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Online console gaming is the status quo, but nothing will ever usurp the joys of throwing your controller in disgust, cursing, and punching your friends in the arm during couch multiplayer. Sony has a magical, magical reinvention of offline competition.
An expensive-ish 24-inch 3D HDTV that lets two people see two different images on the same TV. Whoa!
Anyone with a.) A love for same-room multiplayer, or b.) Deep-ish pockets in need for a stellar TV for a small space.
It’s a Sony television—it looks beautiful. It’s black; shiny (though not distractingly so), and will look handsome wherever you stick it. But why the hell are all of the control buttons unlabelled and crammed in the back?
It’s a TV—a TV with a gorgeous, bright, 1080p picture. Turn it on, watch shows, movies, or, ideally, play PS3 games in 3D. The lightweight active shutter glasses sync quickly and easily, and are both comfortable and expectedly dorky looking.
SimulView is the reason to buy this set—you and a friend will be looking at the same TV and be seeing two different images. No screenlooking, no cheating, no cramped splitscreens—just a nice picture and 1 v 1 grappling.
Only a small handful of PS3 titles support SimulView, the chief quality of a 24-inch TV that costs £499.
Though rare, I was occasionally able to see traces of my frenemy’s screen during SimulView mode. An annoying distraction.
• That glossy screen is sure shiny. Nearby lights could be a problem—position accordingly.
• Extended SimulView sessions caused some eye stream for me and my gaming partner—sensitive sockets, beware.
• Non-SimulView 3D viewing was great—no ghosting detected.
If you’re a gamer who can afford it, the 3D Display makes for an absolutely fantastic secondary or small room TV. In that case, yes. If you don’t own a PS3, don’t bother.
Sony PlayStation 3D Display
• Resolution: 1080p
• Glasses: Active Shutter, two included
• Size: 24 inches
• Input: 2 HDMI, Component
• Price: £499
Why is this just for gaming? Couldn’t they easily set this up so two people can watch entirely different programming? Sure, you’d need dedicated sets of headphones for each persion, but that would at least would save me from listening and watching Strictly Come Dancing. I could be enjoying my wife’s company as she watches that asinine crap, while I watch something totaly worthwhile…like ‘Bear Grylls: Born Survivor’ or ‘I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant’…
I don’t know about you but I find the prospect of 3D glasses daunting enough without adding headphones to the mix. Nice idea though.
This is a really cool idea. Should be a firmware update for all 3D TVs though. Nothing special in that TV hardware-wise is there?
Or just buy any passive set, take two sets of the nice cheap glasses, and switch the lenses over so you have one pair of right and one pair of left. Set the tv to side by side 3d, and voila – instant simulview.
Wow; there were almost more words in the subheads than in the actual ‘review’.