Sony: 'A Lot' Of SCE Studios Working On Stereoscopic PS3 Games

Technology that portrays 2D images as 3D has been around since 1832 in some shape or form. Today, 3D appears to be back on the upswing in film and games, thanks to new technologies. Sony is the game console maker putting the most emphasis on 3D. The company has been showing off sample 3D games at event such as this year's CES and most recently, last week's Game Developers Conference. Sony has also said that it plans to update its PlayStation 3 with firmware that will enable 3D gaming. Ian Bickerstaff, senior engineer with Sony Computer Entertainment's UK-based stereoscopic 3D team, told Gamasutra during GDC that his company is "very optimistic" about 3D gaming on PS3, but "We're taking a cautious approach." "I think [3D gaming uptake is] going to depend on the uptake of 3D televisions," he said. Sony is planning on releasing 3D-capable Bravia televisions this summer. "We're not going to spend crazy, crazy amounts of money [on 3D games] expecting everyone tomorrow to have 3D TVs, clearly," said Bickerstaff. "But, we believe this is the future, and three or four years from now, you won't be able to buy a television that doesn't have a 3D capability." PS3 games that Sony has shown running in 3D now include MLB 10: The Show, Super Stardust HD, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, Wipeout HD and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. With impending 3D support on PS3, there will be more, thanks to developers who are excited about the prospect of 3D gaming, Bickerstaff said. Asked how many SCE studios are working on 3D PS3 games, Bickerstaff said, "It's all a bit confidential, but a lot, let's put it that way. We've been amazed by the enthusiasm from the developers." He added, "To be honest, we have not had an internal project to throw at people to make their games in 3D, yet there are loads of games in 3D, like [MLB 10], Super Stardust HD -- that looks fantastic -- and so on. And that's really just because of the enthusiasm from the developers themselves."