Sony Promises 3D Support for PlayStation 3 Via Firmware Update

Wipeout 3D on display in the Sony booth at the Tokyo Game Show.

One of the more eye catching demos in Sony's E3 PlayStation 3 booth was a playable demo of Wipeout running in 3D. Visitors could put on 3D glasses to add a new dimension to the PS3 racer.

The Wipeout exhibit might have been more than just for show, though. Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai gave mention to 3D technology at a general Sony group press briefing today, suggesting that current PS3 owners could see the tech in the not so distant future.

As reported at Famitsu.com, Sony aims to make the PS3 fully compatible with 3D televisions in 2010 and would like to have 3D games available in time for the launch of such sets. Current PS3 owners will be able to play the new 3D games via a simple firmware update.

Hirai's comment on the 3D support was part of a segment where he highlighted five advantages offered by the PS3 hardware.

Other advantages mentioned by Hirai included, of course, the system's built-in Blu-ray drive. For games that don't fill up the 50 gigabytes of available space, he said, Sony is considering packing in game demos and movie trailers.

Hirai also touched upon Sony's upcoming motion controller wand device. While not sharing a name or release date, he did have an actual unit on hand and said that the controller will become the PS3's second defacto controller to follow the Dual Shock.

Regarding Sony's network business as a whole, Hirai revealed that PlayStation Network has, as of November 16, topped the 33 million users mark. Sony plans on using the PSN platform as a basis to build up a network service that connects other Sony hardware platforms as well. He referred to this plan under the tentative name of "Sony Online Service."