Poll: 3D: gimmick or godsent?

[Vindekarr]

Its been talked about quite a bit lately, atleast where Im from, a new generation of HD TVs that support three-dimensional images, a lot of people I know hate this, as it was inpired by a miserable failure of a movie and it strikes them as an exercise in cheap glitter, a shiney new technological bauble to impress stupid people. a similar amount of people love the idea, the added depth, clarity and perspective in razor sharp HD seems well worth the cost, especialy for horror and FPS games, but what is your opinion?

[Pyrosocial]

the future is here. who would have thought we would actually be watching things and playing games like this?

[bben46]

3D is not as new as most people seem to think. There was a short period in the mid 1950s when a bunch of 3D movies were made. I particularly remember seeing 'The Creature from the Black Lagoon' in 3D - black & White. And a western, I don't remember it's name though in color. Most of these were actually not very good movies. 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' is an exception and has become a cult classic.

 

After the initial OMG factor wore off, it quickly died out. It was just too expensive to make at that time. I will not be buying any 3D TV or other equipment soon. They are going to have to prove to me that it is here to stay first. What the movies are doing so far is mostly just replicating the old 1950s technology where each eye sees a slightly different picture.

 

I think we will need a true technology breakthrough that doesn't require gimmicks like special glasses before it really takes off.

[LHammonds]

I still don't understand the need for a "3D TV" if you have a digital TV already. I just don't get it. I'm kinda with bben on this one. I'm not interested in the 3D stuff unless it proves to be here for the long haul.

 

Only recently has cinema started converting from film to digital. Our local theater is finally 100% digital now...bout dang time...I felt like back-slapping the film operators just about every time I went to the movies (film breaks, audio messed up, film slightly off-track, etc.)

 

Too many movies that I have seen in 3D require "adjustment time" before I get used to the 3D effect. Usually 30 minutes or so. I also absolutely HATE the cheap 3D tricks that equate to "boo" to see if you jump. I'd rather it just look natural rather than a tech demo of what can be done.

 

EDIT #1: I have not seen a 3D game yet...other than one of the 1st ones a LONG time ago where you step into a booth and put on Robocop gear so you can see your opponent and lob balls at him on an extremely sparse environment.

 

EDIT #2: I have not seen a 3D game...meaning that I have not played / experienced one for the TV. (or computer for that matter)

 

LHammonds

[TheTerminator2004]

The big problem I have with current implementations of 3D is that a lot of people (myself included) can't actually see it. I have pretty bad eyesight - I suffer from a squint, and short-sightedness, which makes it quite hard to focus on things a lot of the time, and one of those things (I forget which, though the optician did explain it to me once) means that I can't see 3D effects properly. With glasses on, I can generally see normally, but it doesn't seem to work as well for 3D effects (though, as I don't know exactly what it's meant to look like, I can't really tell a lot of the time whether its working or not).

 

About 1 in 20 people have a squint - which is a lot - and quite a many of those result in worse eyesight than me (I'm lucky in that I can see well enough to manage almost everything fine, though I do have a very obvious lazy eye), which means 1 in 20 missed out on (apparently) the only thing that made Avatar good - the 3D. Add to that the people with all the other eye problems that prevent them from being able to see 3D properly, and maybe 1/6th of people can't actually see any of these effects. thats a pretty large portion of your audience - and until better methods of generating 3D images are developed, I think that is the reason why 3D won't properly take off.

 

That said, I can see why a lot of people like the idea - but while I don't know just how amazing these 3D films look, but from what I understand, the majority of them have been terrible in just about every other respect. Although the only one I've actually watched all the way through was Spykids 3D, way back when I was little. Also, some 3D film thing at Legoland once. Other than that, I have no first-hand experience.

[Pyrosocial]

I still don't understand the need for a "3D TV" if you have a digital TV already. I just don't get it. I'm kinda with bben on this one. I'm not interested in the 3D stuff unless it proves to be here for the long haul.

 

Only recently has cinema started converting from film to digital. Our local theater is finally 100% digital now...bout dang time...I felt like back-slapping the film operators just about every time I went to the movies (film breaks, audio messed up, film slightly off-track, etc.)

 

Too many movies that I have seen in 3D require "adjustment time" before I get used to the 3D effect. Usually 30 minutes or so. I also absolutely HATE the cheap 3D tricks that equate to "boo" to see if you jump. I'd rather it just look natural rather than a tech demo of what can be done.

 

EDIT: I have not seen a 3D game yet...other than one of the 1st ones a LONG time ago where you step into a booth and put on Robocop gear so you can see your opponent and lob balls at him on an extremely sparse environment.

LHammonds

 

Avatar's game was in 3-D

[TheTerminator2004]

I still don't understand the need for a "3D TV" if you have a digital TV already. I just don't get it. I'm kinda with bben on this one. I'm not interested in the 3D stuff unless it proves to be here for the long haul.

 

Only recently has cinema started converting from film to digital. Our local theater is finally 100% digital now...bout dang time...I felt like back-slapping the film operators just about every time I went to the movies (film breaks, audio messed up, film slightly off-track, etc.)

 

Too many movies that I have seen in 3D require "adjustment time" before I get used to the 3D effect. Usually 30 minutes or so. I also absolutely HATE the cheap 3D tricks that equate to "boo" to see if you jump. I'd rather it just look natural rather than a tech demo of what can be done.

 

EDIT: I have not seen a 3D game yet...other than one of the 1st ones a LONG time ago where you step into a booth and put on Robocop gear so you can see your opponent and lob balls at him on an extremely sparse environment.

LHammonds

 

Avatar's game was in 3-D

 

It was also terrible. So perhaps not the best example :P

 

I'm pretty sure there have been a few others though. Sadly the only one I can remember was some ancient live-action point and click adventure game from the '90s, which was quite possibly even worse than Avatar. There certainly hasn't been a game that uses 3D as anything more than a gimmick.

[Pyrosocial]

i happened to like the game. not the avatar side but the humans.

 

Disney quest, a place we have here has a bunch of big 3D games and stuff.

[Vindekarr]

as far as Im concerned its a good system, but it hasnt really arrived yet where I come from, I personaly really dont like avatar very much, and would never buy the game, both because its avatar and because its a movie tie in, but the problem is thats one of only 2 3D games available in australia. the other, just cause 2, is about as entertaining as being flayed alive while drowning in ultrasaline volcanic lake all the while being laughed at by margeret thatcher: which is to say, its well up near the top of my worst games ever list(see this very forum site)right now I like the IDEA of 3d, and I think it could really improve some games but unfortunately both the games that allow people in my home country to experience it are less entertaining than french kissing a hungry salt-water crocodile. if per say, something truly uber was to come out in 3D, like a remake of total anihilation, I'd be a lot more excited, but right now, the costs far outweigh the meager benefits

 

secondly, thanks for the replies folks, this discussion is exactly why I posted this, keep it up.

[Pyrosocial]

and I think it could really improve some games but unfortunately both the games that allow people in my home country to experience it are less entertaining than french kissing a hungry salt-water crocodile.

 

That would actually be very, very, entertaining :laugh: