Sony has announced a new accessory for its PlayStation 3 console that is designed to improve and enhance in-game communication.

Scheduled for a summer release in Europe and the U.S , PLAYSTATION Eye captures voice, offers video chat functions and enhances online gaming for the Playstation 3 game console.

The device is equipped with a sophisticated microphone with the ability to reduce background noise and focus on the spoken word for smoother, more accurate speech recognition and transfer. It captures videos and audio clips directly to the PS3's hard disk drive and promises good performance even in low-light conditions Its two zoom otions can be used for close-up and full body captions, while the bundled EyeCreate editing software allows users to save and edit photos, video and audio clips.

Pricing information for the Eye has not yet been disclosed.

Technical Specifications:

- 4 channel audio input:16 bits/channel, 48kHz, SNR 90db
- 56? to 75? Field of View zoom lens
- 2.1 F-stop, <1% distortion, fixed focus (25cm to 8 at 75? FOV)
- 640 x 480 at 60 frames/second
- 320 x 240 at 120 frames/second
- USB2 high-speed data transfer
- Uncompressed video or optional JPEG compression