Aside from the PlayStation Move, Sony's other major focus last week at E3 was stereoscopic 3D gaming. 3D trailers were shown at the press conference, and Sony's booth was equipped with 3D televisions and glasses to showcase several 3D PS3 titles. That's all well and good, but the average consumer is simply not going to pay for all this new technology. Some people just literally upgraded to HDTV yesterday. If you combine the cost of a PS3 with a new 3D TV and several pairs of 3D glasses, it's going to be thousands of dollars.
That means it's going to be very slow going in the world of 3D gaming, but Sony is not worried about a slow adoption rate, the company tells us. Sony Worldwide Studios VP Scott Rohde told IndustryGamers in a recent exclusive interview that it's sort of similar to the Blu-ray situation for Sony.
"[It's] not a concern. It’s a strategy. The best thing I can relate this to is the Blu-ray launch. I think this is like a rewind for me, a lot of the same questions, where people were saying, 'I've got a huge DVD collection; why would I upgrade to a new type of media?' And someone has to push it out there to show it’s a superior technology and to show that it can achieve widespread adoption over time," he said. "You know, Sony's been very good at sitting on that bleeding edge and pushing out products that show that, 'Hey, there's a 3D Bravia you can buy, but it's not just for watching Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs in 3D.' You can play interactive entertainment in 3D so it’s a full experience."
He continued, "It also goes back to the promise that [SCEA CEO] Jack [Tretton] made a few years ago about a future proof box, and the fact that 3D TVs are taking hold globally, not just from Sony, but from other manufacturers, and here we are sitting here basically saying, 'I told you so.' You know, a quick software update and now your PS3 can play movies in 3D and you can experience games in 3D. So, it’s a distinct strategy that we’ve chosen to take to be on the bleeding edge and drive the market into these new experiences. So we’re not worried about quick adoption rate. We’re driving people to adopt period."
