PS3 3D video output turns up in 3.20 debug firmware
By Donald Melanson 
posted February 14th 2010 8:40PM
posted February 14th 2010 8:40PM
We'd already heard that the PS3 wouldn't need anything more than a simple firmware update to make the jump to 3D, and it looks like we now have the first evidence of that very firmware update. It's obviously not ready for public consumption just yet, but a debug build of the 3.20 firmware is apparently now making the rounds among developers, and it quite clearly includes a "3D Video Output" option in the settings -- as evidenced by this image courtesy of VG247. Still no word of an exact release date for the firmware, unfortunately, although it should be out sometime this summer.
[Thanks, Richard]
[Thanks, Richard]
Awesome, will it make the stories and characters of the content you're outputting have more depth too? Oh it won't? Damn.
@Leindurstit
...what?
@Alan Smithee You know in 3D movies when the text on the green screen ("this preview is rated _") is moving and has lots of depth (visible depth)? That's what he' talking about.
@Leindurstit PUN! *slaps knee*
@Leindurstit
Wow. That was... wow. :\
@Leindurstit
Wait... Ohhh well played sir, well played.
@Leindurstit
Awesome? Really? How about enabling PS2 software emulation finally, that would be awesome.
@Pocker09
how bout buy the ps3 with b/c when it was out
if you guys really wanted it bad enough you wouldnt have complained about the price and just bought then
boo hoo i cant have cheap price and b/c
@manofchao5
Maybe we didn't want to plunk down $600 for a console just released, without too many games. Also, why a company would remove backwards compatibility, I don't know. But really.
Are we gonna have to were glasses or buy a new TV and were glasses?
@Lombas If you buy a 3D TV(w/ 3D without glasses) sometime later this year, you might not have to wear glasses at all, or if you get the other kind (reg. 3D), you will have to wear glasses (non blue and red).
@Lombas
I assume we are going to need new 3D ready TVs
@Lombas
Yea & Yes
@Jake Root
no one is releasing a glasses free 3D TV's NO one this year, it mostliky will be 3-5 years away. Those are still in R&D stage because of viewing angle issues.
@Seemore
Seriously? 3 to 5 years? I expect to have full 3D Laser Projection Systems in that time!
That was fast. Id figured next we would hear about this would be in June or so. "in the summer".
Very nice
@IvanP91 Exactly! Very quick. I think Sony needs to fix itself.
Reminds me of an email I got from microsoft in French last week. WTF?? Turns out it was an accident. Fix yourself god-damnit!
when i was watching avatar i was just like damn this tech in video games would be amazing
@Zeroexe43 Sony demoed games as well as video, and some of the games that they showed are already on the market. Personally I am looking forward to getting a new TV and the glasses that are required so that I can put this to use on my PS3.
@Zeroexe43
PC games have been in 3D for years now.
Check out NVIDIA 3D Vision.
@einhanderkiller
I have a 3D setup w/ a DLP projector and nVidia 3D Vision. Quite amazing, especially the Avatar game.
PS3 just does everything!!!! now beat that Xbox!
@m3nphls Hell yea...
I always thought the PS3 was ahead of the times when it was launched. In the next 2-4 years, MS will have to get a new console out, Nintendo would definitely need to in the next 2. Sony, won't.
@m3nphls
Sorry, for the comment; i'm on a mission.
"The PS3 does everything, but play PS2 games."
@Pocker09 Trust me, there's nothing you're missing from playing ps2 games. I tried god of war on my 60gb and took it out in less than 5min. Besides what I expected in graphics, the game was not in full screen. That's why there is a ps2 selling for $99. It's like buying a top of the line pc just to play pacman which makes no sense.
@m3nphls
Well I don't really expect much from it, I still own lots of ps2 games i enjoy playing but the ps2 i used was "the family system" so i don't own a system that can play ps2 games anymore.
@tDot Point taken, But Sony will have to release a new console when MS do.
If they don't then consumers have the idea that "Newer=Better" and Sony will lose out big time. However if the Xbox v3 is just a "PS3 Catchup" and I can see that the PS4 is considerably better than the PS3 and maybe will get these great firmware updates in future, I won't choose MS again. I'll buy a PlayStation this time around.
I wonder about the technology behind this. I have had 3d gaming in pc games for a while thanks to iz3d and nvidia 3d vision but that almost cuts my framerate in half due to having to render two instances of the same scene. Does anyone know how this works on the PS3? Obviously they have some special technique to avoid the performance hit, but what is it?
@JesusFreak There should not be a noticeable performance hit on the PS3. I have yet to find a game that slows down the PS3.
@JesusFreak
This won't be free for games. I believe you will see very similar results to your PC, ie, nearly half the framerate.
