Hi, Tom Di Nome from Sony, here at Muvico Theatres in Rosemont, Ill., one of the four sites taking part in a unique series of events bringing together gaming and digital cinema. The new PS3 game, "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves," won't hit store shelves until Oct. 13, but last night a select group of press and gaming industry VIPs got a chance to try it out first during multi-player tournaments projected on the big screen using Sony 4K digital cinema projection. Tonight is round two, open to the general public for a $15 admission fee. The 8.8 million-pixel projectors put up resolution 4 times greater than the HDTV in your home, so it's unlike anything gamers or movie-goers have ever experienced in theaters.
But the incredible resolution is just one part of the story.. For Sony and the participating theaters, it's an interesting pilot program to test the potential of alternative content. That means any type of content – other than a motion picture – that can be shown in a theater. For the theater owners, alternative content such as gaming, or sports or music events, gives them a chance to fill their auditorium during nights that are traditionally slower for movie showings. 3D simulcasts of NFL and college football games has worked, and 3D music concerts have drawn crowds to the multiplex; now the curtain is being raised on gaming. About two-thirds of movie-going audiences is under age 30, which is also a prime age demographic for gamers, too, so in-theater gaming seems a natural fit.
Judging from the brisk advance ticket sales – and the enthusiasm of the crowd here tonight, the idea looks to be on the right track.
The other 4K theaters are Landmark Embarcadero, San Francisco, Calif.; Muvico Theaters, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; and Lincoln Square Cinemas, Bellevue, Wash. And this is just the start.
Look for gaming coming to a theater near you – soon.