Hasta La Gadget!

Panasonic and Samsung have launched the first models in an onslaught of 3DTV. But the big problem isn’t their quality, silly glasses or price—it’s that, even if you wanted to attain 3D media, you can’t. More »

It’s a milestone folks: the PS3 hardware is finally ready to generate a profit. The loss-leading console once estimated to cost Sony more than $800 per (losing between $241 and $307 per console sold back in 2006) has likely turned a corner thanks to a reduction in manufacturing costs. While Sony isn’t saying anything on the matter, PocketNews confirms that the latest PS3 SKU — CECH-2100A spotted in the FCC back in February — uses an improved RSX graphics chip based on smaller 40-nm processes similar to the PS3 Slim’s new 45-nm Cell processor. The result is a 15 percent decrease in console power consumption when compared to the 120GB CECH-2000A PS3 Slim sporting a 65-nm RSX. The cooler running chip allows for a stealthier heat sink and power supply in addition to a smaller cooling unit. Those changes combined with fewer adjoining chips around the shrunken RSX should make the console cheaper to build which is good news to Sony’s sagging bottom line.

Update: PocketNews has confirmed with Sony that the RSX graphics chip is built using 40-nm processes (not 45-nm). Post updated to reflect the change.

Sony PS3 upgraded with cooler 40-nm RSX graphics chip, profits await (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was only a couple of days ago that Sony flicked the switch on 3D compatibility for the PS3 — albeit without retail games that can yet exploit it — so what better time to dig into the nitty gritty details of the company’s implementation of the third dimension? Digital Foundry have done just that, starting off with a discussion of how Sony translated WipEout HD from 2D into 3D. Noting that the original version ran at 1080p, Sony’s senior development manager Simon Benson explains that notching resolution down to 720p opened up some pixel processing overhead (one 1080p stream requires nearly 2.1 million pixels, whereas a duo of 720p images is around 1.85 million in total), while reducing the refresh rate to 30Hz allowed the devs the breathing room to complete the extra geometric calculations required by 3D. That’s certainly not the 1080p video at 100Hz per eye that we were hearing about at IDF last year, but at least it shows that games that haven’t been coded for 3D can be translated, albeit at more demure settings.

In the case of Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, the game already ran at a 720p / 30fps clip, so the solution was to generate it at a lower resolution and to use hardware upscaling and a few optimizations to make 3D work. Lest you think the transition was all bad news on the graphical immersion front, the SCEE devs also mention that quite a few field-of-view and motion-illustrating effects could simply be disabled in 3D, as in that mode “you get [them] for free.” Of course, we’re still only talking about retrofitting 3D, and Sony’s big hope is that developers will code for the new format right from the start, resulting in visually richer and technically more efficient implementations. Hit the source for more.

PlayStation 3’s 3D implementation explained, may require upscaling and reduction in detail to work originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 07:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you want you and your loved ones looking like the family pictured alongside this text, sitting in front of the TV gazing at 3D dolphins emanating from a PlayStation 3 through your television console, your best bet is to envision Ecco, not Flipper.* According to TechRadar, Sony has clarified that the summer firmware update to enable 3D applies to games only, and that 3D Blu-ray movie support will come with a second update due out later this year. We haven’t been able to confirm the announcement ourselves, but suddenly, that freebie copy of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3D isn’t looking so tantalizing.

* Hypothetically speaking, of course. We have no confirmation on a 3D version of Sega’s Ecco the Dolphin or Season 3 of Flipper, featuring “The Most Expensive Sardine in the World.”

PS3’s summer 3D firmware is all fun and games… and no Blu-ray movie support? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right folks, the crew at Rockstar Games is celebrating the launch of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City, and they’ve offered up a custom Grand Theft Auto PS3 Slim to give away. We have just one of these to give away, and the package will contain the following: a custom decorated 120GB PS3 Slim (with a two tone paint job in black and Lexus pearl white, an LED-backlit skyline and logo on the unit, a custom power panel with laser etched back lit power and eject buttons) along with a color-matched controller.

So you want this, right? If so, we need to see your current gaming setup — the crappier, the better. To be eligible to win, you’ll need to drop a link in comments of a photo of your gear (if you don’t include a photo, you can’t win). The deadline to get your pics in is by Friday, April 23rd, 2010, at 12:30pm ET. After we get all the contributions, we’ll go through every single one to find the worst of the worst — and that person will win this very special PS3 Slim. The full rules are after the break — so get commenting and good luck!

Continue reading Engadget giveaway: Show us your crappy gaming setup and win a custom PS3 Slim from Rockstar Games!

Engadget giveaway: Show us your crappy gaming setup and win a custom PS3 Slim from Rockstar Games! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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