Avatar: The game supports 3D output (on both the 360 and PS3) by rendering the screen in half (left half for left eye, right half for right eye). It can also render every other line for left/right, etc. So basically, it halves the resolution for each eye and draws everything twice. The other option is every other frame swaps left/right.
In the case of Avatar, I believe you have to manually set the TV to '3D mode' - although as I do not have a 3D TV, I'm not 100% sure on this.
This PS3 update will be adding support for the new HDMI 3D standards, which will mean the switch should be automatic.
The irony of all this, is that the PS3 architecture is far less suited to 3D games than the 360. Perhaps the biggest weakness of the PS3 is it's rather poor triangle setup rate. It's so bad, many, many PS3 games use the cell processor to handle a large portion of the vertex load. Now, with a half/half 3D output, your pixel load generally doesn't change, but your vertex load doubles.
On the 360, this is less of a problem. The hardware is designed for split viewports because of Tiling, and has a massively higher triangle rate to compensate for having to draw geometry multiple times. It even has predicated tiling, where it can automatically redraw geometry, perfect for 'automatic' 3D.
As expected, enabling 3D output in Avatar sees a *far* larger performance hit on the PS3 than the 360.
@StatusUnknown
Why would the vertexes need to be loaded twice, just render the same vertexes from two different camera positions.
@(Unverified)
don't mind statusunknown, he's really not speaking with any knowledge about how PS3 3D works. In fact, it doesn't sound like he's ever played a game on the 360 or the PS3 with 3d.
3D blu-ray was in development before the PS3 launched, and this is something that has been planned for. Your PS3s will be able to have 60 fps 3D games, and the PS3 is much better suited to this capability than the system that well... will never have that capability.
There's really nothing wrong with the 360, though. Most gamers won't have the TV for this tech and the 360 has many advantages. But this kind of FUD, and the HDMI 1.4 FUD is going to really come out in force until this tech is in homes and people have to accept, again, that the PS3 really is a pretty nifty device that lives up to promises for the most part.
@(Unverified) To be fair though, it doesn't seem like you know how it works either. For all we know there could be a performance hit, but I can imagine people would hate that, so it's unlikely. I'm just curious; that's all.
@StatusUnknown
NO ONE CARES!!!!!
@rdearth53 I think we will see another wave of consoles sooner or later. Wii2, PS4, Xbox 720???
What happened with the requirement that 3d in 1080p needs hdmi 1.4 ?
@JimmyBoy 3D does not require HDMI 1.4, currently the HDMI1.3a spec is under utilized and the 1.4 Spec just adds features, like ethernet over HDMI.
@JimmyBoy
The PS3 down scales it too 540p then upscaled by the 3D tv to 1080p pre eye.
HDMI 1.3a/b can not handle duel channel 1080p output.
HDMI 1.4 even sucks because you can not run 3D (I could not careless about) & run HD audio at the same time, you have to run 2 HDMI's, 1 for 3D & 1 for HD audio.
Hopefully they will fix that with HDMI 1.5.
@JimmyBoy
That requirement was FUD marketing. Like that BBC Yellow Light of Death scandal that had to be retracted.
ps3 rocks
@achulo52
they rock my socks off!
;D It's cool that my tipoff got posted, I do enjoy my PS3 :)
That said, I'm buying a 360 later today from a mate ;P
Sony already explain previoulsy that when 3D came o the PS3, it wouldnt necesarily had to be on 3d ready TVs, for the way the PS3 was gonna work But would had to be at least HD tvs.
@Rosco911
Wrong.
OK, that's nice. Now I just have to wait until the 3D TVs come out and come down a bit in price.
That isn't the Settings menu... That's the System Update option. I'm pretty sure that's a fake shot.
@packy17
It's the Debug menu. That menu isn't in retail versions of the firmware.
I dunno??? Am I the only one that thinks 3D won't take off at all??? I guess we'll find out.
Ok, don't get me wrong; i love sony and i love my ps3, but here's my beef with sony.
Why would or should sony waste, IMHO, their time putting 3-D technology onto the ps3, when 3-D tv's probably won't hit consumers for 3-5 years and games with 3-D settings probably won't hit for 5-7 years?
Seriously, a technology that isn't even relative for the next 4 years minimum is more important to get implemented and working before software emulation of PS2 games? And even at that the PS1 emulation is actually a little disappointing; i know sony is a big company, so i know that they could handle making the controls even better.
Sorry for my rant, and thanks for reading; if you did.
@Pocker09 Enabling the PS3 to support 3D output is an immediate way to get 3D into the home. I bet Sony will see 3D specs + dongle to get people up and running with 100/120Mz sets but their ultimate goal is to sell 3D TVs. It is also another distinguishing factor between the PS3 and 360 which can't hurt either.