D later this year.
“It’s a future that Sony will lead,” Sony executive Kazuo Hirai predicted.
But not if Nintendo has its way.
Nintendo announced agreements with Warner Bros., Walt Disney Co. and DreamWorks to provide “stereoscopic” 3-D movies to its upcoming 3DS hand-held game console.
Nintendo did not list movie titles, but a demonstration of the console showed a trailer of “Tangled,” Disney’s adaptation of the classic Rapunzel fairy tale. The movie is set for release Nov. 24.
The 3DS, unlike Sony’s 3-D games, does not require glasses, an advantage that Nintendo hammered home at its Tuesday news conference at the Nokia Theatre.
“Man! Those glasses!” Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime exclaimed in mock horror.
In an effect similar to lenticular images, the Nintendo 3DS projects an illusion of three dimensions on its 3.5-inch screen. The result is a picture comparable to 3-D with glasses. To perceive the effect, however, viewers must be directly in front of the screen.
Nintendo said it expected to ship the 3DS sometime during its current fiscal year ending March 31, but Nintendo President Satoru Iwata declined to say whether the console would be on store shelves in time for the holidays.
The 3DS is similar to the current DS console, except that the top 3.5-inch screen will display 3-D images while the bottom, slightly larger display is a touch screen.
Equipped with three cameras (two on the outside casing), the DS lets players take 3-D pictures and share them with other 3DS owners via a Wi-Fi Internet connection. A slider lets viewers adjust the extent of the 3-D effect, including the ability to turn off the 3-D feature entirely.
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