[by CIARA O’BRIEN, Irish Times]
Excerpt:
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 Ops and Gran Turismo 5 and 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.
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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.
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See the full, lengthy post here: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2011/0401/1224293532698.html