3D gaming: What are the possibilities?

[Shaolin_monkey]

Hi folks

Somehow Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao slipped right under my radar, but I discovered it last night on Xbox Live, tried the demo and was hooked. A 3D side-scrolling(ish) kung fu game - what's not to love? I bought it, and played it for a good few hours. I'm a sucker for 3D stuff - I have quite a few holograms, loads of books with 3D pics in it, and the Minoru webcam, so after trying out the game it was a no-brainer.

The 3D is interesting. It actually has two 3D modes (and a flatscreen mode too) - digital and anaglyph. The digital relies on you have the full kit - 3D enabled TV and all the gubbins that goes with it. At this stage I'm not prepared to fork out the vast amounts of money needed for digital 3D.

However, the anaglyph (basically wearing those red/cyan lensed cardboard glasses) works beautifully! I have several pairs of cardboard 3D glasses kicking about the house, and they're dead easy to order online too. The red/cyan ones from my Minoru webcam worked fine. The only issue I found was going slightly cross eyed, but that was partly because I was very tired, up later than I should have been and had been playing two hours straight with no break.

The game itself is quite cool, though a little low res. I suspect this is because the 360 has to project to full images of everything on the screen simultaneously, the one every so slightly different from the other. However, it doesn't detract from the gameplay, which was a whole lot of fun. Basically, you guide your kung fu guy around temples, castles and other areas, climbing up vines, swinging from beams, and vaulting roofs, to open a serious can of whupass on the bad dudes. As you would imagine, each area is structured to make good use of 3D, and things come flying out the screen at you regularly. The environment is definitely your friend - the beams provide a great pivot for mid air kicks, chipping vases at enemies will stun them, and nipping in and out of doors confuses the hell out of them.

I'm looking forward to playing this co-operatively, but so far there don't seem to be many people who have bought it. I can't wait to show the kids though; they share my fascination with 3D, and seeing as they loved the fairly simple game mechanics of Castle Crashers and the latest TMNT, they should get on with this game too.

So, has anyone else tried it with the 3D effect? Anyone interested in the possibilities of 3D gaming in general?

[Liamario]

I played the trial and it was muck. Really reallly really generic stuff. I had some cheap 3-d glasses and the effect was lacking (may be due to my x-ray vision). This game costs 1200 points......... Oh my fucking God!!!! Avoid. Sorry SM, but the game for me is poor and the ratings on live would indicate same.

[Killer_Carp]

After droping a wad of cash on a HDTV I refuse to drop more money on a 3D HDTV set.

[MikeHaggar]

Lots more 3D coming:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/s ... -2010.html

Sony announces 3D television plans for every home by 'end of 2010'

The technology, currently only seen in the cinema, will be rolled out in the Japanese electronic giant’s range of TVs, laptops, DVD players and Playstations by end of next year.

Experts say the move, announced at a trade fair in Berlin, is an important boost to the 3D industry.

It follows similar announcements earlier this year from other television manufacturers, including LG and Phillips, who unveiled products plans in the rapidly developing area.

British Sky Broadcasting has also announced plans to launch its first 3D channel next year, offering a broad selection of the best available movies, entertainment and sports in the technology.

While more highly anticipated 3D films are due for release in cinemas over the coming months.

Announcing his company’s plans, Sir Howard Stringer, Sony’s chief executive, said the technology would be offered across the majority of its products.

This included the popular 3D Bravia television sets, while also making Sony's Vaio laptop computers, PlayStation 3 games consoles and Blu-ray disc players compatible with the technology.

He gave no indication of prices but analysts expect early 3D TVs to cost several thousand pounds.

"Today, 3D is clearly on its way to the mass market,” Mr Stringer was expected to tell a press conference at the IFA technology trade show.

There are several types of 3D technology currently available.

Sony said it decided with so-called "active shutter" technology, that uses electronic glasses containing tiny shutters that open and close rapidly in synchronisation with the television image to create the 3D impression.

[Miss Moth]

I love the idea of 3D and dug out my 3D specs to try the demo, and it was utter pants, 3D or not. Punch, kick, jump, repeat ad nauseam. Bored my tits off, bearing in mind I didn't have any tits in the first place, so what I have now are two hollow points where my tits could have been.

