E3 2010: Videogames Make the Leap to 3D
The future of gaming adds another dimension of interactivity
LOS ANGELES – At E3 2010, 3D was all the rage. Sony and Nintendo are pushing 3D in two new directions and focusing on the mainstream consumer. The Nintendo 3DS will introduce American and European consumers to auto stereoscopic 3D (Japanese cell phones already feature this glasses-free technology) with a full slate of games. Sony’s offering a free stereoscopic 3D upgrade to its 35 million PlayStation 3s this month, turning every console into a 3D movie and gaming machine. With those giants making the jump to 3D, just about every game maker is developing titles to support this technology.
“There are no major obstacles to 3D games development and production, the process is relatively straightforward and is all done in post production. Including the 3D functionality, development costs of a 3D game are only 10% to 15% higher than a 2D game,” said Patrik Pfandler, senior market analyst, Futuresource Consulting.
Pfandler said most developers and publishers are already fully geared up for 3D. It's all about the consumer catch up. As 3D functionality becomes more popular, he expects prices to drop and 3D to roll out as standard on a wide variety of games.
“3D is becoming increasingly important in the gaming world, with 3D compatibility a function of all leading titles, and as we move forward content will align with a developing base of 3D-enabled consumer electronics devices,” said Pfandler. “Based on the many 3D demos that we have experienced and played here at Futuresource Consulting, I'm sure that the additional immersive experience it provides will power 3D gaming right through the consumer adoption curve and into the mainstream.”
Despite all of the hype at E3, Pfandler said the uptake of 3D videogames may take longer to arrive than film, as movies can be experienced in the cinema long before consumers start to install 3D TVs in living rooms.
“That said, once 3DTVs reach a satisfactory installed base, we will see a far bigger push on 3D games advertising and promotion,” said Pfandler. “Focusing on the consoles, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are essentially 3D-ready. We expect to see a significant proportion of disc-based games titles featuring a 3D option very soon, perhaps becoming prevalent by 2011.”
With games like Twisted Metal, Killzone 3, and the Sly Collection, Motorstorm Apocalypse, Tumble, Gran Turismo 5, Mortal Kombat, Shaun White Skateboarding, TRON Evolution, NBA 2K11, and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier coming out in 3D for PS3, the stereoscopic future is looking bright. Crytek and Electronic Arts are bringing Crysis 2 out in 3D across PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Bookmark/Search this post with
About the Author
John Gaudiosi
Editor-in-Chief
John Gaudiosi has been covering videogames for the past 17 years for outlets like The Washington Post, CNET, Wired Magazine and CBS.com. He has focused on the convergence of entertainment and videogames for outlets like Video Business, Home Media Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Gamerlive.TV and is also a freelance game columnist for Reuters and writes for outlets like Playboy Magazine, NVISION Magazine, GamePro Magazine, Official PlayStation Magazine, EGM Now, Maxim.com, AOL GameDaily.com, GeForce.com, and Yahoo! Games. John also serves as the video game expert for NBC in Washington D.C. John was named one of the Top 50 Game Journalists in the world by Next-Gen.biz in 2007. He is the co-author of Scholastic Books' How to Get into Videogames, Prima Publishing's Madden: Twenty Years of Videogame Football and Electronic Arts: The Official History.
Popular content
GamerLive.TV newsletter
Latest Videos
Like us on Facebook
