Platform holders ‘curious but not convinced’ by 3D TV technology
Andrew Oliver, CTO of Blitz Games, which has been showcasing an Xbox 360 game demo running on 3D enabled screens, has revealed to Develop that while console manufacturers are curious about the prospect of 3D TV technology, they are currently unconvinced.
Reflecting on the success of a recent Xbox 360 demonstration at the 3D Entertainment Summit in Hollywood Oliver admitted: “Those [platform holders] that have heard about it have been curious but not convinced.
“Those who have seen it have loved it and agree that it looks stunning and almost feels like we've moved on a console generation. The games start to look like holograms and you very quickly you forget you are wearing glasses.”
While it is possible for games made on a single format disk for both 3D and 2D display, the technology will require a greater investment in time and money to create titles suitable for both. There is also a slim chance that many existing games will be suitable for retrofitting for 3D TV display.
It is estimated that by the end of 2008 1.4 million 3D-ready televisions will have sold to the public, mainly in the US.
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To read the full interview with Oliver click here.
To make 3D games work with a 3D TV shouldn't require much effort to adapt the 3D engine to output in the right format.
It would take extra effort to make the gameplay rely on the 3D TV, and would then make it difficult to use on a normal TV.
As they say in the interview, it's not just a matter of getting output in the right format but to have the assets look any good in proper 3D TV.
Any billboarding effects like particles or trees would look flat, even seeming to flatten the rest of the world when placed in front of the proper 3D stuff. The layout of the world and consideration of the depth buffer and draw-distance scales would have to be taken into account. Any raised surface method would have to be good enough to get a proper z-buffer position. There is a lot of cheating still being done that could do with being improved ...worth keeping in mind now when considering what techniques to be used in the next-generation of consoles.
Why would you make the gameplay rely on 3D TV? I can see it helping in things where depth helps, like driving or 3D platform, but it wouldn't hinder players too much if they don't have 3D TV.
I’m not sure about the game being displayed on a 3D TV but a peripheral such as a small screen with the tech built into a controller or the console. In offering an augmented reality rather than go all guns blazing for 3D TV, I would love a mock star wars princess appearing to be projected from my pad or small separate display.
