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3D GAMING Does gaming need 3D?


Some say it’s a fad, others the evolution of gaming – but what place does 3D really have in the industry? James Batchelor asks experts where they stand on the third dimension


3D TECHNOLOGY in the home has yet to achieve mass penetration in any sector.


Sales of compatible TVs may be increasing, but they have yet to claim a majority of households. Similarly, the number of 3D films in cinemas is on the rise, but has yet to become the standard.


Simon Benson, Senior Development Manager,


Developer


3D Team – SCEE If you are a soldier, professional


sportsperson or surgeon, it is likely that you need 3D vision to do your job. To simulate their real-world activities, 3D visuals are typically essential and so professional simulators have utilised stereoscopic 3D for many years. 3D can greatly increase visual immersion – possibly more so than the transition from SD to HD gaming. The significant benefits that 3D adds to gaming also makes it a key driver for 3DTV uptake. Currently 3DTVs are widely available and apparently selling faster than HDTVs were at the same point in their lifecycle – which is even more significant given economic issues. Let’s not forget though, that 3D gaming is still in its infancy. As a result there are plenty of opportunities to innovate and deliver groundbreaking experiences that naturally attract lots of interest and publicity.


And for all the investment the industry has made, 3D gaming has yet to establish itself as the rule rather than the exception. Nintendo made perhaps the greatest advance in 2011 with the launch of the 3DS, while Sony will up the ante this year with the release of a 3D games monitor.


Microsoft remains steadfastly neutral about the whole affair, but has made the Xbox 360 3D ready and added stereoscopic modes to Gears of War 3 and Halo Anniversary. Even third-party publishers offer a 3D mode in titles such as Batman: Arkham City, Sonic Generationsand Battlefield 3– but other compatible


releases are


few and far between. Previously, MCVhas discussed what it will take for the masses to embrace 3D, but perhaps the more pressing question is whether or not demand for the technology even exists.


that gaming is peculiarly appropriate for the sense of form, relation and volume that the effect at its best can yield.


Lee Kirton,


Marketing Director, Namco Bandai Partners


Publisher


3D has been around for a very long time


Journalist


Alex Wiltshire, Online Editor, Edge This isn’t about the industry needing it. Arguments about the technology driving TV


and hardware sales in a saturated marketplace are for suited execs. No, this is about the games themselves needing 3D. Since 3DS’ release I’ve begun to feel a deep affection for stereoscopic 3D.


www.mcvuk.com


It started with experiencing Ghost Recon: Shadow War’s playfield as if it’s a little model with toy soldiers. It continued by


enjoying the sense of space in Star Fox 64 3D. It grew by better appreciating Link’s relationship with his world in Zelda:Ocarina Of Time 3D. And by Super Mario 3D Landand Pullblox, the effect had become an indelible part of the game. So much so, in fact, that I genuinely missed it in Skyward Sword. Few companies get 3D like Nintendo does. And I’m still not prepared to both invest in the new TV and wear the glasses – it’s up to manufacturers to make all that worthwhile. But the titles specifically crafted for 3DS prove


3D can greatly increase visual immersion – possibly more so than the transition from SD to HD.


Simon Benson, SCEE January 27th 2012 23


Nintendo 3DS and some of its biggest titles have been hailed as a significant step forward for 3D gaming


and in some cases I really do like it. I enjoy the 3D experience in some gaming genres but not in others. I think it depends on the experience itself and what you want from it. I treat 3D as an event. I do enjoy playing the 3DS and the feeling that it delivers and I’ve also enjoyed many current gen games in 3D.


I’ve yet to get immersed in the home entertainment 3D and Sky 3D but I really do put that down to individual tastes.


Overall, it’s good to have it available in gaming and it’s down to personal choice in the end as to what each gamer or movie fan wants. For me, it depends on what the product is.


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