Apparently 3D is the way of the future now...again. Nintendo has released its "amazing" 3DS handheld and the television makers are marketing their new expensive 3D HDTV's telling you 3D is going to change the way you consume entertainment. Sony is doing all it can to foster 3D gaming on the Playstation 3 and the theatres are on board too...for now.
You see, this is not 3D's first rodeo. The gimmick of all gimmicks has been selling its wares for around 60 years now and not once has it ever managed to stick. Why? Well, because it's impractical, often uncomfortable, and let's face it, not all that useful.
3D has always had a hard life. First of all to "enjoy" 3D you have to wear the special 3D glasses, of course. Now, these aren't those stupid cardboard glasses anymore. These are state-of-the-art wonders that still get in the way and are way more expensive than the cardboard stuff. So everybody watching needs a pair and you, being the oil mogul you are, have bought 10 pairs to ensure everyone has a rockin' 3D time. But some people have this odd problem...bad eyesight.
One of my friends has always worn eyeglasses and now he has to wear glasses over his glasses to watch 3D programming. He can't take his eyeglasses off because he won't be able to see crap and he can't put the 3D glasses on over them because they add ten pounds to his face and distort his vision anyway. So what should I do if he shows up to my house and I want to partake in the awe inspiring 3D experience? Should I hand him an Etch A Sketch? And do I really want to watch TV looking like Doc Brown from Back to the Future?
There are just too many limitations to 3D technology that are hard to get past. Viewing angles are too narrow as we've seen with the glasses-free 3D of Nintendo's 3DS and there really is no real support for the technology either.
Most 3D movies are usually high budget action flicks and those are not very prevalent. How many 3D movies will be created to warrant the purchase of a brand new television? Even if more movies do start adopting 3D I don't think that watching a 3D romantic comedy will show off the tech.
Now let's say that the hurdles that hinder 3D are all passed and we now have a simple way to use 3D. The fact is that there are many people out there that don't have the physical capability to accurately judge depth to begin with so if just one person in the family has that problem the feature goes unused.
How beneficial is 3D to our games and television programming, anyway? I have never watched a football game or played a video game and said to myself "man, I wish I could get a better idea of the depth in this picture". Who cares?
We all know what's going to happen. People will get over the 3D gimmick yet again and the fad will fade into obscurity for another 10 years until James Cameron decides to make Titanic 3D.
Will 3D make the television and gaming experiences better? I don't think so. Will 3D make these experiences different? Sure. Just remember if your new boyfriend/girlfriend tells you that "it was different" that doesn't always bode well for ya.
Stratagonline is a video game walkthrough aggregator and blog dedicated to gamer culture and industry trends. You can find more articles like this one at. http://www.stratagonline.com/
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