PS3 Eye camera coming this summer

Next generation of the EyeToy will ship in the US and Europe simultaneously with photo-editing software.

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The PlayStation 2's EyeToy, a camera peripheral for Sony's console, was originally launched in 2003 and spawned a number of titles that let users control gameplay in nontraditional ways. The camera and built-in mic picked up hand motions, movement, and sound and projected this information into the game itself.

Now Sony has announced a follow-up, the Eye, for the PlayStation 3. It will offer a number of improvements on the original, including a faster frame rate of 120 frames per second, a microphone array which reduces background noise, the ability to use the camera in low-light conditions, and a two-position zoom lens enabling both close-up and full-body views.

The USB camera will come bundled with EyeCreate editing software, which will enable users to save and edit photos as well as audio and video clips.

Sony Computer Entertainment America researcher and developer Richard Marks--who devised the original idea for the EyeToy--commented, "With the release of PlayStation Eye we will be able to dramatically enhance the consumer's PS3 experience. 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."

Eye has not yet been priced and is set for release in Europe and the US this summer.

288 Comments

  • ps360fan

    Posted May 7, 2008 11:35 am PT

    kamicolo this is great news, i prefer the name eyetoy not Playstation Eye>>>

    Playstation Eye does sound a bit creepy and big brotherish if you ask me.

  • sir_pickle

    Posted Oct 1, 2007 5:41 pm PT

    This is the best thing for Sony!

  • theKSMM

    Posted May 7, 2007 3:30 pm PT

    I'm not surprised that they are trying to release this before Home comes out. This will be a natural way to get your image onto your virtual self, no doubt.

    A/V chatting in games might be nice, but I suppose it depends on how well it is implemented.

  • HardCor1981

    Posted May 7, 2007 6:32 am PT

    120 fps!?! That's twice as good as any game out right now. That's fairly impressive to me. I personally can't wait for this...I thought the Eye Toy was cool, but was dissapointed when there weren't any games targeting my age - 25. I would love to see the EYE incoroprate "Props" and then you become the character in a game (holding a light gun, for example). This time around, it seems like the technology is on par with the potential for those types of games. I hope Sony doesn't forget the demographic that is paying for these $600 systems and brings us some awesome games that can utilize this peripheral.

  • capthunt

    Posted Apr 30, 2007 6:22 am PT

    lol consoles

  • xatman911

    Posted Apr 28, 2007 12:09 pm PT

    They could make it look better like the ps3. Sleek and aerodynamic not some ugly looking contraption. But still there is Sony's answer to Wii motion controller. I hope...

  • m-m-f

    Posted Apr 28, 2007 10:38 am PT

    U Gooooooooooooo PSEYE

  • GrimBee

    Posted Apr 28, 2007 4:57 am PT

    You know what irritates me about the eye-toy... I was under the impression for the last two years that the ps3 was going to be an absolute power-house.
    I was expecting graphics which looked like a movie. I mean, sony slated the 360 as being too underpowered compared to the ps3... so after seeing gears of war I was like "NO WAY! Ps3 is going to be better than THIS?!".

    My meaning ~ I would rather the ps3 render a virtual ME, rather than just show me on the tv... Take a pic of me and render me in 3d - THEN i will be impressed.

    The idea of a ps3 is that its supposed to be in a fair sized livingroom, big sound. Point of wireless is so you dont sit too close to the tv, and its dangerous for your eyes to sit close to a tv which is over 32".

    This is no land of 15" portable tvs, eyetoy was made to sit on top of those, and you then jump around a bit and interact with games that way. Who the heck wants to sit wirelessly and play mgs on a massive tv half way across the room, to then have to get up and stand infront of the tv and jump around?

    HEH- and everyone was moaning about the wii being too "interactive"...

    And yeah, mic on the camera is a DULL idea.

    Does anyone know if this camera moves and tracks where you move? If it doesnt do that - how the heck is this next-generation?? Moving cameras are the tech right now.
    Eyetoy was great, for the ps2. But I just can't see how this will work for the ps3.

    And eye of judgement? dont you have to have the camera set above the floor, looking down? Like to see the rig for that game!!

    If this camera can take a high-def pic of me (uh... whole point of hdmi right guys?) and then render my face in 3d (maybe to use in the ps3 home) that would be freaking sweet, I would pay for that...

    But if the camera can't track your movements, is not high-resolution (I would think that would be an important factor here!!!)... whats the point?

  • Nasimul

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 4:48 pm PT

    coool....

