Microsoft's Phil Spencer not ready to embrace 3D tech yet

@Mayor West

BAZINGA!

@Mayor West

LMAO

@Mayor West

It's really scary when you consider that the "better" part of that quote is pushing the gelled bangs, no tie, colored dress shirt with the top button undone look sported by the speaker.

Because who doesn't want a "Microsoft Games Studio VP" who looks like a failed highschool athlete from the 90s?

I... wait... what? A game studio has a Vice President? Seriously? This isn't a corporation, it's supposed to be a studio. If it's actually a studio the person at the head shouldn't be some corporate lackey, it should be the Lead Designer for the games that are made.

Oh... but that's right. Microsoft Games Studio doesn't actually make games... the just latch on to them and suck them dry. Reminds me of a certain mythic monster that has become a strangely massive part of pop culture recently... can't wait for the books about money hungry publishers disguised as horny angst filled teenagers to come out and then get turned in to movies that are extremely popular but that no one wants to watch. =/

@oJMan240o

thats some rant.. are you a gamer or some kinda fashion/scholar enthusiast?

@oJMan240o You're high, aren't you?

@Bumper
cool story bruh

@DarthPugz

"SOOKAY! SHE IS MINE!"

@Uncle Jesse
He's no vampire... he's frankenstein's monster

... PlayStation Home is important?

@Spunky Monkey 190906

If only Sony had separate divisions, that could all focus on different things......

@Spunky Monkey 190906

I kind of agree. I'm probably never going to buy a 3D TV. So Microsoft not supporting it, isn't really a deal breaker.

Sony sort of has a decent way of handling it at least. 3D is there if you want it, if not, it doesn't matter.

@Spunky Monkey 190906

Do you feel that Sony is ignoring PSP, Move, and Home for the sake of 3-D? It's not like you have to buy an expensive, external box adapter to use 3D technology.

And sure, the TVs are expensive. But so were 1080p TVs while PS3 supported HDMI. But like then, you can rest comfortably knowing that when the TVs reach a modest price-point, your PS3 is ready to plug-n-play.

And let's not forget many of Microsoft's other notorious foresights on technology: not including hard drives with every 360, or HDMI ports, and supporting HD-DVD.

(Sorry to keep preaching here.)

Sony does sell TVs and obviously if they get you hyped about 3D tech you're gonna want a new TV. But 3D technology is very much "in." So is Sony truly taking advantage of people or simply providing a home experience that the masses have fallen in love with in the theaters?

What would you prefer? A system that avoids new technology to save money and boost profits? A system that makes excuses and hits below the belt when they get left behind? Or maybe a console that tries to do...well everything?

@Epoque

Yeah, it is, because PS Home is supposed to be the representative of the PS Brand, it should be what you see upon switching on your PS3 and work like Miis and Avatars do in games.

On top of that, it should be fluent, fun and doing all the things gamers expect from it, gamers like social GAMES, Home as it is is just a lobby where people talk, which makes it kind of pointless at times. It has an incredible amount of potential and much of it is wasted or not seen in my opinion. Before I get attacked by Home fans, I like Home, I meet people in Home and I visit it quite often, so you can understand why I'm passionate about what it is capable of.

Unfortunatly Sony doesnt see it that way, 3D is more important to them.

@Spunky Monkey 190906

Home is representative of the PS Brand... isn't Home 2005 technology? Sackboy is more "Representative" - I'm not even going to touch Home, I haven't even downloaded it and it already reserves 10GB of my HDD, I've only ever clicked it twice by accident, and quickly bashed the circle button to stop it.. if I could I would hide/delete it from the menu

@Mazrael

I'm guessing the reason why you avoid home is because you find it boring, the reason it's deemed boring is because it doesnt quite meet expectations, I find some of the spaces made by game developers pretty pointless. Ages spent downloading only to see a small space with just advertising and nothing much to do :( While there is evidence that some companies take it seriously, for example EA.

@Spunky Monkey 190906

In my opinion the problem with 3D isn't so much that you need to wear glasses to see the 3D effect, it's that with out the glasses it is unwatchable.

That's just ridiculous.

If I bought a 3D set and glasses for me & my wife, we'd probably enjoy it, but when my friends drop by, they can't enjoy it with us.

Who thought it was acceptable for the picture to be unwatchable without the glasses?

@Spunky Monkey 190906

"Unfortunatly Sony doesnt see it that way, 3D is more important to them. "

From a technological point of view, it needs to be. Whether or not you want to admit it, 3D gaming is most likely going to be a major selling point for the next generation of consoles; assuming they're released in the next 3-4 years (which is most likely going to be the case considering how long it's taken both Microsoft and Sony to stop hemorrhaging money on hardware costs), affordable 3D capable TVs are going to be common place. 3D console gaming, even in its infancy, is an entirely different beast when compared to 3D PC gaming and it's not going to change any time soon.

