PS3 Terms of Service updated to reflect possible 3D health risks

by Griffin McElroy on Jul 12th 2010 3:30PM

Sony Online's Terms of Service was recently updated to warn users of the new dangers that PlayStation 3 poses to them and their loved ones: the harmful effects associated with prolonged viewing of a 3D display. The terms specify "discomfort (such as eye strain, eye fatigue or nausea)" as one of the unpleasant side effects. (Click past the jump to see the full cautionary addendum.)

Additionally, the update warns parents of children under the age of six to consult a doctor before allowing them to play 3D games. Why? Because their tiny brains can't handle all the non-stop, in-your-face action that the extra dimension provides. (Also, because it's bad for their eyes, apparently.)

Terms of Service update:

"Some people may experience discomfort (such as eye strain, eye fatigue or nausea) while watching 3D video images or playing stereoscopic 3D games on 3D televisions. If you experience such discomfort, you should immediately discontinue use of your television until the discomfort subsides.

"SCEA recommends that all viewers take regular breaks while watching 3D video or playing stereoscopic 3D games. The length and frequency of necessary breaks may vary from person to person. Please take breaks that are long enough to allow any feelings of discomfort to subside. If symptoms persist, consult a doctor.

"The vision of young children (especially those under six years old) is still under development. SCEA recommends that you consult your doctor (such as a pediatrician or eye doctor) before allowing young children to watch 3D video images or play stereoscopic 3D games. Adults should supervise young children to ensure they follow the recommendations listed above."

Via: Kokugamer
Source: Sony Online Terms of Service

Tags: 3d, 3d-gaming, health, playstation, ps3, sony, terms-of-service, warning

Reader Comments (65)

I don't mean to hate, because new tech is cool regardless. But I have a helluva time with 3D, I just can't imagine playing something that requires constant focus.

@thompchr
But that's the thing, the same exact tech existed in 1987 with the Sega Master System. Only difference here is that this is in 1080p.

These 3DHDTV glasses have timed shutters in them that alternate between covering your eyes up. The image on the TV alternates between the left and right eye images as the glasses do so in synchronization through a wireless connection. The thing is that it's so fast that it seems like you're seeing both images at the same time, thus making the 3D effect.

The Sega Master System did this in 1987. It did not require a special TV.

@TRONdll
I thought 3D games were downscaled to 480?

@TRONdll Shutter-glass technology hasn't changed but our TV's have. The TV's they're touting as 3D have much higher refresh rates than your old 25" giant square box. Also, LCD doesn't fade between refreshes, like CRT does (the cause of CRT flicker), which probably eliminates some artifacts in the presentation.

I'm not saying I'm sold on it either, but I'm pretty sure that they designed the 3DTV spec for two purposes:
#1 to sell more TV's (primary reason)
#2 to not be a crappy experience so that after the first 100 people buy them, nobody wants to buy one ever again and 3D is dead for another 50 years

@thompchr Doesn't look like playing in 3D will be mandatory, thankfully. So your eyes appear to be safe for the foreseeable future.

Anti-3D flame war, BEGIN!

@tenacioustoaster Don't get me wrong, I think it's cool, it just makes me want to barf :-)

3D Technology! Fronting the next advancement in gaming. Pewpow!

Only.. It'll blind you and your kids. :|

@ImInTheZoneBaby

Head phones will make you deaf, taking a bath with a PS2 will kill you, flinging a wiimote will kill you.

etc etc

Sony sent me this e-mail in French for some reason...

@Tapejara

Is THIS what that french email was about!? I got the same one last week... Lots of confusion there.

@Tapejara
me too wtf

As long as glasses are required, 3D will fail.

@Co

It is yet to fail. If it was such a big fad, people would have stopped trying to perfect glasses based 3D for 60 years. The highest rated and grossing movies of both 2009 and 2010 have been in 3D, and the 3D versions have easily outperformed 2D versions.

What he's saying (I think) is that it will fail in the home. No one is going to sit down to watch TV with glasses on. It's just not happening. Cutting edge types like us might sit down to some NFL in 3D, or adult entertainment in 3D, but your average family isn't going to buy a special TV, and then special glasses for each member of the family, and then a disc player capable of 3D, and then 3D cable/sat service. The barrier for entry is way too high.

Having said that, once 3D is readily available in TV's without the need for glasses (ala the Nintendo 3DS's screen) it may make it into the living room. Not before though.

@BananaBoat; 'Cutting edge types like us might sit down to some NFL in 3D'

That doesn't go too well with the glasses in the home thing though - which I totally agree with, btw. Most people don't watch sports alone, and certainly the Super Bowl is likely to fill the avid sports fans home to the brim. If you want to watch the Super Bowl in 3D at your own Super Bowl party, that's going to be a hell of a lot of 3D glasses. How many glasses can the average 3DTV support at once?

