Days after Nintendo announced it plans to release a 3D version of the popular DS handheld gaming console, Sony doesn't seem so sure Nintendo's plans for 3D will pan out.
"Having been in the portable space for quite awhile, I think it's an interesting move but one I'd like to see where they go from a demographic standpoint," said John Koller, Sony director of handheld marketing, noting that "8- and 9-year-olds playing 3D is a little bit of a stretch given where some of our research is right now."
Of course, what is Sony supposed to say when Nintendo announces its intentions to go 3D? The company is finally catching up in the home console market, but still significantly trails in the portable market.
Sony says it will focus on bringing 3D to its PlayStation 3 console, but not with the PlayStation Portable. Sony plans to release a firmware update that will bring 3D gaming & movie-watching to the PS3, but it's unknown when the firmware will be released.
The PS3 is finally competing successfully against the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360, while the PSP continues to struggle against the DS and Apple iPhone/iPod Touch. I think it'd be a waste to try and bring 3D to the PSP since it'd be expensive and not worth the trouble for such a small number of consumers.
If Nintendo actually is able to release a quality 3D portable gaming product, I say good for them. There has been an increase in 3D movies -- and some manufacturers have released 3DTVs -- but 3D gaming still hasn't been experimented with much yet.
