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PS3 Blu-ray 3D playback landing Tuesday

After some delays, Sony is offering a free software update to create 3D Blu-ray playback for the PlayStation 3.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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Don Reisinger
CNET

3D playback for Blu-ray discs is making its way to the PlayStation 3 on Tuesday, Sony said in a blog post yesterday.

The ability to play 3D Blu-ray films will be included in software version 3.50, which will be available as a free download.

Sony first announced PS3 3D Blu-ray playback at CES in January. The functionality was initially expected to be released over the summer. Earlier this month, Sony CEO Howard Stringer said it would be coming to his company's console in October.

Sony pointed out in its blog post that "all 38 million PS3s worldwide" will be able to handle Blu-ray 3D discs. Of course, you'll still need to own a 3D TV for this announcement to matter.

Currently, 3D is in its infancy. Studios have been slow to release 3D titles because of the small market.

Sony, which is heavily invested in the 3D TV market, undoubtedly hopes that studios will be enticed by the prospect of 38 million PS3s supporting 3D content and thus will decide to release more content for the technology.

With the addition of 3D Blu-ray playback, Sony has completed its 3D integration of the PlayStation 3. In April, the company released software version 3.3, which allowed the console to work with 3D games.