Ah, the third dimension. So much more enticing than the first or second dimensions, those boring old horizontal and vertical axes. Axes of evil, more like. No, it’s the third dimension that gives things depth, makes us see how far back something goes. It’s the third dimension that really makes having more than one eye worthwhile.
Alright, that might be a bit strong. I mean, we’ve been viewing electronic games in the home for almost four decades using only two dimensions. Before that, for eighty years, we were viewing movies in only two dimensions.
Sure, there were the ill-advised attempts to introduce the third dimension to movies going back as far as 1903 but it has never really taken off, until recent mega-budget hits have forced it down our necks. Even before that, photographs have spent a happy hundred and eighty five year history stuck in the two dimensions that nature and science intended.
Even further back than that, by four hundred years, Gutenberg’s press didn’t require fancy expensive eyeglasses. No, a duo of dimensions were more than enough to bring an informational revolution to the poorer classes of Europe a good one hundred and fifty years before anybody had any notions of paddling westwards to ‘discover’ the Americas.
Well, yes, I know some of you are probably shouting at your screens right now pointing out that the great ancient civilisations of the world made many a bas relief or tridimensional sculpture. And you’re perfectly correct. But they were niche. They weren’t as popular as two dimensional artwork, were they? It stands to reason, if 3D reliefs and sculptures were so popular then how come they just left it all lying around? All the two dimensional art was hidden away. It’s probably still in an Egyptian safe right now, treasured beyond comparison.
I guess what I’m trying to point out, in among my overly laboured attempts at humour, is that the merits of three dimensional art and entertainment are yet to be firmly proven as superior to those utilising only two dimensions.
Now we have video games making another run for the 3D flag that makes our experiences more immersive, more involving. Or does it? Do you think we need 3D in all our games or are you happy to play in two dimensions and keep your face shamelessly free of ocular adornment?
Mathematicool
Too expensive. I can live without the extra dimension for the time being.
jimmy-google
I’ve had my 3D TV for just under a month now, it was worth every penny. Films are a little hard to come by but I must be nearly 20 3D games now. Given the choice I won’t play Killzone any other way. After playing in 3D you really notice what you’re missing when you go back to 2D.
Naturally some games are disappointing. Tron is okay in game but they skipped the 3D in the cut scenes which feels half hearted. I could understand it with Prince of Persia and Sly has they had been coverted from PS2 games. New games with 3D really should be 3D through out.
De Blob 2 was great in 3D, I’ve been suprised how effective 3D is in 3rd Person games. Racers like GT5 naturally gain a lot. I’m really hoping Fifa gets 3D this year.
Despite having it at home I’m actually quite against it on the move at the moment. The quality and flexibility just isn’t there and I not going to wear glasses outside the house. I wear glasses anyway so adding another pair at home is fine but only because the 3D effect is so impressive. I can easily rack up several hours of play and forget I’m even wearing them.
XisTG
up until now the only 3D I experienced was Avatar on the cinema. I liked it so much that i never again paid for a 3D feature. Except when I went to the London Eye; that 15min 3D tour was actually nice :)
hazelam
you liked it so much you never watched another film in 3d?
is that a typo and you meant you didn’t like it?
rept0n
I’ve had 3D from day one (lucky me).
I’m a James Cameron fan-boy, and was pretty much sold as soon as I heard about the tech he was using for Avatar. I knew that if 3D was going to come through properly in the home, then gaming would be the channel to make the most of it.
It hasn’t… quite… yet.
I LOVE the games that I have in 3D – I don’t have any of the headache problems (I get a little bit of crosstalk, but mostly only on high contrast images). It’s just that with one exception, they are exactly the same game as in 2D, but just a little it more ‘WOW’.
Some games have 3D at a detriment to their framerate (although those games tended to have a poor framerate in the first place) – I’m looking at you Avatar/Tron/Enslaved.
The best game, without doubt, is Tumble.
Okay… it’s a pretty boring physics puzzler that tries to make a game out of the playschool activity that is stacking blocks, and playing it in 2D with the Move is fine.
Switch to 3D and then suddenly you are really in the game. The depth perception that is coupled between the 3D and the Move controller heightens the experience… and that’s the killer thing that is missing from all other 3D games.
As others have said, it’s a developers thing… hopefully more developers will look at 3D as a keystone, rather than a bolt-on, and we’ll start to get some really interesting things coming through.
It’s early days for 3D and the Move, but the two working together to portray real depth and interactivity is the winner for me.
OneShotWook
Don’t most U.k cinemas still show Standard def movies and in that respect still use the ‘old’ method of displaying 3d,i.e not the stereoscopic that is displayed by a HD set.That said opinions made whilst watching Avatar at the flicks may well not apply to playing a game or watching a 3d Blu-Ray,correct me if i’m wrong but that is just the assumptions i’d made.
deadwelsh
Just completed KZ3…
I need a 3D TV
colossalblue
I have very limited experience of games in 3D so I’m not entirely qualified to comment on that side of things but in movies, I often find the 3D distracting and almost always incredibly gimmicky. Like throwing things towards the camera just to make use of 3D.
I also found that it limits artistic potential thanks to the way it completely renders depth of field useless. In movies, I focus on things that the depth of field picks out. With 3D, I don’t get that option, I’m forced to focus on whatever the most active ‘pop-out’ is and that is often not the same point.
I’m sure I’ll end up with a 3D TV soon but I’m still not sure I actually want one.
hazelam
i’m a big fan of 3d, seen loads of movies in 3d at the cinema, though i’ve stopped watching most post converted films in 3d because they’re just not as good, but watch something filmed in 3d and it can look amazing.
i would love gaming in 3d, i watched a 3d video of dead space on youtube, it was only anaglyph 3d, you know the red and blue glasses, but it did look stunning.
if you’ve got a pair those red/blue glasses, check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dead+space+3d&aq=f
i would love to get a 3d tv, but the price is an issue at the moment, or rather my lack of funds.
i have no problem with the glasses, i don’t know why so many people seem to see it as such a big issue, some people wear glasses for almost every waking moment, otherwise they can’t see in 2d or 3d, whenever i see somebody say “i don’t want to wear glasses to play a game”, all i can think of is, get over yourself, you might have to wear glasses all the time one day.
anyway, i just don’t see glassesless 3d really being practical, not for TVs anyway.
when you think about what’s needed for 3d without glasses, that being delivering two seperate images to two points a couple of inches apart, i don’t see it being practical.
even if they do have methods for delivering the images that precisely, that means you can’t move your head, not more than a couple of inches anyway, and who sits perfectly still while playing a game? or watching tv?
the glasses now aren’t the bulky things they used to be, they’re about the size of a pair of sunglasses now, they don’t need moving parts so they should be light too.
right now money is the only reason i don’t have a 3d tv.
mynameisblair
It’s… nice.
rainydays458
I’m happy with only having two dimensions on my tv. If I wanted to experience 3d I’d go outside. Personally, I’m wiating for Holograms/Holodecks