Augmented reality is a concept that’s starting to get a lot of buzz so we wanted to take a minute to break down our history with the technology and provide a sneak peak at what could be next. There’s a popular misconception that augmented reality is just “kid’s stuff,” but with more than eight years of experience under our belt, we’ve found there’s a wide variety of compelling and cool AR experiences that everyone can enjoy. We spoke to some of our resident experts from Sony Computer Entertainment R&D and Product Development to get their take on augmented reality through our platforms.

Back in 2003, when smartphones, tablet PCs, and even decent webcams were far from mainstream, we launched EyeToy on PlayStation 2, which included our first foray into augmented reality. Back then it was the only way to see yourself on-screen interacting with virtual objects in real-time. We then brought that unique experience to a portable level on PSP. With games such as Invizimals or EyePet , mobility was a key element as the PSP camera turned the entire world around you into a game.

PlayStation 3 gave us a significant leap in image processing and, coupled with PlayStation Eye, enabled AR games such as The Eye of Judgment. Last year’s launch of PlayStation Move on PS3 brought titles like EyePet and Start the Party, which added ultra-precise movement recognition to the augmented reality experience, enabling you to interact with virtual objects on-screen using the PS Move motion controller.

We’re no stranger to innovation and every so often we’re able to create an experience that changes the way you think about games. At this year’s Game Developers Conference , we showed off demos of augmented reality on NGP—our Next Generation Portable device . NGP builds on our experience with augmented reality over the years with PlayStation 2/EyeToy, PSP, and PS3/PlayStation Move. With front and rear cameras that combine real-time images of you and your environment, a brilliant 5-inch multi-touch OLED screen and rear multi-touch pad, internal motion sensors, and dual analog sticks, NGP offers new ways to interact that will change the way you think about augmented reality games… and possibly even change the way you think about reality.

What do you think about augmented reality? Do you have an idea for the next killer app for augmented reality? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Attention all Pet lovers, EyePet™ & Friends is coming to your homes later this year!

I’m excited to announce the return of EyePet later this year and this time he’s got company. Be prepared for living rooms across the country to be turned upside-down, as not just one but two cheeky EyePets arrive on the scene. And they’re eager to be welcomed into your family!

Raise two on your own or together with a friend, let them hatch together or see first how you can handle one of the mischievous fur balls first – the choice is yours, but don’t forget that two EyePets born together may form a stronger bond with each other.

Being a pet owner comes with responsibilities and so each EyePet requires care and interaction. Use your PlayStation Move controller to nurture, train and play with your playmates to keep them happy and healthy.

Of course, creativity in play is also important. In the new EyePet, there’s a whole new world of customisable fun to be had: Need a new toy to keep your furry friend entertained or a new outfit for a special occasion? No problem! Head over to the Creativity Centre where you’ll be able to expand the world you and your EyePets live in as you use your PlayStation Move controller to create and customise your very own content.

Whatever you get up to, your efforts will be rewarded. Every moment spend nurturing, playing or completing challenges will earn you EyePet Tokens which can be spend in the in-game Pet Store to unlock exciting additional content!

And that’s not everything: After a day filled with playtime and caring for your furry friends, you can show off your pet’s adventures and achievements online or lean back and relax as you connect with other EyePet owners to swap tips and tricks on how to get the best out of your cheeky new family members.

Look out for EyePet™ & Friends, out later this year!

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Firstly let me introduce myself to those of you who don’t know me. My name is David Kempshall, I’m the Brand Manager for Virtua Tennis 4 and I have worked on the game since the original version launched on arcade machines across the world in 1999. This is the first of a series of blogs about Virtua Tennis 4, which is out on April 29th, but I’d like to start with a few words about the big earthquake that hit Japan on March 11.

Everybody over here deeply appreciates your concern and consideration for us. Things have still not gotten back to normal and areas around Tokyo are suffering from planned outages due to electricity shortages, but we are doing our very best to deliver Virtua Tennis 4 to you.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy the game when it’s released!

Today’s blog is geared up to tell you all about what’s new for Virtua Tennis 4 on the PlayStation 3; there’s a host of new features including PlayStation Move compatibility, a brand new World Tour and online centre, plus plenty of others.

However, I’m happy to announce that on the PlayStation 3 VT fans can expect some extra exclusive content not available on other platforms, and today is where we’ll tell you a little bit more about this.

Firstly, the game features legend players for anyone wanting to relive some classic tennis moments. On the PS3, you’ll be able to get your hands on Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Pat Rafter, who will be exclusive and playable from the moment you load up the game.
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Greetings from the fabulous Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, CA, where we are in the middle of Insomniac’s 3rd Annual Community Day. Over the course of today, we have been letting fans get hands-on with Resistance 3 and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. We’ve also been showing all sorts of cool demos and Q&As that we will be producing to bring you in the form of Full Moon Show podcasts in the coming weeks.

That said, today we are finally able reveal, due to overwhelming community demand, that Resistance 3 will support Stereoscopic 3D. Furthermore, for those of you who are enjoying the precision of the PlayStation Move motion controller with your copies of Killzone 3 and the SOCOM: Special Forces Beta, you will be delighted to know that Resistance 3 will also support Move and the sharp shooter. After KZ3 launched, we heard a massive amount of positive feedback, and were inundated with requests to support both Move and sharp shooter, so we’re glad to be able to finally confirm the news.

As you can see, our founder Ted Price and Resistance 3 Creative Director Marcus Smith are so pumped that they found 3D glasses and grabbed sharp shooters to pose for a photo (though we had to remind them that they need the cool high-tech stereoscopic 3D glasses to actually play, not those old “red-blue” ones).

Resistance 3 hits your 3DTV in September, so have your sharp shooter ready! In the meantime, if you want to hear about all the latest happenings at our community day, follow us on Twitter, (search for #InsomniacGames for some live contests!) like us on Facebook or check out eu.playstation.com for the latest news on R3. We’ll be posting audio and video from the event in the weeks to come, so keep checking in for all the latest.

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This is Alexey Menshikov (Beatshapers) and Andriy Sharanevych (TastyPlay). We are excited to introduce StarDrone, a game designed with a perfect blend of high-speed physics and pinball action, with strategic elements of break-out and object collection. From a top-down perspective, you pilot the spacecraft across the galaxy, collecting pieces of Equilibrix in order to restore the balance of the universe and stop the expansion of evil G-Noids. To add to the challenging gameplay, your spacecraft is always in motion and you don’t have any direct control over it, only a grapple-hook which you can use to push and pull your craft into the orbit of specific nodes located all over the game field.

Cause your attackers to crash with rapid speed while collecting gems and power-up enhancements. Overcome perilous hazards and elude zillions of enemies in an effort to complete each stage with a record score. With simple gesture controls and unique, intuitive gameplay mechanics, StarDrone is friendly to beginners, at the same time challenging enough to bring you back for more and more.

The game is created for PlayStation Move motion controller, but it plays well on both the DualShock 3 and PlayStation Move controllers. However, Sony’s motion controller is the more precise method of control, where you are pointing at specific node with an on-screen cursor and pressing the Move button to hook onto it.

With 50+ levels of gameplay (each has own leaderboards with friends filter) and global scoreboards, you can engage in intergalactic battles with people from all over the world, and the 3D-TV support coming via upcoming game update gives StarDrone a level of realism not found in other titles.

StarDrone is available now from the European PlayStation Stores for £6.29. PlayStation Plus subscribers can purchase the game at 50% discount.

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