Sony‘s SimulView technology is quite an impressive feat, though one that is quite underutilized. The technology may receive its second wind, however, as a newly discovered patent shows the future of SimulView, allowing multiple users to share a single TV like never before.
SimulView technology first made its appearance in the official PS3 3D Display. When playing select splitscreen games, SimulView allowed gamers to view their half of the screen as a full image, instead of one screen that had been bisected to accommodate two players. The core concept was sound, unfortunately few games made use of the feature and SimulView was quickly forgotten.
PlayStation LifeStyle recently dug up a patent from Sony, which indicates SimulView could be set for a revival. According to the patent description, future SimulView supported television will not just allow two gamers to share a scree, but a third person as well. While two people game, one person can watch TV, all on the same television each viewing their content as though they were watching it on a separate screen. Audio will be transmitted wirelessly through the 3D glasses, so no sounds will conflict. The image attached with the patent (see below) reveals that users will require two PS3′s (one for each gamer), as well as a separate receiver/DVD/Blu-ray player for the person watching television.
Don’t get too excited yet, though, as there are some technological hurdles standing in the way of this patent becoming a reality. Currently, the PS3 is unable to to run most 3D titles without a resolution drop. Throw in another two “screens” – not to mention a second PS3 – and we can’t really expect the tech to work without a significant framerate and resolution drop. For the future of SimulView, we’re looking to not only the PS4 – but the next generation of TV’s as well.
At CES 2012 (the Consumer Electronics Show), Sony was adamant about showing off its first 4K TV. Looking at Sony’s past console releases, it’s likely the PS4 will be poised to bring 4K to the mass market, just as the PS3 did with Blu-ray, and the PS2 did with DVD. The new SimulView technology could be incorporated into 4K TV’s, with the PS4′s supposed power allowing it to perform without the sharp resolution drops.
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Source: PlayStation LifeStyle
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Sounds interesting if it’s done right, but I foresee there being a lot of interference between viewers. Also, not many people who want to watch something on TV want to hear the constant clicking of buttons and thumbsticks, not to mention the conversations that could take place between the two gamers.
don’t tv’s have this already? isnt it called picture in picture. i can do this already with my own damn tv
PiP is two screens, one smaller than the other and WITHIN it. THIS technology (using the glasses actually lets both viewers see their respective screens at full size, simultaneously.
So, no…it is NOT the same thing.
Seriously, READ the article before you comment.
Sigh…Ignore the first of these duplicate comments, as the second is the corrected version…
PiP is two screens, one smaller than the other and WITHIN it. THIS technology (using the glasses) actually lets both viewers see their respective screens at full size, simultaneously.
So, no…it is NOT the same thing.
Seriously, READ the article before you comment.
So does this mean the next Playstation Display will actually have a TV tuner in it? The lack of TV is the ONLY reason I didn’t by a PSDisplay. It’s such a simple thing, and they left it out…
nintendo has motion controlls using wii mote and nunchuk… sony releases playstion move. nintendo announces table controller… sony patents psvita controller functionality for ps3. nintendo announces nintendo tv… sony patents sony tv. anyone else notice the trend of sony ripping of nintendo?
This is completely different. Did you even read the article?
of course they add a spin on it. not to mention this looks like it requires two ps3′s to use and probably very expensive glasses. this isnt a good idea in general.
Nothing new with Sony. They like to be inspired by their competition
Most likely can support up to two ps3s.glasses probably cost the same as controller
Move was in the works for over 10 years (As explained in Game Informer years ago), Vita being used as a controller was inevitable since Sony users have been saying the PSP should have had controller function for years, and Nintendo TV is an app while Sony TV is an ACTUAL TV.
Now that you’ve been given some facts,would you like to admit to being a fanboy?
ill admit this i bought move because i thought theyd have a better chance at with the resources they have but lets admit neither nintendo nor ps3 did it well. most wii games barely use the controlls or requires minimal response to use and ive noticed a lot of games require pro. more on topic sony isnt for your average joe. ps3 was 500$ when it was released and nothing of thiers is cheap. i guess i dont like spending a fortune to get what xbox or wii u can offer as well
I don’t think it NEEDS 2 PS3s. I think its showing you that you can have 3 people doing 3 different things. I could be wrong.
But it would be awesome to have this. I used to play Borderlands with a friend. But we would have to be I’m completely different rooms. Using our own consoles on the same screen would be pretty amazing.
Eh. I’ll be the guy who will always prefer my own separate screen without the chance of seeing the other persons by some chance glitch.
Funny application though I just thought of to test this thoroughly. You happen to be watching something naughty while your parent(s) are watching a movie. Will you get in trouble or no? Better hope those glasses do their magic!
Um… 4k TVs cost WELL over 10k now, that price isn’t likely to drop down to the 500-800 price range of a decent HD set anytime soon. OLED is in the same boat price wise but is likely to take the market due to deeper aspect ratio, yet OLED is also over 10k. Call me in 10 years when the normal Joe can buy one. Sony has become a joke.
I’d always thought this would be neat, but unnecessary.
this is dumb when get home from work or school i just want to sit play game and relax not have a huge mind trip
…and this prevents you from doing so how???