  • bubnux

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 12:24 pm PT

    Why do I need a mic on my camera, that's what the headset is for. Kinda ugly, oh well, hopefully $ony uses it for more than those stupid eyetoy games, like how about ripping off the 360 dashboard background with water effect etc... Oh ya, the duck from E3...

  • quickhhh

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 12:05 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 11:09 am PT

    Looks ugly
    I will never buy a camera for 360/PS-3

  • lordshodan

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 10:51 am PT

    That's really cool now I can't wait to see new Eye of Judgement (card game that generate monsters) and Eyedentify which might bring gaming to a new level. Again this is either a hit or miss.

  • kamicolo

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 9:38 am PT

    this is great news, i prefer the name eyetoy not Playstation Eye

  • TTDog

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 8:37 am PT

    "drangel_jam: EAT THAT MS!!! One thing I hate about MS is that it feels like they are stuck on the mediocre. The Vision Cam, is nothing comparing to the PS3's EyeToy."

    I find it hard to see how anyone can really rate the Eye when the only information we have is what Sony themselves have given out, they also promised "Toy Story Quality Graphics" for the PS2 (never appearred) and "4D Graphics" for the PS3. Sony are hardly a good source for accurate information/claims about their own products.

  • fireboy666

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 8:28 am PT

    it looks badass. i was wondering when they were going to make a ps3 eyetoy.

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 8:19 am PT

    --drangel_jam --

    LOL...high quality web cam?

    My cell phone has better capabilities then this...the improvement over the original eye-toy is it now does 120 frames at the same resolution and comes with a noise reduction mic (again...how will this work worth anything in my living room)?

    Yes this is clearly not mediocre...this is half-decade old junk.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~
    "With the release of PlayStation Eye we will be able to dramatically enhance the consumer's PS3 experience"

    See...they know we got nothing to do with our PS3's at the moment...so watching ourselves will be an improvement.

  • drangel_jam

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 8:12 am PT

    EAT THAT MS!!! One thing I hate about MS is that it feels like they are stuck on the mediocre. The Vision Cam, is nothing comparing to the PS3's EyeToy. MS needs to start releasing more quality, because at the end of the they, people will back it up--developers and users.

  • Waskallywabbit

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 8:03 am PT

    Does anyone actually use camera devices like this that often? I guess I don't see the practical use for everyday gaming.

  • Khoo1992

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 8:03 am PT

    depends

  • SENoLimits

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 7:58 am PT

    Worth It.
    1) for games
    2) Use as high quality webcam for computer
    webcam quality= better than most webcam that are over 50 dollars

  • randyynot

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 7:42 am PT

    Dont trust sony... They always show things NICER than they actually are.... (* *)

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 6:31 am PT

    I have a 50" HDTV sit 8 feet back with 5.1 DTS sound...explain to me how the mic is going to work.

    ...I guess they had to include it cause we all know maybe 1:10 of us have headsets to use...

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 6:26 am PT

    this is a weak-sauce peripheral.

  • Kiemoe

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 6:23 am PT

    Don't knock it just yet, guys. Go check out some of the Eye videos, and then make your decision. I know that I am definitely going to get it ( Lets just hope they don't make another hoverboard game lol)

  • enoslives7

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 6:06 am PT

    If its more than 39.99, I would'nt touch it.

  • goosebumpsfreak

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 4:59 am PT

    Gonna buy....

  • GrimBee

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 3:39 am PT

    I hoped eye-toy was LAST generation...

    I mean, take this for example -

    The old generation was populated by non-flat plasma tv's. Commercially the eye-toy could fit on any tv set.
    Today, people have tv's hung on a wall!!! And they have their tv large enough that the whole point they want a next gen console is because they can sit as far back as they like, wirelessly.

    If you have a large tv (which is what next gen consoles are made for, imo) in your livingroom - you are going to set an ugly eye-toy on top of it?
    They should call it the eye-sore... lol

    The whole point of the ps3 is supposed to be STYLE, the ps3 is supposed to sit in with your nice homecinema hdtv setup... that portion of the market will never want to put an eye-sore ontop of their stream-lined hdtv setup.

    XBOX 360 has an ok chance, because of the pc geeks and all that who like the xbox live communication and all that which comes with the camera, you can set the camera where you like.

    But with the eye-toy, its designed to track motions and play games with...

    What the heck is the point of the sixaxis then? Isn't that supposed to track your movements?
    Thats like the wii having its own camera which tracks movements....


