Three-dimensional imaging has come a long way since the days of cardboard glasses. Now we can get incredible depth out of images that could previously only come out of the screen, not recede into it. When it releases on December 18th, James Cameron’s Avatar is set to become the pinnacle of 3D achievement to date, a milestone Ubisoft hopes can make some money.

Ubisoft created the video game version of Cameron’s vision. Avatar: The Game, which releases today, puts the player in the same 3D world, with one major restriction. You need a 3D TV. Otherwise you’ll just get two-dimensional version like every other game. I’m going to go ahead and guess the game is terrible in terms of play, but probably pretty cool if you’ve got the 3D rig to support it. Ubisoft, like many others, is banking on that cool factor to make 3D games the next big thing.

“3D is to pictures what Dolby Stereo was to sound. No one wants to go back to mono.” That’s from the head of Ubisoft Montreal, Yannis Mallat. In a sense, I think he’s right, but there is a glaring difference between the progression from mono to stereo and 2D to 3D: the glasses. I’m not trying to be a luddite here, but I think 3D has a ways to go before I’ll be enticed to put on the glasses to watch or play something in my home. It just isn’t practical yet. Where Dolby Stereo could almost immediately be appreciated, I would guess 3D still has a decade before serious adoption, from both consumers and film-makers/developers. There just isn’t enough hardware to support the medium.

According to the Financial Post, Ubisoft wouldn’t have made Avatar if it didn’t think people would someday purchase 3D TV sets. So let me get that straight – you developed a 3D game that next to no one will see because someday people will own 3D TVs? And they’ll still want to be playing Avatar when that day comes? Huh. The movie must be a whole lot better than I expect.

Source: Financial Post

Sony wants to be the company that leads us all into the three dimensional future, for both gaming and video. During a presentation for investors today, the company laid out its plan for the next few years, which included news that the PS3 is upgradeable to stereoscopic 3D through firmware upgrades.

Sony hopes the 3D gaming and video markets will help return the company to profitability by 2011. That’s a big step for a company set to post $1 billion in losses for the second year in a row. The company plans to install 3,000 3D cinema projectors in movie theaters around the country, along with expanding its 3D support for game developers and offerings to Blu-ray users.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer also made a point to applaud the success of the company’s restructure schedule, which is outperforming the initial plan. Sony aimed to save $5.6 billion dollars, a goal that was obviously helped when it cut 12 percent of its work force and then boomed 70% on PS3 sales. Thank you very much, PS3 Slim.

For now, I think the 3D thing is a gamble. It’s too gimmicky for widespread adaptation, and I don’t think it will have nearly the impact on gaming that motion control has had. Also, I’m not sure how 3,000 cinema installs can possibly help a return to profitability, but then, I guess I haven’t seen the numbers for 3D cinema audiences. I’ve seen the others, though, and they’re all over the place – not exactly the industry I’d bet on at the moment.

Source: Associated Press