Sony working on a 3D camera for consumers

The camera, details of which Sony is keeping secret, will make up part of a family products that it will use to try and persuade users to adopt 3D technology.

"I cannot tell the details but we are now developing a 3D type of product," said Masashi Imamura, president of Sony's personal imaging and sound business group, in an interview on the sidelines of the Camera and Photo Imaging Expo in Yokohama.

Spearheaded by a belief that 3D is the next big thing in television, Sony is getting behind the technology in a big way and CEO Howard Stringer is pushing the entire company to develop complementary products.

Sony's first 3D televisions were launched earlier this week and are due on sale worldwide from June. At about the same time it plans to release an update for the PlayStation 3 console that will add support for 3D games and Blu-ray Disc movies. Sony has also said it is working on a Vaio laptop with 3D capability.

Its professional content creation division has already developed 3D TV cameras and satellite trucks and is working with broadcasters on launching 3D channels. It is eyeing the upcoming FIFA World Cup as a way to promote 3D and will film using the technology.