Sony's love for 3D is no secret, with the company being unable to shut up about the gimmick's future potential. In order to show that potential, the company has taken matters into its own hands to create a PlayStation-branded 3D monitor.
Designed to easily hook up to your PS3 and guide you to a land of dimensional wonder, the Sony PlayStation 3D Display is aiming to make an ideal entry level demonstration of the technology.
I've gotten to spend some time with the display, and naturally I've got a few things to say about it.
Sony PlayStation 3D Display
Manufacturer: Sony
Released: November 26, 2011
MSRP: $499.99
The Sony PlayStation 3D Display is light and thin, and can go pretty much anywhere in the house. Easy to assemble with its own stand, the monitor's been designed with usability entirely in mind. Connecting it to a console or PC is as simple as plugging an HDMI cable into both ends. There's very little fiddling around required, especially if you're hooking it up to a PS3, which it was obviously designed for.
With no TV tuner and just two HMDI ports, the monitor's intended purpose as a streamlined, user-friendly console display is self evident. There are few customization options once it's hooked up, either. You can switch between two 3D modes, and there are the usual volume and channel controls, all situated behind the screen. There's no included remote control, which is slightly annoying considering it has no standby mode and will need to be switched manually every time you want to use it. Still, if you hate fiddling around and just want something that can be hooked up and switched on, this thing does the trick.
The screen is reflective, and by that I mean you can see the world in it. My cat cannot leave it alone, as it presents a beautiful mirror image of her to attack. It's up there with the PSP in terms of needlessly glossy screens that put aesthetics above functionality. It certainly looks pretty, but you'll want to be careful about playing it near any light sources, and you'll want to invest in some kitten mittens to stop wayward felines from scratching the hell out of it.
Once plugged in and switched on, you do have a very nice looking 240Hz LCD display. Colors are bright and contrast is pretty solid, and games look rather beautiful on it. The 3D is generally decent, although certain games ghost pretty badly. Dynasty Warriors 7 practically has two characters instead of one running around the battlefield, but Killzone 3 looks really great. The monitor supports Simulview, which uses the glasses to have two players seeing entirely different things on the screen. You can play local co-op with two players having the entire screen to themselves, thanks to the glasses filtering out what the other player can see. Sadly, this trick is restricted to only a handful of Sony titles so far.
The bundled 3D glasses aren't the most comfortable or attractive of items, certainly nowhere near as good as the Nvidia 3D Vision glasses that I'm used to. They feel quite bulky and boast some harsh, angular corners, but they get the job done.
Stereo sound has been built into the monitor, with two prominent speakers on either end. As you might expect from built-in sound, it's not very good and an exterior sound source comes highly recommended. Despite claims of an included subwoofer, games sound tinny and flat. It can get some decent volume on it, but above a certain threshold it just becomes unpleasant to listen to.
The PlayStation 3D Display has an express purpose in mind, and it fulfills that purpose adequately. It's a good looking screen that showcases 3D imagery decently enough, and the added PlayStation branding is certainly going to attract some hardcore fans. Nevertheless, with only a 24" monitor size, its audience is incredibly limited. In fact, I'd say it's limited almost exclusively to small dorm rooms or people who live in tiny, one-room apartments. For those who live in real places, the screen is entirely too small for a decent gaming experience, and certainly does a bad job of capturing a PS3 gaming experience.
Bigger isn't necessarily better, but you're never going to be able to communicate the visual majesty of Uncharted 3 on a screen this small. For the past few years, the PS3 has been about created gorgeous looking games that punch you in the face with explosions or beautiful, big environments. This monitor just cannot do those graphics justice, and I struggle to see the benefit in showing off the PS3's 3D capabilities on something that doesn't adequately exploit the 2D potential of the console.
Furthermore, there are better 3D PC monitors on the market than this one, so I would suggest saving that $500 and going for something a little more versatile. Whether you need a display for console or computer, Sony's new offering just doesn't quite have enough to make its decent price and usability worth investing in.
As I said, if you're really tight on space and want a pretty gaming display that doesn't take up much room, then the Sony PlayStation 3D Display will give you what you need in a pinch. If you have more room or you're looking for a PC monitor, then I would suggest shopping around. There are displays out there far more suited to your needs than this.
Contest:
9:20 AM on 11.21.2011 | 
because that's his job. To review things.
............
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, REVIEWS EDITOR.
Was there really a need for the asshole font? Why can't I ask why a guy who hates 3D reviews a 3D product?
