Tag Archives: 3D

You can now watch 3D Blu-ray movies on PS3

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Yesterday PlayStation 3 system software update version 3.50 started to roll out to PS3 users, bringing with it 3D Blu-ray playback support.  Way back in February SCEA’s John Koller announced that the PS3 would receive 3D gaming and movies support.  It took four months to make good on the 3D gaming promise, and a bit longer to unleash 3D Blu-ray support.  Now that it’s here, fire up your PS3 and search for the new firmware update in the settings menu.  Remember, you need a 3D-compatible TV for the full effect (for any effect, for that matter).  In addition to 3D movie playback, version 3.5o also brings better Facebook integration and a new greif reporting function.

[Via PlayStationBlog]

Light painting with an iPad creates awesome 3D visuals in space

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Light painting meets stop motion in this creative video designed by BERG and Denstsu London.  Using only a camera and multiple iPads, the team was able to capture illuminated 3D typography in real space.  I could blab about how they used multiple long exposures to create the awesome effect, but you should really just watch the video embedded above to see the final product and learn exactly how it was done.

[Via Engadget]

Avatar is coming back to IMAX 3D for a limited two week run with new footage

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Here’s what you need to know.  James Cameron’s epic Avatar is coming to back to theatres for a limited two week run from August 27 to September 10.  It will only be shown in IMAX 3D theatres and will include “eight minutes of additional, never before seen footage.”  So, if you haven’t seen the highest grossing movie of all time yet this is your chance to catch it the way it was meant to be seen–in IMAX 3D.  And if you have seen the movie and enjoyed it the first time around, you might be interested in kicking back a second time to catch the new bits of footage.  The movie looks fantastic in IMAX 3D because it was shot for that particular medium.  If you purchased the movie on DVD or Blu-ray and haven’t see it yet, hold off on that until you’ve seen it in 3D.  Trust me, it’s worth it.

[Via MarketWatch]

James Cameron’s next 3D project? The Black Eyed Peas

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Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am revealed in an interview with Vibe that the eccelctic group will be filming a movie in 3D with Avatar director James Cameron at the helm.  According to Will the movie will follow the band on tour across the world and it will have a storyline that he describes as “dope.”  He humbly says, “We have the biggest director, because we are the biggest group on the planet.”  Cameron has yet to comment on the project.  It’s slated to release sometime early next year.  Having seen the U2 in 3D movie back in 2008, I can say I’m stoked to see what Cameron and the Peas can put together.  I was highly impressed with the U2 movie (it introduced a sense of realism and coupled with the impressive surround sound it felt like you were in the crowd).  Cameron is the 3D king right now, and the Peas are constantly pushing the envelope with sound and visuals.  If anyone’s going to make a 3D film based on a current band, these are the players to make it happen.

[Via MTVNews]

Hands-on: Nintendo 3DS

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After a flurry of rumors Nintendo finally revealed its next handheld to the world with the 3DS.  Its overall design does not depart from its predecessor the DSi.  There are two screens; the top is 3D-capable (widescreen 3.5 inches), the bottom is touch-sensitive.  No glasses required!  Button and camera positioning remains almost the same.  New additions include a home button, a Slide Pad (it’s an analog nub), a 3D Depth Slider that allows you to control the 3D effect from 100% to totally off, and a third camera positioned next to the one on the front allowing for 3D picture-taking.  It also packs an accelerometer and gyroscope.  All in all the 3D effect was quite pleasing and added a new sense of depth to the demonstrations and trailers.  It definitely takes a couple minutes to adjust your eyes to the screen but once that’s done the depth perception becomes a welcome addition to gameplay.  Your initial reaction will be “woah, this is neat.”  It’s worthy to note that there is a 3D boundary when you’re holding the device in your hands.  If you tilt the 3DS ever so slightly or try to have someone else watch what you’re doing from a slight angle the 3D effect gets completely distorted and essentially disappears.  As for the analog nub, it feels and works similar to the PSP’s nub and will likely make for some new interesting control schemes for 3DS titles.

Speaking of games, the 3DS section of the Nintendo booth did include a couple playable games but they were extremely barebones and there only to give people a glimpse into the 3D effect.  Samurai Warriors 3D had me fighting off an incoming army of ninjas.  Thought the 3D effect was there, the gameplay was rather stale and did not make for such a great experience.  On the other hand, StarFox 3D brought a sense of nostalgia over me and I quickly became immersed in the playable demo as I took flight in the skies and shot lasers at enemy planes.  A vast amount of 3DS handhelds were loaded with 3D environments that you could only explore by manipulating the camera angle with the nub.  Resident Evil Revelations cutscenes look fantastic in stereoscopic vision.  All in all, the 3DS is an impressive piece of hardware and I’m excited to see how Nintendo continues to build on the platform as we near its release in 2011.  3D is starting to become a trend in the movie industry and now in video games thanks to the PS3 and 3DS.  It’ll be interesting to watch the competing companies vie for the top spot with one bridging the gap between 2D and 3D gaming with glasses and the other doing it without them.

Sony press conference highlights: Move, 3D gaming, PS Plus, Portal 2

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The Sony press conference took place at the Shrine Auditorium.  And I was there!  So please continue on, will you?

