The PS3 only does everything, except good 3D


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By: Shawn Evans | June 27th, 2010

Editorial | Feature | PS3

3D Gaming on PS3 Disappoints The PS3 only does everything, except good 3D

A lot of people are skeptical about the future of 3D gaming on consoles, but until recently, I was not one of them. Actually, one of the highlights of E3 I was most looking forward to was finally getting my hands on some of the 3D games Sony announced for the PS3, like Killzone 3 and Wipeout HD.

Maybe I shouldn’t have had such high hopes though, because if there’s one thing life has taught me, it’s that few things ever live up to the hype. Now that I’ve played multiple PS3 games in 3D, I’m here to explain why the console isn’t quite ready to jump into the third dimension just yet.

Let me reiterate how extremely excited I was to finally get a chance to play games in 3D at E3. I am one of the few proponents of the technology who believes that, if done properly, it can help immerse players more into the games they love. I’ve seen it used in remarkable ways in movies like Avatar and How to Train Your Dragon, and if it can help make those movies more enjoyable, it can help games as well.

With my high expectations in tow, I quickly made my way over to the Killzone 3 booth when the show first started and waited in a 45 minute line to finally get a chance to play the game in 3D. Awaiting me there was an unexpected reality check. Not only did the 3D fail to enhance my experience in any way, it actually distracted me and took away from the gameplay.

When I first put on the 3D glasses and gazed out onto the snowy plains of Helghast, I was amazed with how it all looked. I could immediately feel a spatial difference between the foreground and background, and it indeed made me feel like things in the distance were physically far away. As I delved deeper into the level, I started to realize that it might all be a trick.

After playing for a while I started to wonder if the background was actually rendered in 3D or not. It was as if only the foreground was rendered in the third dimension for a feeling of depth, but the background was still a plain old 2D matte surface. I’m not sure if this was the case, but that’s the feeling that started to soak in after playing the game for a while.

E3 Killzone 31 The PS3 only does everything, except good 3D

What’s worse is that the sensation of depth eventually became a huge distraction and I found myself playing worse than expected. My eyes kept constantly switching from wanting to focus on the foreground to the background, and it was hard to pay attention to the action going on in the distance. When you are playing a game where all the action occurs in the background, you don’t want your eyes to get confused about where to look.

After killing tons of Helghast, I next moved onto Wipeout HD to find out if the third dimension could help enhance my futuristic racing experience in any way. Once again, my very first impression of the 3D visuals was a good one. Thanks to the feeling of depth, I could actually tell how far my anti-gravity craft was hovering over the track. It was an incredible sensation that made the tracks feel more real and life-like, immersing me even more into the world of the game.

Once the action on screen started moving though, and my craft began zooming down the track, I immediately could tell something was off. The entire HUD was placed way in the foreground to give a feeling of separation between it and everything in the background. While this helps to make the HUD stand out, it unfortunately helps a little too much.

You see, whenever your craft bounces on the track or collides with something, the HUD shakes violently. This typically isn’t a problem in the 2D version of the game, but because the HUD is placed spatially in the foreground in the 3D version, it becomes a major distraction. The effect is extremely similar to what I was experiencing with Killzone 3, where my eyes couldn’t decide whether to focus on the foreground or background, resulting in me getting confused and distracted.

Another problem with the 3D version of Wipeout HD is that for some reason once you put the 3D glasses on, the screen becomes extremely dark. Now Wipeout is usually a bright and vibrant game, so to see the entire screen bathed in a dark cloud is a little disturbing and can cause major problems when trying to race. I was not the only one who noticed this, as I talked to many people who played the game and they all complained that it was too dark.

Wipeout HD The PS3 only does everything, except good 3D

Wipeout HD wasn’t the only game that had darkness problems when using the 3D glasses. MotorStorm Apocalypse was another new title that was on display showing off its 3D gameplay. It was also running into the same dark cloud problems that plagued some of the other games.

Both myself, and the guy I was playing with, were constantly running into walls due to the track being way too dark. Obviously, you do not want to be running into walls when playing a racing game. Doing this has a tendency to end very badly. Did I mention that the track takes place during the day, out in the bright sunlight? Does anyone else see a major problem here?

What was even more disappointing about MotorStorm Apocalypse was that the 3D didn’t enhance the game in any way. It was simply used as a cheap gimmick to make it feel like debris, dust, and people were flying up in your face when racing. I bet they even added the pedestrians you can hit just to have them fly at you in 3D. Otherwise they just feel out of place in a MotorStorm game.

The last game I tried in 3D was the new Sly Cooper Collection. Out of all the titles I played, this was easily the only one that contained any bright glimmer of hope for the future of 3D gaming. Maybe it was due to the cell shaded graphics, or perhaps it was the light hearted mood and simple use of the 3D to make everything on the screen feel like it had depth. Whatever it was, Sly Cooper was the only title that looked good in 3D.

I tried out a flying level, and a boss level that took place in a bamboo forest, and both looked incredible. I wasn’t blown away by any stretch of the imagination, but the 3D did enhance my gameplay experience, and made me feel like I was really “in the game”.

