If you didn't already know, you'll soon learn that the PlayStation Eye is one nifty little gadget. A lot more information has come to light concerning the Eye, thanks to a post by Sarah Stocker, SCEA Sr. Producer, over at the official PlayStation blog.
In case you didn't know, the PlayStation Eye will be available as a standalone item in addition to coming bundled with the Eye of Judgment game. If you want to pick it up, you're in for quite the treat, too, because the Eye is essentially the adult version of the now out-of-date EyeToy. We'll let Sarah tell you about the differences-
"For a start, PlayStation Eye was engineered from the onset to perform well in low-light conditions. It also has a 2-setting zoom lens (normal and wide angle) with fixed focus. What does that mean? Well, a lot less fussing around than previous cameras. PlayStation Eye gets a sharp, clear picture at 640 x 480 resolution at 60 frames per second (at 320 x 240 it looks even better at 120 fps)! It picks up image and motion in varying light conditions and doesn’t need your help to focus."
That's enough reason right there to check it out, but oh, there's more. Those of you who wish to utilize the Eye for online functionality will get their chance; it features a built-in four-way microphone that lets you participate in online AV chat and in-game voice chat. Best of all, Stocker says we won't be forced to lean over a mic – thereby interrupting our play – but we can enjoy this new feature in a "natural environment." In other words, this mic easily picks up your voice and "really does do away with the need for a headset."
Your voice will come through very clearly, and the Eye also boasts twice the frame rate than most standard cameras, so it's not like your typical webcam. In this way, the unit can handle a great deal more information at once, thereby "allowing for faster and more natural tracking, responsiveness and smoothness." And all of this is just the beginning, as Sony plans to develop future (and free) content for the PlayStation Store that would utilize the Eye "in really innovative ways." Finally, Stocker talks about the EyeCreate Software, which will be a free download and lets users "save, edit and share your PlayStation Eye videos, photos and audio clips – all through your PS3."
The PlayStation Eye is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing accessories of the new generation, and we can't wait to get a look at it. It will come with Eye of Judgment , as we said before, but the unit itself will become available on October 23 and will have a price tag of $39.99.