3D Gaming*

[_phil_]

It's still double height buffer even if you can use the upscaler to get X to 1280.

Depth buffer + color is a pretty awfull alternative. Sony didn't use that approach , it doesn't sell 3dstereo vey well (don't work with alpha , and you have to find a way to fill the missing) information.

 

[manux]

Sony 3D Experience part 3: 3D PlayStation & blu-ray http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYCfQEKTRM8

Doesn't contain new information but confirms stuff we already knew/suspected.

 

[patsu]

Where are part 1 and 2 ?

 

[grandmaster]

Depth buffer + color is a pretty awfull alternative. Sony didn't use that approach , it doesn't sell 3dstereo vey well (don't work with alpha , and you have to find a way to fill the missing) information.

Sony *are* using this approach. Just not right now. It's definitely in development. I think I'll need to do a write-up on the GDC presentation.

 

[_phil_]

Sony *are* using this approach. Just not right now. It's definitely in development. I think I'll need to do a write-up on the GDC presentation.

GDC or GTC ?

Motorstorm ,and SSHD ,Wipeout and some other games *are* using duall rendering and frame packing .not Depth buffer + color.
I know that depth + color is suggested as a possible solution, but there is no love for this approach and they certainly don't push developpers to do it.
It's also TriOviz 3D solution ,btw.And TriOviz 3D provides its ' midddleware' for ps3 too

As i said , with 1 depth buffer + color, Alpha is not supported and you still have to fill the unrendered pixels.It's a dirty solution.

 

[grandmaster]

Dirty or not, which it undoubtedly is, Sony is working on it already to the point where they already have SPU usage figures (can't remember specifics but very, very low). It was discussed at GDC after the WipEout, Stardust and Motorstorm case studies. As I said, when I find time, I'll write it up.

 

[patsu]

What are the advantages of the depth + color approach ?

 

[grandmaster]

Generation of the second image can be astonishingly fast.

 

[sebbbi]

Generation of the second image can be astonishingly fast.

But it looks pretty bad if you have near camera occluders.

You can also generate the second image really fast by fully rendering only one of the eyes each frame (even/odd). Then render second image with a cheap shader that renders all the geometry and projects the other eye image and the last frame image of that eye (with last frame matrix to new matrix reprojection) and determine which one is visible at that surface point (by storing surface ID or depth to the alpha channel and comparing it). It both are visible, use the other eye data (as it's newer). Paint the pixel with that value. This works almost perfectly, as huge majority of visible surface pixels in the screen are also either visible in the last frame or visible in the other eye. Naturally this technique works best for games that have high frame rate (60 fps), as the difference between last frame and the new frame is small.

 

[patsu]

Can the color + depth technique work for something as simple as the XMB ? What happen if we overlay the UI on top of their 3D dynamic themes ?

 

[grandmaster]

I've no idea. When I saw it the XMB was only displayed in one eye!

 

[patsu]

Yeah, I wouldn't expect people on the outside to have early access at this stage. But I was wondering if _phil_'s concern with Alpha support matters in a simple app like XMB.

 

[patsu]

June 11th for 3D Sports on DirectTV:
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s...and_ESPN_3D_Channels_Available_June_11th/4461

Not only will ESPN 3D be available to DirecTV customers on launch day, but it’ll be available at no additional cost to the consumer.
Pre-Order the Highest Grossing Film of All Time!
Get James Cameron's 'Avatar' on Blu-ray.

Of course, it might be best not to get too excited about that June 11th date unless you’re a soccer fan, since the first program being broadcast in 3D is the world cup match between South America and Mexico. Soccer will make up about 30% of the programming on ESPN 3D; out of the 85 games being shown in 3D, 25 will be FIFA soccer.

 

[patsu]

http://www.vg247.com/2010/04/02/killzone-2-gt5-to-get-3d-support-for-ps3/

Killzone 2 will support 3D when the relevant PS3 Firmware releases later this summer, according to the latest episode of Qore.

The shooter was listed alongside a slew of other previously announced 3D titles, like LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust HD, Wipeout HD Fury and GT5.

The “3D Firmware” update is rumoured to be hitting on June 10.

 

[grandmaster]

Sony is backtracking on that one:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010...od-of-war-iii-splitsecond-3d-dot-game-heroes/

 

[patsu]

Wow, what is Sony marketing doing ? Was there an explicit mention of KZ2 3D, or was it the press that jumped the gun ?

Reminds me of the GT5 flip-flop fiasco.

 

[_phil_]

Jumped the gun.

 

[grandmaster]

I'd love to play KZ2 in proper stereo 3D, but all that's been shown is the TV spot rendered in 3D and the guys at SCEE gave the impression that it was simply a demo. And a fairly old one to boot.

 

[patsu]

Was the MotorStorm 2 3D demo a video or gameplay ?

I saw a video segment today, and could see the appeal right away. The 3D presentation made the whole environment look deeper, larger and more treacherous. I could see the track extended far into the screen, which is rather interesting. The effect is most apparent when my buggy was in mid-air.

The Super Stardust 3D demo is strenuous to our eyes though.

 

[_phil_]

Pacific rift is a playable game and will most probably be patched.