MotorStorm Apocalypse The PS3 only does everything, except good 3D

Now, before I wrote this article, I decided to ask other people who had high hopes for 3D gaming on the PS3 to see whether they were impressed or not. The resounding response I got was that everyone was really let down; not only by the games I’ve mentioned here, but by others as well. Gran Turismo 5 was a huge title that got a lot of negative comments about its 3D enhancements.

It probably didn’t help that while Sony was trying to show off their 3D games, requiring the use of glasses; Nintendo was about 50 feet away demoing the new glasses-free 3DS. Not only was it nice not having to wear glasses, all the games were bright and vibrant, and they all seemed to utilize the 3D effect in a way that enhances the gameplay experience. When there’s competition like that, it’s hard to make a good first impression.

I hope someone from Sony actually reads this article, because I need them to know that from what I’ve seen so far, the future of 3D gaming on the PS3 is not a bright one. I do still have high hopes that they can turn it around. They just need to solve many of the problems I’ve mentioned here, like the screen being too dark, the foreground distracting too much from the background, and the 3D effects feeling too cheap and gimmicky. Perhaps Sony should take a good look at the 3DS to understand what Nintendo is doing right, because as it stands now, the PS3 isn’t doing much that is positive for 3D gaming.

http://gamerlimit.com/2010/06/the-ps3-only-does-everything-except-good-3d/

Pretty good read. I have to agree on the dark cloud comments he mentions, they really distract me from 3D movies and most of the ones I've seen were animated, where colours are vibrant. So it's really disappointing to have that taken away from the experience, I usually avoid 3D movies at all costs now.

Also, doesn't sound like he was aware Sly was built with the 3D engine when it was originally developed. Probably why he was so impressed with it.

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The last time I saw something in 3D I was at Disneyworld. That must have been a good 10 years ago. But this is why the 3D craze has confused me; we've had 3D for years, so why has it made a comeback now?

As for bringing 3D to gaming...if it works to provide a greater immersive feel then brilliant. However, this article is saying that more work needs to be done. That's another reason why I'm not getting a 3D TV right now.

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I love 3D HDTVs. It makes regular HDTVs cheaper by comparison and allows me to get a 52' screen by much less than before. 3D is an annoying gimmick and the premium for the tickets is absurd.

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So what they are saying is wrong.. it DOESN'T do EVERYTHING. :laugh:

It does do everything, it doesn't say it does them well :p

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It does do everything, it doesn't say it does them well :p

^ lol

Well, let's see how good things actually get once this does become mainstream, because I'm sure it will in some shape or form. They need to focus on their core gaming first, and this '3D' crap as it builds greater momentum, or at least when it is available in more homes.

Right now I'm not sure I'd even want to play a game in 3D on that large of a scale (DS, maybe) but I would like to have the 3D for the movie experience, as I hate going to the movies now, I'd rather spend my money on a nice TV and rent vs ticket prices over time.

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It's a gimmick to sell more TV's. Until TV's start getting resolutions higher than 1080p, or become as thin as wallpaper, companies need to keep coming up with ideas to sell the latest and greatest TV. It makes sense. Granted, the results, at least with 3D are going to be lackluster at times, but you can't blame a company for trying.

I wish they would concentrate more on "connected" TVs and interactive TV's using the internet.

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Still think headtracking and what the 3DS are doing are the only things going in the right direction. Until we get real, projected environments (even if they aren't physical) 3D will be nothing more than a gimmick IMO.

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It's a gimmick to sell more TV's. Until TV's start getting resolutions higher than 1080p, or become as thin as wallpaper, companies need to keep coming up with ideas to sell the latest and greatest TV. It makes sense. Granted, the results, at least with 3D are going to be lackluster at times, but you can't blame a company for trying.

I wish they would concentrate more on "connected" TVs and interactive TV's using the internet.

Ditto. They are quite the norm for over the pond from what I've heard, but over here is a different story :(

I want to tweet from my tv!

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Ditto. They are quite the norm for over the pond from what I've heard, but over here is a different story :(

I want to tweet from my tv!

Get a Vizio

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10271399-1.html

On Tuesday, Vizio announced that some of the most popular services on the Web will be directly accessible from the TV screen, including eBay, Facebook, Twitter, and Rallypoint Sports. Showtime, Web video channel Revision3, Internet radio site Radiotime, and video-on-demand service Vudu, will also be accessible on the Via Connected HDTV feature, which is powered by the Yahoo TV Widgets engine.

That adds to an already impressive lineup of Internet content from Amazon Video on Demand, Blockbuster On Demand, Flickr, Netflix, Pandora, and Rhapsody. The Via Connected service will come preinstalled in Vizio XVT series TVs, which will be available this fall. The XVT sets have built-in 802.11(n) Wi-Fi, which allows the TV to connect to the owner's wireless Internet service.

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I prefer Samsung as well. My home theater TV is Samsung. However, in the past 2 years I have bought 5 flat panels TVs for my house. Samsung (52"), Toshiba (22"), Sharp (37"), Vizio (37") and Insignia (32"). No loyalty there, lol. But I do prefer Samsung. The price is right on the ones I bought, so that is why I went with them.

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