High definition graphics and trading cards from Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast, are being offered for interaction between consumers and PS3. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) has released its new THE EYE OF JUDGMENT, exclusively for PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system.

Developed in collaboration with Wizards Of The Coast, a Hasbro subsidiary, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT introduces a new concept in trading card games to provide a visually stunning experience that adds a third dimension to the genre. Paired with PLAYSTATION Network, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT allows collectable trading card gamers to compete in battles not only with their friends at home, but with online opponents from across the globe.

Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, JAPAN, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT presents a new style of gameplay where collectable trading cards are placed in front of the PLAYSTATION(R)Eye for their respective creatures to battle on screen. Each trading card is embedded with a CyberCode, a proprietary technology that allows PLAYSTATION Eye to read the cards and cause the trading card character to materialize on screen. Players use mana, the form of currency used to summon creatures, as they take turns strategically placing cards and summoning creatures to take control of the board. The winner is the first player to conquer five of the nine squares of the "9 Fields" battle mat.

With more than 100 different trading cards available at launch, the gamer’s task is to create a deck of 30 cards that will facilitate the player’s rule of the board as they deploy their cards more skillfully than their opponent. Jeff Reese, director, software marketing, SCEA remarked, "Wizards of the Coast brings experience and credibility to the table as the market leader in the collectable card game industry. Combined with the immense power of PS3 and the new PLAYSTATION Eye camera, we collectively looked to deliver a revolutionary spin on the trading card game genre. The ability to visually interact with cards built around a new franchise will bring in core trading card fans and video gamers alike."

THE EYE OF JUDGMENT presents a means for players to interact with opponents, never before offered to collectable card gamers. In addition to giving consumers the opportunity to compete with other players physically in the traditional manner, consumers now have the ability to challenge PS3 or battle opponents in the global community via PLAYSTATION Network, an advantage for trading card gamers looking for a worthy opponent. For the first time, players can take their physical set of cards and play a trading card game head-to-head as well as solo against five different levels of AI, or log onto PLAYSTATION Network and find a match from anywhere across the globe, anytime they wish. With a retail price of $69.99 MSRP, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT will be bundled with PLAYSTATION Eye, 9 Fields battle mat, stand, a starter deck of 30 cards, and a booster pack of 8 cards.

More than 100 different collectable characters and spells will be available in additional booster packs and in pre-constructed decks with cards varying from common to uncommon to rare and ultra rare. Major retail chains will offer the booster packs for a suggested retail price of $3.99 and five different theme decks for approximately $14.99. Expansion sets featuring hundreds of new characters and spells will be available on a regular basis, offering new challenges and thousands of combinations for players to build and customize their perfect deck.

Christy Newton, Director of Marketing at Hasbro added, "The release of THE EYE OF JUDGMENT is a fantasy come true for trading card and video game fans. The game blends cutting edge PS3 and PLAYSTATION Eye technology with the strategic element of trading card game play. It delivers an unprecedented experience that brings fantastic trading-card based creatures to life on screen in a way that players have been dreaming of since childhood."

THE EYE OF JUDGMENT takes place in a war struck land where elves, wizards, dragons, and other magical beings populate the nations of Fire, Wood, Earth and Water. Long ago advances in sorcery and science lead to the invention of Summoning Cards and were then employed as weapons of war. The cards contain a powerful magic that binds the memory of remarkable beings and momentous events into their mystic circuitry. When a trained summoner channels mana through the card, the memory is given life. The fighting between the nations continued for years until one day, ancient tools created by man, the Bioliths, began a concentrated attack on the living, throwing the nations of Fire, Wood, Earth, and Water into further chaos. The player yields the power of the cards as a summoner to restore order to the land.

Designed specifically for PS3 and featuring huge advances in USB camera and microphone technology, PLAYSTATION Eye is set to revolutionize the experience of both interactive gaming and online communication on PLAYSTATION Network. Expanding on the market-leading heritage of EyeToy  USB camera for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the sophistication of PLAYSTATION Eye naturally complements the advanced features and capabilities of PS3. PLAYSTATION Eye offers an all-new four microphone array, incorporating multidirectional voice location tracking, enhanced echo canceling and background noise suppression which allows for clear audio chat in even the noisiest environments. It also features a frame rate of up to 120 frames per second which allows for super-smooth video and sophisticated low light operations so that the rooms don’t need to be brightly lit.

In addition, SCEA will make the EyeCreate software available for download for free via PLAYSTATION Network. EyeCreate is a video capturing and editing program for exclusive use with PLAYSTATION 3 and PLAYSTATION Eye. For more information on EyeCreate, please visit: www.us.playstation.com/eyecreate The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated THE EYE OF JUDGMENT "T" for "Teen."

For more information, please visit: www.us.playstation.com.