JULY 16, 2010 • Despite having upsold gamers on the joys of full 1080p resolution with the PlayStation 3, Sony Computer Entertainment’s guidelines for PlayStation 3D games on the platform specify a 3D mode of two 720p images. The downgrade is to assure 60 frames per second, which could not be guaranteed at 1080p.

Impact: The consumer electronics industry and retailers have just spent the last five years educating consumers on why high-definition viewing at 1080p is an advantage. HD gaming has also been a major marketing point used to drive sales of the PlayStation 3. Now that the message is 3D, how many consumers sold on HD are going to be amiable to being told 1080p doesn’t really matter, 720p works just fine. Core gamers will get the 60 FPS argument, yet we suspect mainstream consumers are likely to consider 720p an inferior experience, and become wary of 3D gaming. Not a good situation when it is these mainstream consumers that Sony wants to attract.