PS3 Enters the Third Dimension

A software update due sometime next year will add 3D functionality to a number of PS3 games.

Remember back in the day when ex-PlayStation head honcho Ken Kutaragi declared the impossible when he said that the “PS3 concept” is in 4D? I don’t think anybody ever figured out what he really meant by that, but if he wanted the PS3 to output games in four-dimensions, well, at least we’re making some progress here. Sony confirmed rumors from a couple days ago and revealed some new tech at a trade show recently – a 3D mode for existing PS3 games that, you guessed it, lets you play them in 3D.

Wipeout HD was on display with the 3D rigged up, and Engadget seemed to be particularly enamored with it. I can see 3D working great for quite a few games – God of War 3 in 3D? That’d be particularly gnarly.

The technology will come as part of a firmware update due next year. Which means you get the functionality for free, provided you’ve got a 200+ Hz TV (any will do apparently, not just a Sony set) and a pair of stereoscopic glasses lying around. And I know you stole those from the movie theater after seeing Up in 3D. Don’t try to fool me, thief.

Which games the 3D will support remains something of a question. Engadget reported that all PS3 games would support the technology, which seemed a bit far fetched to me. Joystiq‘s now got the word from Sony that the company is “conducting a technological investigation” on whether it’s possible to get every PS3 game in 3D. The company also remarked that “there is no plan for the market launch of this at this time,” so maybe don’t count on this hitting in early 2010.