Stereoscopic 3D Gaming: Do you want it?

from Demigod Forums

With the Nintendo 3DS set to unleash glassess-free Stereoscopic 3D Gaming to the masses in March, and high profile games like Crysis 2, Gran Turismo 5 and Call of Duty: Black Ops all containing the option for Stereoscopic 3D, stereoscopic gaming is set to be the next "Lens Flaire".

Recently, Toshiba annouced that they're set to release a glasses-free stereoscopic 3D television that is viewable from any angle.  This development removes the largest hurdles many have with the adoption of stereoscopic 3D at home; the requirement for everyone to wear glasses and the limited range of vision.  The last hurdle remaining is still the biggest; the head-ache-inducing effect that stereoscopic has on a portion of the population.

I can't say I've ever seen a thread or heard a discussion about gamers demanding stereoscopic visuals for their games.  In fact, from my observations, the only real voice being heard on the issue are Publishers and Developers who believe stereoscopic visuals are what the market is clamoring for.  Ubisoft is so confident of the adoption rate of stereoscopic visuals, they've claimed that everyone will have a 3D TV in their home by 2013 and are preparing for that level of demand.

Now, when I saw Avatar - which was my first '3D' movie - I was simply flawed; the visual presentation was simply out of this world (see what I did there?).  The plot was cliche, and popullated by one-dimensional characters, however the world presented by the Stereoscopic 3D Film was unlike anything I'd ever seen before - the Stereoscopic effect enhanced the world of Pandora.  Needless to say I, and many others, were impressed.  It was a gimmick, sure, but it worked wonders.  Unfortunately, it also burnt the tech; it's not as awe-inspiring on subsequent viewings, and frankly Avatar as a film lacks depth.  The next film I saw in 3D was Clash of the Titans, which represented exactly what I expected Hollywood to do with this technology; nothing.  They tacked it on to a big-budget, brainless remake and hoped it would sky-rocket the profit-ratio.

I'm interested to see what the gaming industry does with this tech, however with companies like Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard on the bandwagon, I'm expecting a repeat of the Hollywood-method.  It seems with the financial success of Avatar, the current highest grossing film of all time and the tent-pole Stereoscopic 3D Film, everyone wants a piece of the profit-pie.  I'm curious; do gamers want stereoscopic games?  Do they even want stereoscopic television?

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Reply #1 from Demigod Forums Top

I'm interested in actually seeing the 3DS.  I won't be an earlier adopter unless I get my hands on it.  Sounds like its interesting tech, but mostly a gimmick.  Might be enough of a gimmick to draw me in though.

As far as pc gaming goes - sure that's interesting, but not enough for me to pick it up.  It's cool to try new levels of immersion (when I was kid, my folks even picked me up that silly nintendo power glove), but its all gimmicks.  I won't be buying into these for quite some time (including the connect/PS move/etc).  But, once I see them in action and try them myself, who knows. 

At any rate, I'm always excited to see the new tech come out and see what becomes of it. 

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

Nope, i don't want it, it is fake 3d and old thing... i want Holographic gaming ( http://www.metacafe.com/watch/95054/holographic_gaming_in_the_future/ )... a real 3d world where i can use my own hand for manipulate it... like having god power :p

Holographic gaming have a lot of potential but i am pretty sure that holographic porn will appear before the gaming version...

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Reply #3 from Demigod Forums Top

The simple problem with 3D is a lot of people (like myself and even my instructor) with some sort of eye problems cannot view it. When I first tried to atch something in 3-D the glasses hurt my eye greatly that i had to snatch them off and throw them to the ground and other time snothing actually looked 3-D to me, just the same old crap. The 3-Ds soppusoe to take away the glasses problem, but ifI'm not mistaken the same techniques are still being incorporated into the 3d effects which will either

 

A. hurt my eyes or

B. I honestly will see no differece then watching a regular tv, so no I'm not interested.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

Assuming that is the same TV I read about a couple days ago (I'm not completely sure, but I assume it is) you can't sit just anywhere for it to work. The article I saw said you had to sit about +/- 40 degrees from straight it front of it, and at a certain distance away. It's certainly a step up from the 3D that requires glasses, but it's not far enough that I would be willing to pay that much for it.

The two biggest problems I see with 3D right now is 1. the glasses, and 2. the price. I wear regular glasses, so wearing additional ones on top of them isn't exactly fun. Ironically, the cheap ones they give you at movie theaters are actually better for me than the $120 fancy ones, because they're so oversized that I can (relativley) comfortably put them on over my glasses.

The price I'm sure will come down eventually, but right now it's just way too much. $1000+ for the TV, $100+ for each pair of glasses (that I can't even use), plus you need to buy the console that plays those games (PS3 at the moment for $300). That is a ridiculous amount to pay for something that arguably had no effect on gameplay.

Nintendo has the right idea with the 3DS; no glasses and it's affordable. They still haven't announced the price for anywhere outside of Japan yet, but since the Japanese price is about $300, it won't be anything more than that. I'm guessing it will sell for $250. Either way it is much better than anything else out there.

I don't typically wait in line to get anything, games or consoles, on release day, but I'm making an exception for the 3DS. I don't think I've ever been so excited about a new console release. I don't want it specifically for the 3D, though. It looks like it will have an amazing starting lineup of games, plus a ton of awesome new features. 3D is just the icing on the cake. Unless I am horribly off on my guess of the price, come March 2011 I'm camping out in front of Best Buy or whatever to get my hands on one.

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

I own the nVidia 3D glasses on a very high end machine.  I use the 3D on very few games though.  Developers don't bother to support it mostly, crosshairs are at 2D depth and impossible to use, shadows or water is often rendered in 2D, RTS render stuff at screen depth.  Sins for example is impossible to play in 3D.

That said when a game supports it because the Developers give a shit (<3   Valve) then the results can be a lot of fun.  Left 4 Dead I play exclusively in 3D, it's fantastic, so is Killing Floor.  It also enhancers racing games massively.  It never hurts my eyes.

It's a funny thing I have to admit though, after say 10 minutes of playing you forget you are watching things in 3D, you actually have to concentrate to notice there is depth in what you are seeing.  Saying that though I was playing Resident Evil 5 the other day with a friend and he was laughing his ass off at me when I jumped out of my skin as a dog lept at me from round a corner.  The bloody head was leaping straight at me.

 

Also something that is a bit miss represented is that for 3rd person games it doesn't really add immersion, it just makes it look like you are playing with toys.  Things have depth but your guy is only 8 inches tall, and about 20 inches from your face so it doesn't look like you are in the scene, just watching a small toy version of it.  It does add something to the game but I'm not sure it's that big of a deal, if the game doesn't have cursor issues or whatever I will use the 3D always though.  Mass Effect for example was nice, but it honestly was like remote controlling action man (Shepard kind of looks like action man when I noticed the feeling ^_^ )

First person games are another matter, the immersion can be fantastic, seeing glowing eyes running at you in dark scenes in Left 4 Dead or seeing their arms reaching through a safe room door is pretty awesome when you notice it.

Racing games feel so much faster.  It's amazing watching the road and objects in the distance come at you so fast.

Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Stereoscopic 3D Gaming: Do you want it?
End of quote

Not yet. While it may become the norm eventually when they figure out how to make it truly enhance the gameplay, right now it just seems a little gimmicky not adding enough to justify the cost.

While I look forward to seeing what happens with the 3DS and I haven't really been following it all at this point, I keep thinking back to the headache inducing Virtual Boy. I just hope they have tested this thing good and thoroughly for extended gaming sessions this time.