Nintendo, PS3 And Xbox: 3D Gaming And Kinect Update
“The expectations for the 3DS are extremely high,” said Yuuta Sakurai, a Tokyo-based analyst at Nomura Securities Co. “Starting with the DS and Wii, the company has consistently released products that no one could imagine and I think this time, too, they will not fail to surprise.”
Do you agree with the statement above? Why not, we all are eagerly looking forward 3DS to arrive, though it was made official at the E3. But what happened at E3 was interesting enough. With Microsoft and Sony trying to leap ahead of Nintendo’s Wii motion-control video game technology, Nintendo took off in another direction on Tuesday with a 3-D portable game device.
NINTENDO
Well quite a few things were revealed, like the Nintendo 3DS hand-held device gave the perception of depth in its 3.53-inch screen. But the real selling point is that the device provides three-dimensional images without the need for special viewing glasses or on a specially equipped 3-D television.
The device, which was shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, also smudged the lines dividing portable game devices, smartphones and digital cameras. Gamers will be able to shoot 3-D photos and insert them into games. The 3DS will also include a motion sensor and a gyro sensor, similar to technologies included in the Apple iPhone 4 announced last week.
Nintendo, which is relying on developers to create games that use those new technologies, did not announce a price or release date for the 3DS. The company also said the 3DS would be capable of playing 3-D movies. It demonstrated several feature films from Disney, DreamWorks and Warner Brothers.
To create the 3-D effect, a slightly different image is sent to each eye. The effect works as long as the device is placed directly in front of the eyes, but vanished as soon as the viewer moves to either side.
SONY
Sony also featured 3-D games at its news conference on Tuesday, but not on its portable PSP device. Rather, the company hopes to exploit its 3-D television business by introducing a wide range of video games developed specifically for 3-D. The games will play on the PlayStation 3 console.
“This will be the year of 3-D,” said Jack Tretton, president of Sony Computer Entertainment America, who said 20 3-D game titles would be available for the PS3 by March, including Killzone 3, The Sly Collection, Gran Turismo 5 and MotorStorm: Apocalypse.
Sony’s new motion-sensing technology for its game consoles, the PlayStation Move controller, uses a camera, a motion controller and a navigation controller to allow a game player to manipulate both characters and objects without a traditional joystick, similar to the method employed by the Wii. As shown in several demonstrations, players need to make realistic movements sword swipes or golf swings, for example to move game play forward.
PlayStation Move is to be available Sept. 19. A $100 bundle will include a controller, camera, video game and demonstration disc. The stand-alone controller will be available for $50. Sony expects to have more than 50 games for the PlayStation Move available by Christmas, including EyePet, Sports Champions and LittleBigPlanet 2.
MICROSOFT
As you already know, on Monday, Microsoft introduced its own motion-control technology at E3, called Kinect. It is to be available Nov. 4. Microsoft has not announced the price. Kinect is basically a camera for Xbox 360 that uses IR to track you in 3D space, comes equipped with an interface, and Skype-like chat software called “videokinect”. It is also expected to arrive with 15 launch titles…including 6 bundled games at launch.