[By John Gaudiosi, www.gamerlive.tv]
Are there comparisons between the HD TV adoption with PS3 and how you see 3D TV adoption playing out?
Absolutely. HDTV adoption really took off when content arrived –primarily sports and Blu-ray movies. Similarly, 3DTV adoption will take off as more content – and in our view gaming content – launches that capture the consumers’ mind and heart. The first time you viewed a baseball game in HD, and it felt like you could actually touch the pitching mound, was a seminal moment. The first time consumers play an MLB ’11: The Show or an Uncharted 3 in 3D will be an equally momentous occasion. 3D gaming really feels like you’re in the middle of the game, which is just an awesome experience. Currently 78 percent of PS3 owners have HDTVs, which underscores the value they place on having the most visually immersive experience when gaming. 3D is clearly the next step for PS3 owners who want to take their gaming experience to the next level.
How big a push is 3D for Sony moving forward when it comes to games?
3D gaming definitely plays a significant role in our business strategy. PlayStation has long been fueling innovation and providing more reasons for families to gather in their living rooms. When you combine titles such as Killzone 3 or MLB 11: The Show, for example, with 3D as well as PlayStation Move, you’re enabling a unique gameplay experience that makes you feel more immersed in the game than ever before.
How do you decide what games will get the 3D treatment?
Ultimately, this is a decision borne of development creativity and business realities. For first-party games, we focus on games that can be enhanced by a 3D experience, where there’s plenty of movement and depth in 3D space. Typically, these titles fall into genres such as action, adventure, racing, and sports.
Are there things game makers can learn from what we’ve seen on the Hollywood side with 3D movie filming?
Hollywood has paired 3D with the right content, with movies such as Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and TRON Legacy. We need to do the same thing in the gaming space. 3D is a huge advantage to the PS3 platform as a primary reason to purchase, and we need to ensure that the right content is married with this engaging technology, so that the consumer truly feels as if he or she is playing ‘within’ the experience. While we’re extremely committed to 3D, we want to make sure that the content is correct for the technology. It’s been our counsel to publishers to ensure that the right games utilize 3D, and you’re seeing the results of these discussions with the strong lineup of 3D games arriving in 2011.
How are you using 3D content like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit to entice consumers to upgrade to 3D outside of games?
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit video in 3D is the perfect example of exclusive 3D content that you can only find on Sony internet connected devices. There were 83,000 downloads of the Sports Illustrated video from PlayStation Network in one week, so we know there’s an appetite for all types of 3D content. We certainly view gaming and video content as equal drivers of the 3D experience, and we know that the PlayStation 3 is that device that most people are choosing as their 3D player for the living room because it plays such a variety of 3D content.