Sony could have given its new NGP 3D capabilities similar to that of the Nintendo 3DS, but opted not to.
As of late, Sony has been making a strong push to get 3D technology into consumers’ homes with its 3D-capable TVs and 3D-capable PS3. Yet the hardware giant has been content to let Nintendo make its mass-market 3D push with the 3DS – why not try something similar with its newly revealed Next-Generation Portable?
“We view 3D as having the greatest potential, in the near term, in what I would call a dedicated entertainment environment,” Sony Europe boss Andrew House told Eurogamer. “And that’s in the home, around the television, and where it’s a shared experience. I think that’s really important. We struggle a little bit to see how that 3D, shared experience translates to portable devices as they currently stand.”
In other words, Sony wants the whole family to rub their eyes from eyestrain on the comfort of their couch, not by themselves sitting in bed at night. According to House, Sony had experimented with similar 3D-capable screens like the ones used in the 3DS, but had decided against it.
Not to give undue criticism to Sony here, but didn’t it also say similar things regarding force feedback in controllers (absent from the original Sixaxis) and motion control technology? If the 3DS sells like three-dimensional hotcakes, we could see a change in tune.
Of course, it’s not really a bad thing to take ideas that have been proven to do well. There’s no shame in saying “Hey, that’s a cool idea, we should use it for ourselves.”
