3D Technology In Gaming - Will It Ever Catch On?

3D viewing is something which popped up a few years ago and gradually faded away. It changed the way we watched films. And it has appeared in gaming for special 3D televisions.

Unfortunately, it was never really advertised widely. You might be surprised to know Gears of War and Assassins Creed III appeared as 3D games. With 3D technology clearly providing a superior viewing experience, is this something which will ever catch on?

Look to the Movies

The only real evidence we have of 3D gaming is from movies. We have to ask ourselves why it didn’t catch on here. And it didn’t catch on. Avatar created some waves, and Gravity has offered some sort of reprieve recently, but it’s still a minority viewing option. It isn’t like the smartphone. Everyone hasn’t suddenly changed their habits.

The Lack of Equipment
We can’t just view in 3D. It doesn’t work like this. Firstly, we need a 3D-enabled TV. This already presents us with a problem. Most of us don’t have TVs designed to support 3D. The sets which do offer 3D viewing are much more expensive. Unless you’re buying a new TV anyway, you aren’t going to go out and spend a few hundred pounds for the purpose of 3D viewing.

Secondly, we still have to wear those horrible plastic glasses. Not everyone wants to have something like this on their face whilst they play. If you wear glasses, think about the first time you had to wear them. You hated having them on your face, didn’t you?

Granted, most people become used to them, but convincing them to jump into 3D gaming glasses is a big ask for a lot of developers.

Image Credits: www.nowgamer.com

Is the Difference Really that Big?

We have to wonder whether 3D really offers us enough. Nobody has complained about 2D in the past. In fact, the graphics just keep getting better. Only when we actually reach a point where the graphics can’t get better will we truly be looking at 3D?

Major providers of 3D seem to agree. Sky launched a campaign a couple of years ago to promote 3D. Unfortunately, it didn’t catch on and these advertisements disappeared. The BBC also jumped on the bandwagon and started to show some of their programmes in 3D. They cut funding to them, though, because they weren’t popular enough.

In short, whilst there are still moves to be made with 2D, there’s little chance of us moving forward to 3D.

Will it Ever Catch On?

The concept of 3D has been something which has hovered on the horizon just out of reach for many years now. We’re starting to question whether we’ll ever see it make to a mainstream level.
We thought Avatar was going to be the final breakthrough, and this furor would transfer over to gaming. It didn’t.

Only when we’ve made all the advancements we can with 2D will 3D become a viable option. It’s impossible to stipulate when it will come in, but it must be economically viable, popular, and widespread before it does.

Tom Taylor

About the Author:

Tom Taylor is a freelance writer, a technophile and a gaming legend. He works as a game tester in a leading gaming company. He tells his readers to visit www.frivey.com to play some amazing online games.