Seriously, though, I can't see much of a point. For $500, you could grab yourself a 40 inch 1080p TV, more adequate for gaming than this thing will ever be. What a waste.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN40D630-40-Inch-1080p-120Hz/dp/B004SHKELG/ref=sr_1_5?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1321890011&sr=1-5
In all seriousness though. I think id rather get a 3D PC monitor.
But then, Split screen not being split would be a joy.
24 inches
100% agree it is too small to replace a TV--now it is on the small side but ok to replace a computer monitor. In the days of affordable 50" screens, this is a little puzzling. Anyway it is about the right size for a small computer monitor, so, maybe they should move it in that direction.
Something like this would make more sense if you could install Linux on your PS3, Sony.......
240Hz is impressive and maybe justifies the price but who would use it?
Did you even read the review? Jim did a damn fine job of explaining the pros and cons of it. And what kind of answer did you expect for a stupid question?
@Jim
Thanks! No remote blows, but if this goes down in price I might use it as a third monitor and replace my DVI.
It wasn't hate, it was a legitimate question. Jim Sterling doesn't like 3D. I don't know what to say, it just seemed odd to me that someone who has made a big deal about despising 3D would be reviewing a 3D display. I had no idea people would get upset about it. I withdraw my comment, I forgot we're supposed to take everything bloggers say at face value.
I got a non3d samsung monitor of 23 inches and it sold for 200 and something.
to bad developers seem to forget about this feature with most current gen games. what happened to couch co-op? split screen/same screen games? you would think with tvs being so much bigger these days this kind of stuff would be more available.
but noooo, lets just not even think about it, cause you know, online BS and all. not everyone likes to play against faceless cheating pricks, they would rather play with friends in the same room.
I'd say he probably reviewed it because he's the reviews editor and the only staff member willing to shell out the $500 to buy it.
I recently discovered THIS badboy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-gk5_ofTHc
And now I am saving my cash for that, instead.
I am now telling you for the second time this year that, as cynical as I still am of 3D, I've warmed to it as a decent little gimmick and consider it worth playing with if you have the tools to run it.
Now, if you persist for a third time, I'll drop the explanations and just call you an idiot.
Nope, we can skip straight ahead to the "idiot" part with you.
I don't find glossy screens all that aesthetic at all. They tend to get dirty, and show dirt, easily, and with dirt and dust usually comes one or two stupid scratches that never should happen from cleaning it. Overall, glossy usually also means glare, and that means squinting through it to get to your game if you can't really change the lighting set up in the room. So this screen would probably piss me off.
"Dynasty Warriors 7 practically has two characters instead of one running around the battlefield, but Killzone 3 looks really great."
Well, two characters is better the one, right? lol
And I kinda hate to say it, but of course Killzone 3 will look great -Sony made product, plays Sony made product well.
"Whether you need a display for console or computer, Sony's new offering just doesn't quite have enough to make its decent price and usability worth investing in."
Okay, so this was something I was going to ask any way: Even though I get what your saying, and there's better things out there, this display can be used to play other consoles?
I know the 2 HDMI ports suggest that but due to the Playstation branding I wasn't certain that it was intended for anything but Sony's consoles.
I could be wrong, but I very much doubt Sterling paid for this out of his own pocket. Also, it's not uncommon for editors on Destructoid to pass on reviewing something if it's not to their tastes. Sterling has done this himself. I said what I said believing that Sterling still hated 3D. Under that context, I don't think it was unreasonable to question the article.
@Jim Sterling
I don't remember such an event, but I suppose it's possible for it to be less memorable than the massive amount of anti-3D rhetoric you engaged in prior. Calling me an idiot is fine, as you seem to be into the name-calling thing. Stay classy. It means nothing.
Anyway, if you really don't hate 3D any longer, then I withdraw my own cynicism for this article. My comment was based on the many, many posts where you expressed anger that 3D is a thing.
Jim has gone on record saying he likes the 3D on the 3DS.
So I don't think he doesn't like the effect as much as the way it's been implemented, which is something that can improve given enough time.
And 3D as a thing isn't what has angered me so much as people embracing it as the future when it's actually the re-tooled past. It's a neat little toy, but treating it like the world-changer it isn't is what I find gauche.
Anyway, I am glad you can put your cynicism away ... for this thread, at least.
The ICO/Shadow of the Colossus HD set is different story. They did it right. The 3D effect for each of those games has an unbelievably drastic change to the environments. The whole experience of playing them was different from the PS2 versions. I'm hoping developers take advantage of the technology like this in the future.
Jim, in all of your copious free time, if you need to send the set back to Sony now that your review is done, I highly recommend you try ICO/SotC HD before packing it up (hopefully the 24" can do it justice)! Or, if you already have a 3D set with better dimensions... yeah.