@BananaBoat

Same thing (except the need for glasses) was said for HDTVs. Now no one buys HDTVs any more. Is the fact you are wearing glasses so repulsive for adoption of a better (at least I think it is) display technology. 3D without glasses may seem like the holy grail to you, but the limited viewing angles and high cost of production for that tech are far bigger hurdles to overcome than having to buy glasses for everyone. Currently the glasses are proprietary for each kit, and expensive, but those are problems projected to be in the very near future. Autostereoscopic displays will have to wait for a decade or more.

@rajendra82

I meant no one buys SDTVs any more.

@rajendra82
"The highest rated and grossing movies of both 2009 and 2010 have been in 3D, and the 3D versions have easily outperformed 2D versions. "

Only because theatres FORCE it on consumers. I wanted to see Toy Story in 2D, but my local theater only had 3 showings in 2d for the entire day!

Why so much complaining about having to wear a pair of glasses. It's really not a big deal at all...

@mywhitenoise

And since these evil theater owners were forcing eye strain causing Toy Story 3 3D in their multiplexes, those pleasing 2D shows with limited times were always sold out, while the dozens of horrible 3D showings went either unwatched or had throngs of parents escorting their preschoolers out of the theater to the local optician''s office, right?

@Dance Love Pop

Superbowl in once year, so you can turn the 3D off for that game. When watching the other weekly games with you and couple of other close friends, 3D glasses on.

@(Unverified) Wearing a pair of glasses to play games or watch TV is a big deal to someone like me who already wears prescription glasses. I will not wear 3D glasses over my glasses or suffer through the eye strain that it would cause to take my glasses off to comfortably wear the 3D glasses. It is a total deal breaker for me.

@morric Why? I wear prescription glasses, and my 3D glasses fit over them comfortably and easily.

@Co Agreed. I put up with putting on their glasses over my glasses for a couple of hours at a time. But there is no way I'm going to do it for hours on end when I'm watching TV or playing games.

@BananaBoat Dude, I'm doing it right now. So, there goes that theory..

Go try it out before you knock it. New 3D Active Shutter glasses are not that uncomfortable to wear. And, yes, people aren't going to run out tomorrow and update all their equipment. But, smart consumers may already OWN A 3D TV a PS3 and compatible equipment.. ;)

I bought my last DLP a year ago, check.
AVR w/ 1.3, check (works fine for ps3 3D)
PS3, check
3D adapter, bought one yesterday, rockin' it today.

Total cost to upgrade? $400. That included two pair of glasses ($150 each). and $99 for the adapter , 3D blu ray disc and emitter thrown in.

Peace out homie. Go experience it for yourself and then tell others it isn't going to happen. ;)

So I have a 3DTV but all i need to do is buy a special adapter because the TV is an older model and some 3D glasses but the what's stopping me is the price of the glasses which is $100 for one.

Until a those glasses drop to $20 I won't be buying into 3D any time soon.

Stop giving 3D so much coverage, I cannot see in 3D and if I could I wouldnt splash out £1000's on a new tv ect.

@Thorz You can't see in 3D? Sorry to hear that...

@jumpshot

I can only see in 1D, he's got me beat.

@Thorz

I am sorry about your condition, but you do realize that you are in the minority. Movies did not stay in the black and white and silent era, just because there are deaf and color blind people in this world. People that already have TV they are happy with are not likely to get a new TV just for 3D, but if when you do get a new TV, what would stop someone that does not have your condition from going to get a 3D TV and Kit for 10% more money.

@jumpshot

Alot of people can't, which is why this sucks to damn near force this tech on the market lately, it really alienates some people.

@rajendra82 Thats not what I am saying and I can see in 3D normally just not 3DTV and movies ect.

I think 3D is too old and abit pointless to take off. The cost of an actual 3DTV is so great that from what I have heard about 3DTV not being that amazing then it isn't worth £3000 of my hard earned money.

I think Sony are pushing 3D in a big way through the PS3 and its new range of TV's and I don't see how it will work. (forgive the pun)

If you have the money to burn on such luxurys then go for it but I myself just brought a new plasma screen TV and I expect that to last me 5 years+.

@rajendra82

...and this is why I personally think this will fail...not entirely but nowhere near the hype its getting.

It alienates people.

@Thorz

Currently at our local Fry's Samsung 3D TVs with a kit containing four pairs of glasses are selling for about $500 more than an equivalently sized an featured 2D set. For a typical $1500 to $2500 TV set, that is about a 20% to 30% premium to get an additional capability. Unfortunately the content is not enough at the moment to justify the premium. The premium is likely to drop significantly in the near future, and the content isn't going to anywhere but up. Therefore in the future buying a 3D versus 2D TV would be a much more palatable choice. 3D today is in just about the same position as HD was a few years ago.

@ShadowXIII High definition alienated people too. Do you remember how expensive it was when it first came out? It hasn't failed though. I'm not super pro-3D, but I'm not a hater either. I usually only hate on technologies if I've tried it can can't stand it, or if it's more of a specific brand of a technology (e.g. I hated on Circuit City's Div-X when it tried to conquer DVD).