Console centric developers not only have to find new, creative ways of using their already limited hardware resources but they're also having to find which 3D technology (existing, in development, or unthought-of) delivers the best result without severely impacting imaging quality or performance. Stereoscopic capable PC game achieve 3D through brute force; everything is rendered twice. There's no halving the resolution, no reduction in geometry, and no dynamic framebuffer. Since it's a no compromise approach, the only solution to performance or image quality is to either add a second (or third) videocard or to upgrade to something more powerful. Find it unacceptable? No 3D PC games for you, then.

It's best for console centric devs to tackle this problem NOW on hardware they understand inside and out so they have refined software solutions ready for the next generation of hardware instead of having to worry about it on top of learning how to effectively use a system that might be totally alien compared to what we have now. Sorry, but those implications exceed the laser beam focus you want on Playstation Home's continued evolution.

@Im No Hero

But I could understand if they were doing a Nintendo and pushing a new brand of TV that didn't require glasses, then I would probably be more forgiving towards them. Sony should know that if there is anything gamers hate more, it's looking stupid while gaming, which is why we avoid gloves, head braces, glasses, strange gaming seats and god knows what else type of peripherals that game companies keep putting out.

That's just gamers, for casual TV watchers, who in thier right mind with thier mates round wants to put on glasses to watch the world cup of what ever sport in 3D? It won't happen! You try explaining that to the guys in the Sony Style store and they give you a long ranting list of reasons why you should buy a 3D TV, none of which are practical or reasonable in any circumstance. I would much rather invest my money into first party PS3 games, PS Move games and PSP games with the money I would use to buy a 3DTV.

@Epoque God, Home is the worst. I remember one of the lead Home developers was on The Tester. She was really pretty critical of people, the whole time she was on the screen I was yelling "You havent done shit! You made Home!! GTFO!!"

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze I lol'd

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

So how's those boot up times treating you?
I feel sad for you, namely because I also own a HD-DVD player somewhere in my house

@Crayola Q Pants ESQ

I have a HD DVD drive in my laptop.. I only have Bayformers, I don't find it slower then my PS3 in the slightest (where I only have Halo Legends on Blu Ray)

@(Unverified)

"man, those glasses"

- Reggie

@Fermie Prime

Exactly.

This is Sony's MO. They had the first Lithium Ion batteries. they had one of the first optical disc players and optical disc consoles. They were screwing with motion control a million years ago.

Sometimes, Sony is very early to the party, and often, they do not manage to be the leader in the segments they partly pioneer.

I doubt Sony expects most PS3 gamers to have a 3D TV. It's just an option, prepping for the future. Of course Sony's future requires you to constantly update your library of movies, from tape to dvd to blu-ray to umd to 3D blu-ray. And they want you doing the same to your theater systems. You don't have to buy everything they sell you (you're crazy if you do).

And sometimes, they offer something really amazing, like a great console crammed with functionality.

@Uncle Jesse

That's still a problem in computers, especially laptops.

Buy a laptop from October when everyone's putting in GT 130M cards and suddenly by March everyone's sticking GT 330M cards in them for the same price.

@Uncle Jesse

3D TVs today already seem like crap, LCD is terrible at 3D with all the cross-talk between frames. Plasma is great at it, but plasma has other issues, like bad image retention.

@sonicspike41

Yeah, but nothing like it used to be. Things are also a lot more forgiving if your computer is a little dated and can be scaled to match your computer's specs. Plus, the price has really come down since then.

It's so frustrating trying to keep up and stay cool. Do the kids even use that word anymore?

@Uncle Jesse

A friend was looking for a laptop a few years back, maybe 2008 or so. All the decent (I mean like the ones that could play games from 2005/2006 maybe) were around $1500+ if I remember right.

Now a good gaming laptop can be had for... well I got mine for around $700 end of last year and it can play nearly every new PC game if you don't mind fiddlin' with the settings a bit.

@Uncle Jesse

I agree with you to some extent Uncy Jesse but again, isn't this what Microsoft said about HDMI, BluRay and integrated wireless in their console?

Someone has to push the technology and while the current 3D implementations are not perfect, you have to give Sony and the others credit for pushing the envelope. The next gen will be better and once we ditch the glasses, it will be MUCH better. Microsoft, will then jump in and ride the wave of all the innovators before them and claim it was time. Just like HDMI and all the other technologies that they think are not "there".

heh heh.. reminds me of the time when Valve approached Microsoft and asked them to co-develop Steam and MS' response was that it was not yet possible to do it. lol.... That's another decision that didn't turn out so well for them. I think they have pinned EVERYTHING on Kinect and for their sake, they had better deliver something worthwhile because they don't seem to have anything else cooking in the stove at the moment.

@Raffi256

That's why the PS3 is supposed to limit 3D to 30FPS. Sacrificing the frames seems like the easiest thing to give up, especially when you're still getting at least 30FPS.

@laser beams
Isn't he supposed to be on a murder trial?