The new Nintendo 3DS might herald a change in attitude towards 3D technology
MORE THAN a year after 3D TV was unveiled, the technology has yet to become a staple in households. But that could be about to change with a new generation of smaller, portable products with 3D options, which could provide a back door into consumers’ homes for the technology.
The launch of the Nintendo 3DS last week could herald a change in attitude towards 3D. Heralded as a “game changer” for 3D, hopes are high that the console, which does not require the use of special glasses, could give 3D the push it needs to become an entertainment standard.
It has already proved popular, with Nintendo reporting record sales for the handheld console, although exact figures will not be released until mid-April.
Games makers are expecting the 3DS to further the cause of 3D among consumers.
“Even though it’s a handheld device, people are going to have a good experience with it and are going to be searching out that 3D content on the home console as well,” said Tony Key, vice-president of marketing at video game publisher Ubisoft.
3D gaming was expected to, in some way, drive sales of the new TV sets. However, it could be a while before that adoption is widespread. Although Sony is backing 3D gaming, enabling big name titles such as Call of Duty: Black Opsand Gran Turismo 5and promising 20 titles by the end of the year, Microsoft has been a little more circumspect, concentrating instead on its motion-sensitive Kinect product.
The Nintendo-inspired boost would be welcomed by an industry that has worked hard to promote 3D with varying degrees of success.
A number of factors are blamed for holding back the adoption of 3D TV as a standard, including the cost of the equipment, a lack of content and the expectation that newer, better technology that will not require the use of glasses is coming in the near future.
There could be hope on the horizon for TV manufacturers. A study by research firm Futuresource Consulting claims that almost 15 million households in the US will have a 3D-enabled TV by the end of 2012. Prices have fallen in recent months as more 3D-enabled TVs become available.
Addressing the lack of content is another issue. While there has been a rash of 3D film releases, content for the average consumer is thin on the ground.
The new generation of portable, create-your-own-3D devices could go some way towards solving that problem, encouraging consumers to invest in the new equipment.
Companies such as Panasonic and Sony are also adopting the technology into cameras, camcorders and even laptops this year, increasing the chances that consumers will become exposed to it.
Even mobile phone companies are getting in on the act, with LG unveiling a 3D phone at Mobile World Congress in February.
Irish company Movidius is confident its portable 3D technology will help boost the sector. The company has developed a silicon chip that can be integrated into phones, and software that allows handset makers to deliver 3D content. Consumers can also convert existing 2D images to 3D content, or create their own content from scratch.
“You don’t require any special glasses. That’s pretty fundamental for the experience, we think,” said chief executive Seán Mitchell.
“We’re pretty optimistic about it. Every mobile manufacturer in the world is looking very closely at this and either has direct plans or is studying the area very carefully.”
It’s a world away from the traditional image of 3D as a cinema technology or even as home entertainment.
Fiona Hoy, market analyst for Futuresource Consulting, said limited availability of content at retail level has meant broadcasters have assumed greater importance as a source of 3D content.
A number of partnerships have sprung up between electronics manufacturers and broadcast companies to provide the content, including Sky in Britain, which has a 3D channel included on its digital offering, something that is said to have driven consumer awareness and sales of TVs.
But the technology is still being greeted with some caution. In its latest technology strategy, updated last month, the BBC said it would not be investing in 3D programming just yet, as current standards for stereoscopic 3D could fail to take off.
“Much of the current hype has come from the success of recent movie titles and the imminent release of these on Blu-Ray,” the strategy said. “There is no standardisation of the technologies for acquisition, post-production, contribution or distribution of stereoscopic 3D. This approach is likely to suit a smaller but better-funded number of players in the movie industry.
“Within the broader, more diverse and often less well funded television-making community, a lack of standardisation would be a more significant issue; not just for stereoscopic 3D as a format but also in financial terms for the producers and commissioning broadcasters.”
Auto-stereoscopic 3D TVs, which do not require the use of glasses, are available in Japan, but the expectation that this will become the norm in the near future may be misguided.
Futuresource said its research indicated that auto-stereoscopic technology is still years away from offering the quality or large screen sizes that consumers have come to expect. The glasses-free TV sets have some limitations, including a restricted viewing angle, and a limited number of points from which the 3D can be viewed properly. “Outside the sweet spot, the viewer sees either no 3D effect or, worse still, a reverse image which is highly uncomfortable to watch,” said Jim Bottoms, director of Futuresource.
Smaller sized sets – usually 12in or 20in – are usually designed for a single viewer. Larger screens present more of a challenge, requiring about 100 unique views, Futuresource said. Creating content for these will also present a challenge, as it would require multiple cameras and a different production/broadcast infrastructure. – (Additional reporting - Reuters)
VERDICT: 3D CONSOLE STANDS OUT
SINCE NINTENDO announced plans for the 3DS in March 2010, the games industry has watched closely. Promising to eliminate the the special glasses that are a necessary – and often pricey – accessory, the console stands out from the 3D crowd.
Although the 3DS could do with an innovative, fresh game to make a real splash, the console certainly delivers on what it promised.
Because it is a personal device, the lack of glasses is more easily dealt with, allowing the manufacturer to make certain assumptions on the user's viewing angle. What it means in practice is that the 3D effect works well.
It looks similar to its predecessors, the DS Lite and the DSi, although a little more polished. The main difference is apparent when you open the console. The 3DS uses a slider at the side of the device to control the level of 3D, from full down to nothing. The user can set the 3D to a level at which they are comfortable.
The menus are also 3D enabled, which gives a slightly weird effect until your eyes become accustomed to it.
Higher-speed games, such as racing games, lose the 3D effect to a certain extent. There is only so much 3D it can generate when scenery is whipping past you at a faster rate. Where the 3D comes into its own is on slower-moving games, where you can stand back for a minute and appreciate the 3D graphics.
The console also comes with built-in software to demonstrate the 3D capabilities, using augmented reality cards that the 3DS "reads" through its cameras and creates games.
The 3D effect is not recommended for younger children, however, and the console also builds in some parental controls to ensure that this can be locked out.