    Eye-toy imo is completely made for last generation. I mean, the reason why they came up with the sixaxis is to get rid of "that" kind of motion sensor technology, Kaz hirai said "its all about action, not re-action"..( whatever that means).

    Even though the camera is pretty small - I just think that a camera in this generation should be used for communications, not gaming - the sixaxis is supposed to "revolutionize" that.
    If developers make good games for it, this means the total price of a ps3 is going to be massive, what with the purchase of a camera - aswell as the console itself.

    Sony should of DEFINATELY shipped the camera with the console - that would be a good idea i think.

  • anarchicgoth

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 2:02 am PT

    wow it looks retarded! Crappy games insue- just face it camera control of games just really isnt that good- i only have my 360 camera for Uno and Video Chat nothing more...

  • onlineps2player

    Posted Apr 27, 2007 12:33 am PT

    that's cool !

  • Navick

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 11:42 pm PT

    cant freakin wait!

  • kappareign

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 11:15 pm PT

    looks neat... hope its not too pricey

  • Pablo620

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 10:46 pm PT

    Nice but has its motion sensing and such been advanced further than that of the EyeToy...meh im buying either way

  • DeadBullet

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 10:37 pm PT

    And for god's sake what is that thing... a freakin razor??

  • DeadBullet

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 10:33 pm PT

    This is why I don't want a ps3, if it would have good games, good hardware, and a REASONABLE price of (400 bucks) a certain buy, but o well.

  • rbrtchng1

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 10:24 pm PT

    note to matt, PS3 has some good games in the works, you need to be patient.

  • sil_musashi

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 10:22 pm PT

    you guys said that this is a ripped-off product from 360? I'm sorry, 360 ripped off from Ps2 LOL.

    Anyway, I hope this will be great for Eye of Judgement. I wanna play that game and tournament online they are gonna make.

  • matttrd

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 9:24 pm PT

    Note to Sony; we need good games not useless peripherals.

  • Latinbro1

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 9:19 pm PT

    i'm sure the vision cam was being design around the same time as well.

  • Latinbro1

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 9:18 pm PT

    just FYI the eyetoy for the ps3 had been in dev since 2005

    http://www.ps3focus.com/archives/131

  • mac24

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 9:08 pm PT

    Cyphenx

    "Wait? So they're ripping off of the competition again? I know that the original Eye Toy came before the 3660 Vision Cam, but Vision was the one that introduced all of the spiffy features, and now Sony's gonna rip-em-off again. Boo."

    In the great world of capitalism, the PS3 camera is simply a product trying to get ahead of the competition by trying to surpass the other product. The PS3 Eye Camera tries to improve on the Xbox 360 camera, which, by itself, tried to improve on the Eyetoy, which in turn, tried to implement console features on an otherwise PC camera. It's an economic version of evolution, my friend. If everyone were to apply YOUR logic to everything else, then the PS3, Xbox 360, and all other consoles that uses a laser to read a disc would be a "blatant rip-off" of Sega CD on the simple notion that it uses the same technology. And oh, Xbox 360 would be a rip-off since it "copied" the idea of a console capable of standing on its side from the PS2.

  • Pacemen2

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 9:03 pm PT

    this is the ugliest thing ive ever seen. jag sony.

  • Mortal_Days

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 9:01 pm PT

    This is gonna be great! Good job Sony! -Mortal Days.

  • Valen_Ca

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 8:32 pm PT

    Add motion tracking then I will be interested, until then I see no point to hooking a glorified webcam up to a console

  • CyphenX

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 8:20 pm PT

    Wait? So they're ripping off of the competition again? I know that the original Eye Toy came before the 3660 Vision Cam, but Vision was the one that introduced all of the spiffy features, and now Sony's gonna rip-em-off again. Boo.

    And yes, I'll admit to being biased, but this is still cheesy

  • alpha11123

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 7:48 pm PT

    i wonder how much theyre gonna over-price it like everything else.

  • goodemon

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 7:21 pm PT

    yeah but you can use the PS2 camera as well. if you have the camera attachment that came with Eye toy kinetic, youll get a crisp image

  • xophaser

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 6:56 pm PT

    Conference type call and some yahoo's webcam features and I might look into it.

  • i2889a

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 6:47 pm PT

    check short video of demo cell+eyetoy:
    http://www.ps3focus.com/archives/131

  • Bartz_Has_Bite

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 6:24 pm PT

    Can I just use my PS2 one?

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