3D gaming is coming....again.

Sony has officially announced it's total support for the 3D gaming whirlwind of attention that seems to be popping up all over the web. Major graphics companies and gaming giants have stepped in to try and usher this new (yet old) style of gaming into the consumers hands.But there's a catch right? Of course.

First of all, you obviously need a PS3. The system is ready right now through Firmware updates for 3D gaming. Sony plans to patch their "Everything" machine to allow the 3D technology to accept PS3 signals. The catch here, is that you need to buy a brand new TV. And the prices of these new 3D television sets has yet to be determined.

The problem is with the timing. The TVs are not out yet, and won't be for another year but Sony is already pushing gaming companies to start developing games for the technology. Now, it's likely that these new TVs will be 3, 4 maybe 5 thousand dollars for something average like a 32" causing consumers to spend thousands on another "revolutionary TV" like the consumers did when the purchased their first HDTVs.

Because of the fact that people have just recently caught on to the HDTV craze, the install base for these 3D TVs when they launch will increase extremely slow because the consumer will not want to buy another new TV. The company needs to give this new technology time and go for implementation into the Blu-Ray service first before trying to break it into gaming. I think Sony has gotten a little into itself when they launched the DVD on their own and now thinks they can handle anything by themselves.

The install base for the PS3 is the lowest of the big three, and the competition in the gaming community has never been stronger. I think Sony is jumping way in over there heads here hoping to be the next Nintendo and come out with a new, revolutionary experience for gamers and is unaware that this thing is going to stop dead in its tracks the moment the gate is opened. This technology could be incredible but people will not be ready to spend the money to purchase another new TV. Especially not when HDTVs will be very affordable (in 2011).

Bottom line: Sony needs to bring this technology into the main stream. They need too. But they need to be careful, especially in a bad economy, when investing in technologies that won't be affordable by the middle class for sometime. Just implement the service into Blu-Ray for starters and push the experience with movies. Then force your way into gaming...It will work...trust me.


(We all remember the Virtual Boy's attempt at 3D in the 90s or the movie industry's attempt at the 3D market by allowing you to watch movies with glasses, right!?)

Virtual Boy:

Xbox Live System Update: Joke

Today, Xbox Live saw the realization of it's Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm integration into the Xbox Dashboard. Microsoft has really been boasting about these new features, claiming they will be revolutionizing the console internet interface. Sadly, they couldn't be more wrong.

The implementation was a total bust, in my opinion, and here's why: All three features come as "apps," if you will, not interface changes. Netflix, for example, is an "app" on the Xbox Dashboard. In order to access it, you can't be in a game or movie and if you are, they take you out of the game/movie quite quickly and throw you into there "app." Now, this is all just fine for a video provider, but for social networking and radio? No.

The best thing about Facebook and Twitter on the web are the tools that let you update your status or accept new friends etc., straight from your phone. It's easy. But with the Live method, you have to exit anything your doing and load an app just to change your status or view some pictures. This goes for the radio service, Last.fm, too. Excited because you thought you would get to listen to your favorite tunes while playing Halo or Modern Warfare? Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but it can't happen. Last.fm, like Netflix and Twitter and Facebook, require you to exit what your doing before listening. Because of the services being apps, they cripple themselves to an excruciating degree.

I've had this new services since they previewed them. I was one of the ones who signed up for the preview program. As soon as I got my update almost a month ago, I realized how silly these features were. All my hype for updating my status while playing Modern Warfare 2 as I progressed the levels, was taken away from me. Twitter is even less exciting now, because unlike Facebook, their are no photos of anyone to view. Last.fm is the only feature worth using right now and that's only if you are having a party or cleaning up your house and need something to jam to.

This can be fixed, so have faith. Microsoft needs to allow updates to come through Live and into your TV while you are playing a game. They need to allow a pop to say "New Facebook Message" or "Photo Comment by blah blah." Yes, I know that could get annoying so with that, they would need controls. User-defined controls. I don't want Microsoft picking what I want to see. And for God sakes, let me listen to Last.fm while I'm shooting zombies in Left 4 Dead 2!! It wouldn't be that hard...trust me.