Hobbies And Interests
How it Works
3D games, just like 3D televisions or films, project two separate, slightly different images at the same time. By wearing 3D glasses, these full-screen images are synched for the right and left eyes, providing the illusion of depth. However, to experience 3D games at home, users need more than just the glasses. You must have a 3D-capable high-definition television, 3D-ready video game content and an HDMI cable to connect the PS3 to your television. While 3D games will work on non-3D screens, the image will remain flat and no glasses are required.
PS3 3D Games
PS3 software developers have sought to take advantage of 3D capability across a number of game genres and graphic styles. There are several first person shooters to feature 3D gameplay, such as "Call of Duty: Black Ops," "Killzone 3" and "Crysis 2." Since gameplay in these shooters is from a fixed "first person" perspective with 360-degree movement, stereoscopic 3D creates the illusion of moving through physical space. A similar effect is created with 3D racing games like "Motorstorm: 3D Rift " and "Gran Turismo 5."
Display Limits
While the PS3 is capable of outputting high definition 3D video at a resolution of 1080p, Sony's guidelines limit developers to game images broadcast at 720p resolution and below. Sony's senior development manager Simon Benson was quoted as saying the reason for this limit is to preserve a frame rate of 60 frames per second in all 3D games -- this provides for quick, smooth movements with little slowdown. While home 3D movies can be shown in 1080p resolution, they have a lesser frame rate of 24 frames per second.
Motion Sickness Warnings
One potential drawback of gaming while wearing 3D glasses is the possibility of motion sickness. In fact, when Sony updated its PS3 terms of service with the release of the 3D firmware update, it included this warning: "Some people may experience discomfort (such as eye strain, eye fatigue or nausea) while watching 3D video images or playing stereoscopic 3D games on 3D televisions." While the effect of 3D on individual users is highly subjective, Sony says that when playing any game requiring 3D glasses, users take frequent breaks to allow any ill effects to subside.