At the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, CNET and
other sources reported on a Sony demonstration - the PS3 version
of futuristic racer WipeOut playing on a prototype Bravia
LCD display with 3D capabilities. This is due to hit the market
at the end of next year, and will apparently use a sequential
frame display with active-shutter glasses.
Sony has been clearly making 3D a priority and the Company
seems to have plans to build this technology into Blu-ray
players and future versions of the PS3 itself, so that players
will be able to enjoy 3D gaming via any 200hz HD display.
It seems the picture processing technology should work with
most games - although Sony now appears to be backtracking
from claims that a simple firmware update could make all games
function in 3D.
But, what does this mean for gamers? People may be enjoying
the onslaught of 3D technology in the cinema. Landmark titles
such as Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Monsters Vs Aliens.
But, what does 3D actually brings in to a movie ? Does it
bring an extra dimension to the narrative experience? According
to skeptics, this is all just a gigantic anti-piracy ruse
on the part of the studios.
This is also applied to 3D videogames. Explosive action games
like Gears of War and Call of Duty will be much emphasized
by 3D technology, while horror titles such as Resident Evil
is employed with the same shock tactics as 3D horror movies,
such as My Bloody Valentine and The Final Destination. But,
will there be games that could only work in 3D ?
Most imaginative and basic implementations of 3D technology
will come, not from big FPS of third-person action franchises,
but from designers like Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Jun Fujiki or even
Jeff Minter who take a more abstract, spatial approach to
effective environments. Maybe the 3D killer app will look
less like Killzone and more like Tetris !
|
