Sony 'shifting effort' from 3D gaming to new IPs

3D was a big push for Sony, but it's disappeared from Sony's marketing efforts as of late. The company's UK boss admits consumers weren't happy with 3D, and has said the company is now focusing on new IP.

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3D was a big push for Sony, with many first-party releases touting the feature. However, it's disappeared from Sony's marketing efforts as of late. Is it an admission that consumers weren't particularly enthused for the feature to begin with? Why, yes.

Speaking at Eurogamer Expo, Sony UK's Fergal Gara admitted that "it's fair to say consumers have decided it's not hugely important at this time... wearing the glasses and consuming 3D in that way in the home isn't hugely popular. That's just a fact."

Because 3D isn't offering Sony a unique selling proposition, the marketing man says that Sony has moved its focus onto introducing new IP. "You've seen us shift our effort onto fresh new exciting IP. I'm certainly really pleased to see the strength of that as we look into next year." While it's unlikely the money saved from no longer supporting 3D development will go far in actually supporting new IP, it is important to note that Naughty Dog's Uncharted 3 had 3D--but it's upcoming new IP The Last of Us does not.

Of course, Sony isn't willing to give up on 3D quite yet. "It may have a bigger life a little further down the line," Gara told Eurogamer. However, the company must overcome the necessity for 3D glasses. "The glasses will certainly be a big part of the hassle factor... How good will glasses-free 3D be? We haven't seen any killer technology land on the market yet that proves a must have, and I don't have a firm view on whether that will happen."

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 1, 2012 1:30 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Sony 'shifting effort' from 3D gaming to new IPs.

    3D was a big push for Sony, but it's disappeared from Sony's marketing efforts as of late. The company's UK boss admits consumers weren't happy with 3D, and has said the company is now focusing on new IP.

    • reply
      October 1, 2012 1:32 PM

      I actually only tried out 3D recently, my dad bought a 3D tv so I brought my PS3 over to test some games out. Some games work really well in 3D (Uncharted looked good), and others did not (Killzone 3). Also I've noticed 2D UI kinda ruins the feel, but I think something like Dead Space would look really good since it's UI is rendered in the world.

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      October 1, 2012 1:35 PM

      Building a good computer than can run the next modern games, let alone for it to be capable of 3D, is expensive enough for the average guy without dropping an extra couple hundred from some Eye Candy that quite frankly is a gimmick at this point in time. The same applies for a bundle with consoles, it's still extra cash to get a TV or a monitor capable of 3D.

      Do they really not understand that it's not about graphics to most people, but solid gameplay? Dumb asses. Whoever pitched the idea to Sony should be fired.

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        October 1, 2012 1:36 PM

        computers? they were doing this with PS3 and 3D TVs

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        October 2, 2012 3:41 AM

        A good 3d monitor (Nvidia's 3D branded stuff is what I'm basing my assumptions on) isn't that much more than any IPS or not 3D 120hz monitor, and as long as you went with the correct manufacturer of card, all you need is a pair of (mildly expensive) glasses. It's not super spendy, just you have to know what you're doing when you buy stuff.

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      October 1, 2012 1:37 PM

      good on them to admit a mistake and try something different

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      October 1, 2012 1:37 PM

      The word you are looking for is ENTHUSIASTIC. ENTHUSED is not a real word, it's one of those made up ones that seems to stick even when there is a perfectly functioning word that means the same thing.

      See "normalcy" as another example (made up or at least popularized by the Warren Harding Presidency campaign), when the word "normality" had existed for decades.

      Most of these things don't bother me, but "enthused" grinds my gears.

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        October 1, 2012 1:42 PM

        Dude, enthused has documented use going back to at least 1827. Get over it.

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          October 1, 2012 2:28 PM

          Source? This is interesting.

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            October 1, 2012 2:29 PM

            The merriam-webster online dictionary confirms this, saying that the first noted use was a letter from a scotsman in 1827, though the origin of the word is American.

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              October 1, 2012 6:42 PM

              Well...no TRUE Scotsman would use a word like that...

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        October 1, 2012 1:55 PM

        ^--- this guy is not enthused about the normalcy of English's evolution

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        October 1, 2012 11:12 PM

        Judging by a swift Google, "normalcy" itself goes back to at least the 1850s. Fairly significant, since "normal" (with the meaning we're discussing, at least) only dates back to the 1820s. But hey, language changes. It's a fluid thing, and the English language is full of synonyms, cognates, and related ones; the prevalence of one word or phrase doesn't make others obsolete.

        Amusingly enough, "grinds my gears" tends to irritate me more than anything. I mean, that was popularised by Family Guy! (Or, y'know, Planes, Trains & Automobiles...)

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      October 1, 2012 1:40 PM

      Hmmm shame it did not take off they really tried hard and did a good job of it(they should get more credit), all well new IPs are very welcome.

      Its all about the games(seems there thinking) good to read this. I bet they will go back to 3D on the PS4 though when everything has passive or no 3D galsses.

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      October 1, 2012 2:38 PM

      It's not 3D until Sony says it's 3D.

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      October 1, 2012 2:52 PM

      Console 3D is for poors. PC full-res 3D or bust.

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        October 2, 2012 9:09 AM

        3d Surround @ 5760x1080 @ 60fps with ultra settings! :0

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      October 1, 2012 3:16 PM

      You mean yet another gimick didn't pan out in the long run. Color me surprised, I thought the last 4-5 that sputtered out were different than this one.

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      October 1, 2012 7:43 PM

      The motorstorm game in 3D was pretty cool, but most of the games sacrifice far too much in resolution or graphics features to turn on 3D. Killzone 3 in 3D seemed like it was rendering at 640x480.

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        October 1, 2012 8:22 PM

        Wipeout looks cool in 3D but losing 60fps sucks. Super stardust HD might be the best implementation I've seen on PS3.

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      October 2, 2012 12:57 AM

      I've been playing Ico in 3D and it's absolutely fantastic.

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      October 2, 2012 1:18 AM

      Well... good. 3D will interest me if and when it gets to the point where I need not wear (additional) glasses, don't have to sacrifice other features/fidelity to make it work and it won't give me a head ache. The effect is "cool", but not at all something so cool that I'm the least bit interested in it before they get to a point where it isn't a hassle.

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      October 2, 2012 9:01 AM

      Dammit I love 3d gaming!

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      October 3, 2012 6:04 AM

      Yey flat-o-vision rules! I got rid of my second speaker years ago for me hifi. why would I want another image for my other eye.. god damit technology stop trying to make things better for us. Fukin' bunch 'o muppets.

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