The initial premise seemed okay, but the execution was one of the dullest gaming experiences I've had this side of Zen Pinball. Considering that Shadow Complex and Trials HD have been of such a high quality, as well as Splosion Man, all of which I've cracked MS points on, I'm surprised this nonsense got bought at all.

[Killer_Carp]

Lots more 3D coming:

Shelf life is not what it use to be. Sony won't be happy till they bleed us dry.

[Rubbish Russ]

Saw something about 3D on Channel 4 news last night.

Apparently the biggest challenge is that there are a fed 3D techs and they all require different things - some with glasses, others using some kind of screen technology. ALL of it looked expensive.

Has the guy at Sony not realised we are in a recession with unemployment at it's highest level in nearly 15 years? Unless the government is including these new Sony TVs in a new benefits system, or that they will be the price of a microwave meal - I cannot see how these will achieve muc market penetration in 5 years, let alone within 18months.

Like Blu Ray, I don't NEED 3D, I'm enjoying games already. Give me a chance to get bored and THEN launch something new.

Grr.

[Miss Moth]

Grr.

Grrr.

[mfnick]

Grrrraaaa!

OT - tried the demo & it seemed like simple fun. But at 1200 points its ridiculously overpriced.

[Sherak]

3D using the red/blue glasses thing is horrible... the crosseyed deal aint just cos your tired, I recently got My Bloody Valentine 3D on bluray and I tried that out, dont get me wrong the 3D was very effective but its giving me a headache just thinking about it, the focus shifts horribly at times and you spend your time trying to adjust your vision, also the colours are horrible and IMO its not a good tradeoff, its looks far better hi def 2D.. the 3D is pure novelty..... I belive the new system is the bollocks and will certainly look out for it but the red/blue deal is no better now than it was in the 80's

[toneeblair]

A number of existing HDTVs are actually 3D ready, but probably weren't advertised as such because there wasn't any 3D content to display on them (or an easy way to market them). They need to be capable of outputting 120Hz signals, so do a bit of research and you might find that the set you have is actually ready.

As for the game, I demoed it a few months back at a conference Blitz were doing about the technology and was actually very impressed with the 'proper'/'digital' 3D mode. It's miles better than the old-style stuff. Couldn't comment fully on the game as I only had a couple of minutes playing on it.

[Shaolin_monkey]

I'm still enjoying the game, though it's bloody hard.

On the face of it, it's very samey and been done many times before. However, there are a few features that make it slightly different, and more fun. Swinging off bits of scenery is cool, as is hopping in and out of doors and swinging up onto roofs and suchlike. Also there's the demon masks to collect, and finding the perfect yin-yang balance to unleash a nasty series of superfast strikes. The cheesy 70's retro music has made me drag out my old tattered copy of Enter the Dragon to watch on the weekend too. Add to all that the wonderful 3D effect, and I am far from sorry it cost me 1200 MSP.

Obviously it seems pretty duff to you seasoned gamers, but I'm still very happy with it.

[Shaolin_monkey]

Long as you like it that's all that matters, fook what anyone else thinks.

Indeed. I loved Kung Fu Panda too. I just wish that had been in 3D as well.

[Bob Syko]

I thought the trial was actually decent fun and I loved the style of it but Shadow Complex has pretty much set a new standard for what you should be asking of a 1200 points XBLA game and this doesn't even come close to that. Glad at least someone is enjoying it though.

[thevulture]

Epic's VP Mark Rein has revealed that more than half of 360 users played Gears 2 on standard definition TV's.

EUROGAMER Interview with Mark Rein:


Mark Rein: Over half the users who played Gears of War 2 so far do not have HDTVs. [Dramatic pause]

Eurogamer: Oh.

Mark Rein: I think that tells you there are still a lot of people making the leap to HD.

Eurogamer: So you're saying we're have to increase the userbase of HDTV before we can beam games into people's eyes?

Mark Rein: No. My point is, of the systems that are out there now, the majority of them aren't plugged into HDTVs. So there's no way we're ready for the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox Whatever.

And THEY think Gamers are going to rush out and buy into 3D TV etc...........in 2010?