I've tried movie 3D, and I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. That's movies though. People are hating on home-3D before giving it a shot. There's a lot of things you can do at home that you wouldn't be able to do in a theater, which I think 3D would be better suited for, e.g. games and photos. Plus, movies definitely could probably use it more effectively too. In short, I don't see a reason to hate it...but it definitely doesn't seem too useful yet.

@Thorz "Thats not what I am saying and I can see in 3D normally just not 3DTV and movies ect."

Maybe you think you can see 3D normally, but really can't because you don't know what it looks like? Just like colorblind people don't know they're colorblind until they do some kind of test. The "test" for you would be 3D TV.

I'm saying this because, unlike what a lot of people seem to believe, there is nothing special or different about 3D tech compared to real life 3D. It just uses the very same thing your brain uses in real life, the difference in position between your left and right eyes. There is no logical reason (as far as I can tell so far, anyway) that someone would be able to see 3D in life but not on a screen.

@ShadowXIII Yeah, funny thing is that I was actually expressing sympathy, not being "smart". I know others who can't see 3D as well. I think some call it "binocular vision"? it sucks, as they can never really benefit from things like the 3DS, which I think is the only 3D option that seems viable at the moment. I like 3D and it sucks that so many won't be able to enjoy it.

Pokemon caused seizures, Starcraft caused suicides, Doom caused school shootings, and GTA 3 caused crime spree. A little eyestrain in minor problem compared to those side effects.

'Doom caused school shootings, and GTA 3 caused crime spree'

You're comparing the tiny problem of proven eyestrain to violent video games being a scapegoat for seriously unstable people finally tipping ... wow.

@Dance Love Pop Not everyone gets eyestrain from games. And not everyone who plays Doom shoots people up! The eyestrain warning is almost as much of a joke as a "may cause extreme warning" would be. If you don't want eyestrain, play in proper lighting and don't forget to blink.

Yes, some people will still get eyestrain...but then again, some people will still shoot people up even if they stick to Kirby games.

That's not the only reason they were updated.

"You may not upload, post, stream, access, or otherwise transmit any content that you know or should have known to be infringing, or that violates any third party rights, any law or regulation, or contractual or fiduciary obligations."

And since there is new Cinavia DRM on everyone's PS3 that's been updated to the most recent firmware, Sony can know who plays pirated content and can, under the terms of service you agreed to, ban you from the PSN and possibly even report you "if required by law" (Which means yes they will do it because it's the law.)

3d, as it is, gives me eye strain. I'd say the discomfort of even simple eye strain far outweighs it's enterainment value. If I can't enjoy watching it, I won't.

I do mostly attribute this to the 3d glasses, so I'll wait and see how the next gen of 3d tvs (without glasses) handles it before buying in. If I can't watch a 2 hour movie without taking the glasses off a bunch of times, then it's not ready for (at least my) use yet.

That's the only thing that worries me of 3D gaming. It's the dizziness and eye fatigue. When I watched Avatar, it was amazing yet exhausting experience. I do wanna get a 3D tv around the time Killzone 3 releases.

It's unfortunate I can't enjoy playing games or watching movies in 3D, I get motion sickness. Ah well.

Bleeding from your eyesockets and ears may accour. Take 15 min break and clean yourself up before continueing.

@(Unverified)

"Vomiting from the anal areas may occur."

Wait, was that too far?

Why would I pay almost 2,000 dollars to go through a hassle? Can someone please explain that to me?

@Shadowbender

Because it's not a hassle. Put glasses on, start game/movie, enjoy!

@Shadowbender I already where glasses when I'm watching a movie or playing a game though, so that's two pairs- which means twice the "eye-fixing", and twice the weight on my head. It's just way too much. But that's what makes the 3DS so very appealing.

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PS3 Terms of Service updated to reflect possible 3D health risks

Reader Comments (65)

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:33PM thompchr said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:42PM TRONdll said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:16PM mywhitenoise said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:29PM sigma8 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:30PM sigma8 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:34PM tenacioustoaster said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:43PM thompchr said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:35PM ImInTheZoneBaby said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 6:39PM Dustin F said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:42PM Tapejara said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:04PM liquidsoap89 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 11:43PM bgardner said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:44PM Co said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:48PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:57PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:05PM Dance Love Pop said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:10PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:11PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:18PM mywhitenoise said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:24PM ThePope said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:29PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:41PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 5:20PM morric said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 5:33PM Stitches said

Posted: Jul 14th 2010 3:49AM Genaldar said

Posted: Jul 15th 2010 1:07AM EvilET said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:44PM s ls said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:45PM Thorz said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:49PM jumpshot said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:55PM Aperture said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:55PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:00PM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:02PM Thorz said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:04PM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:21PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:40PM sigma8 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:52PM bm111 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:56PM jumpshot said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:45PM rajendra82 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:58PM Dance Love Pop said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 4:46PM sigma8 said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:47PM Darkdrium said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:48PM jumpshot said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:49PM MLC said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:51PM banditdee said

Posted: Jul 12th 2010 3:54PM LarZen said

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