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Remember that time when they told you that stereoscopic 3D was THE next big thing in gaming? They lied.
Having been conspicuous by its absence at E3 in June, Gamescom has now been and gone without a single mention of the technology. And that’s despite Sony having the lion’s share of the German limelight.
It’s probably opportune to point out the faith that companies were once putting into stereoscopic 3D technology.
Sony itself once predicted that 3D screen technology would experience a swifter uptake than high definition. But that’s nothing compared to Ubisoft. In 2010 its then marketing manager Murray Pannell (who incidentally now works for Sony) claimed that 3D TVs would be in the living room of every home by next year!
That’s not to say that everyone was convinced, though. And don’t forget that Sony has a vested interest in the uptake of the technology.
Indeed, while 3D may yet have a future in gaming, it will likely have to undergo some fine-tuning if it wishes to succeed. And by ‘fine-tuning’ we mean the eradication of 3D specs, which have proved the big sticking point for consumers – not least because of the cost.
Saying that, gaming’s first foray into glasses-free 3D hasn’t been a smooth ride either, with even the mighty Nintendo admitting that it was wrong to focus on the 3D part of the 3DS and that such tech would take a back seat in future.
Now EA COO Peter Moore has reiterated the words of his boss John Riccitiello, who last year admitted that it had seen very poor returns on the 3D investments it had made in titles like Crysis 2.
"3D is certainly not in any way on our list of things we are focused upon as a company,” Moore told Eurogamer. I look at gaming, and it just doesn’t seem to be a major factor.
"I’m always impressed when I go home to the UK by how many people watch TV in 3D. Much more so than in the US. The Olympics was available in 3D. I bet it wasn’t available in 3D in the US. It’s just not a technology particularly in our world of gaming that seems to have got traction. I remain sceptical."
What we really need is for someone to come along and start the whole 3D thing all over again. Oh.
