PlayStation Eye Due in Late October

Sony has announced its PlayStation Eye accessory for the PS3 will land at retailers in late October with the game The Eye of Judgment for $69.99.

Sony Computer Entertainment announced a series of planned peripheral devices for its PlayStation 3 game console last spring, but so far the company hasn’t made any firm commitments about bringing them to market. No more: today, the company confirmed that its PlayStation Eye digital video camera accessory for the PlayStation 3 will be available at North American retailers in late October, shipping with the card-based fantasy combat gam The Eye of Judgment at a suggested price of $69.99.

Initially scheduled to be released during the “summer,” the PlayStation Eye is a USB-powered accessory for the PS3 combining a noise-canceling microphone and a video camera for video chat and other online sharing capabilities. The PlayStation Eye can manage frame rates of up to 120 fps at 320 by 240 resolution (60 fps at 640 by 480), supports either a 56° or 75° field of view depending on zoom level, and supports both uncompressed and JPEG-compressed images. The microphone array features four mics for multidimensional voice trackng and echo cancellation so users can enjoy clear audio without needing to wear a headset.

Sony originally planned to ship the PlayStation Eye with EyeCreate editing software, enabling users to edit and save images, videos, and audio clips to the PS3’s hard drive, as well as apply effects (such as time lapse and slow motion). However, Sony hasn’t indicated whether The Eye of Judgment will include EyeCreate, or whether the software will only be available once the camera debuts as a standalone accessory.

The Eye of Judgment combines online video gaming with trading-card based games. Players place their collectible cards in front of the PlayStation Eye while playing, and the cards are “brought to life” in the game. Players take turns vying to control five of the game’s nine fields of battle. The game features online and in-person multi-person play, as well as single player modes.