April 30, 2007 - Sony Computer Entertainment America last week announced a USB camera dedicated to PlayStation 3 social gaming. Equipped with video and audio capabilities, the PlayStation Eye camera is scheduled to be released this summer.
“With the release of PlayStation Eye we will be able to dramatically enhance the consumer’s PS3 experience,” said Richard Marks of Sony Computer Entertainment America research and development in an April 26 press release. “Beyond audio/video chat and the ability to save videos to your PS3 hard drive, PlayStation Eye opens up a whole new world of entertainment options and adds a new dimension to games across multiple genres.”
The new PlayStation Eye is based on the EyeToy USB for PlayStation 2. Users can directly connect the camera to a PS3 hard drive via a USB 2.0 connection and engage in gaming without the additional use of a headset, according to the release.
The PlayStation Eye has zoom abilities, allowing users to shoot close-up or full body video at 320x240 at 120 fps or 640x480 at 60 fps. Users can also choose uncompressed or compressed JPEG video settings. The PS3 camera has a microphone with noise reduction and can operate in low-light settings.
“The sophistication of PlayStation Eye naturally complements the advanced features and capabilities of PS3 – all in one intelligently designed, unobtrusive unit,” stated the release.
