3D Update for PS3

There is no doubt that the Sony PlayStation 3 - abbreviated to PS3 - is one of the most popular gaming platforms around. Official figures show that 81,639 units were sold in the 24 hours following its release in Japan on November 11, 2006 at 7:00am local time.

Sony developed the PS3 with robust multimedia capabilities and using Blu-ray discs as the primary storage. The PS3 competes against the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii gaming devices and to date around 38 million units have been sold worldwide.

In September 2009 Sony released a modified version of the PS3 in a slimmer case with re-badging and other enhancements.

In April this year Sony released a firmware update - version 3.30 - which provides support for stereoscopic 3D games, making the PS3 the only gaming console on the market to offer this facility.

Of course, the 3D experience can only be obtained through a 3D television set. Sony complemented the release of the 3D ready firmware update with the official release in June of a new range of 3D capable Sony Bravia HDTVs, available either with or without active 3D glasses.

Now in the latest adventures of PS3 and 3D comes the ability to play back 3D content from Blu-ray discs. In September this year, Sony released firmware update 3.50 that offered support for Blu-ray 3D discs.

From test reviews, it appears that the update works fine with only a couple of issues. One issue is that older models of the PS3 - the so-called "fat" PS3s - may have problems with 3D playback of certain Blu-ray discs. Those mentioned as causing problems were Monsters vs. Aliens and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

The second problem reported was that the audio quality obtained by the PS3 when playing back Blu-ray 3D discs doesn't reach true high-resolution format, that is to say Dolby Digital True HD and DTS-Master.

But for owners of a "slim" PS3 and a 3D television, the free firmware upgrade delivers what it promises, turning the PS3 into a fully compatible Blu-ray 3D player.