3D gaming is all the rage in Sony’s world, and so all distinguished guests of their press conference received 3D glasses.  After humorously jabbing Microsoft and their poncho-required Cirque event from the other day, President & CEO of PlayStation Jack Tretton invited Kazuo Hirai to start things off with a gorgeous demo of Killzone 3 in 3D.  Though 3D gaming might sound like a gimmick to many of you, listen here: 3D adds a great sense of depth to the game and likely become an integral part of video games.  Parts of the gameplay featured the use of jetpacks; during these scenes I felt like I was at a Universal Studios theme park ride, fully immersed in an exciting, different world.  In another scene we were taken to the skies via a helicopter and watched a gunman fire at enemies down below.  At one point I asked myself if I was witnessing a video game demo or a scene from Avatar.  Yeah, it was that good.  The 2-part demonstration elicited many oos and ahhs from the crowd.  I might have been the loudest.  In short, 3D added a tremendous amount of excitement to Killzone; after a few seconds of adjusting to the depth perception any distractions that might have existed disappeared.  Killzone 3 from Guerrilla Games drops February 2011 and will be compatible with Sony’s motion controller called Move.  20 games will be made available in 3D for the PS3 by the end of this year.  Sony promises 20 additional titles will be created natively in 3D by March 2011, some of which include Crysis 2, Mortal Kombat, Shaun White Skatebording, Ghost Recon Future Soldier, EyePet, Tron: Evolution, MLB 2K11, NBA 2K11, Motorstorm Apocalypse, Gran Turismo 5, and a Sly Cooper collection.  A short montage of 3D video and gameplay rounded out the first section of the conference; let’s just say fatalities look fantastic and baseball players throwing balls at you is a bit scary in three dimensions.

Continue reading Sony press conference highlights: Move, 3D gaming, PS Plus, Portal 2 →

PS3 goes 3D today

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It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally here: 3D gaming on Playstation 3.  Four games will get the stereoscopic 3D treatment and they are WipEout HD, SuperStardust HD, PAIN, and a demo of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift.  Not to far in the distance is The Fight: Lights Out, another 3D-supported game that will take advantage of Playstation Move motion controls.  Thanks to a firmware update in April, your PS3 should be ready to play these 3D offerings.  Besides installing the lastest update, all that’s required to run these games is a 3D TV.  And wouldn’t you know, Sony just announced a slew of 3D-capable BRAVIA sets that come packaged with a Playstation Network voucher to download these four games at no additional cost.

[Via PlaystationBlog]

Affordable 3D handtracking brings out the Tom Cruise in all of us

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Researchers at MIT have discovered the key to gesture-based computer (a la Minority Report):  a multicolored Lycra glove that costs about $1 to manufacture.  The glove is covered with 20 irregularly shaped patches that use 10 different colors that are all picked up by a standard webcam.  Using a “new algorithm for rapidly looking up visual data in a database” the glove can be used to “gauge hand position in three dimensions — including the flexing of individual fingers — as well as a possible application in mechanical engineering.”  Love it.

[Via Gizmodo; MIT]

Playboy goes 3D

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Image: Playboy magazine

Back in the ’50s Hef assigned a photographer to shoot two nude women in 3D; but since it was so expensive to include the 3D glasses at the time the idea was scrapped.  Come this June, however, Hef’s dream will finally become a reality.  The June edition of Playboy will hit newsstands bundled with a new surprise: 3D glasses!  Playboy founder Hugh Hefner: “What would people most like to see in 3-D?  Probably a naked lady.”  Centerfold Hope Dworaczyk will pop out to readers using the packaged anaglyph (blue-and-red) 3D shades.  Says Dworaczyk, “It’s kind of like it says on the rearview mirror.  Things may appear larger.”  From having Marge Simpson as a centerfold to making the centerfold come off the page in 3D, Playboy is trying its darndest to stay relevent and different.  Circulation of Hef’s magazine has decreased from 3.5 million in 2006 to 1.5 million today.  Though I can’t imagine the addition of 3D in Playboy help sales, it surely will be a treat for long-time subscribers.

[Via MSNBC; Gizmodo]

3D input interface brings Project Natal-style gestures to a cell phone

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Researchers at the University of Tokyo have created an advanced motion-tracking camera that is designed to attach to a mobile device like a cell phone.  It allows for “in-air typing” or Project Natal-style gestures to type out text messages or emails by detecting finger movement.  The demo above shows how something like this could replace a physical and touch (virtual) keyboard on mobile devices.

[Via Ishikawa-Komuro Lab; Gizmodo]

Music video: Blue Roses – Doubtful (in 3D, no glasses required)

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Here’s a music video that incorporates 3D effects, and you can enjoy it without wearing those pesky glasses.  LaughingSquid explains how it’s done: “Known as wiggle stereoscopy, the technique works by rapidly alternating between images shot from two cameras, slightly offset from one another.”  Though the effect is certainly visible, the jittery movements of the camera make for a rather unpleasant experience.  But it’s great to see artists taking fun creative risks!

[Via LaughingSquid; Gizmodo]