Home Gaming Is 3D a waste of time? Microsoft seems to think so

Is 3D a waste of time? Microsoft seems to think so

2 min read
0

Sony has taken the 3D bull by the horns and run with it – making it a standard feature on many of its TV’s and even creating a high-end, budget-priced PlayStation-branded 3D monitor for release later this year. The Japanese company has also added an extra dimension to many of its blockbuster games, including the seminally popular Uncharted series, which – like Killzone and Resistance -  sees its third main game go 3D.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has taken a “wait and see” approach (as they tend to do). Microsoft product manager David Dennis clarified the Redmond company’s stance on 3D.

“Something we’re watching and wanting to understand from consumers is whether this is something they actually want,” he told Eurogamer

“Does it add to the gaming experience? Does it distract from the gaming experience? Is it something they want to play long-term? Or is it something they try a few times and then go back to regular 2D modes?” he asked rhetorically , unconvinced that the push in 3D is actually of benefit to gamers.“3D is an interesting space. There was a big rush by some other folks in the industry to convince people they want to play in 3D,” he said “You can question the motivations of why they want to make everyone go buy a new TV perhaps, but I think 3D has to fit in a natural way where it fits with the gameplay.”

I wonder who he’s referring to? “You watch the market penetration of 3D TVs, you look if it’s something people are buying and you adapt and innovate, just like we’ve done by deploying different system updates and features. If there’s other things we want to do with 3D because consumers are asking for we would explore it.”

The only aspect of 3D TV’s and their inherent technology that excites me is the ability to use one screen to watch or play two different things at the same time – a feature that’ll be incorporated in the aforementioned PlayStation 3D monitor. It’ll also allow for “splitscreen” gaming where each player has access to the full screen size. Beyond that? It’s neat, but I’m not entirely convinced – and it seems cinemagoers are equally incredulous. Recent blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean, Kung-Fu Panda 2 and Green Lantern have shown that more and more film pundits are opting for 2D screenings – meaning  Hollywood’s fixation on 3D might be coming to a close. Again.

What do you think? Is 3D a killer feature, or does it just give you a killer headache?

Source : Eurogamer

Last Updated: June 29, 2011

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Uncharted Movie Passes $100 Million – Sony set to Make a Franchise

After 14 years Sony finally released the Uncharted movie to medium reception. The movie ha…