Sony, Nintendo battling it out to get games out in the new format, but you may not need glasses for Nintendo.
After taking over the big screen, 3-D is poised to hit the small screen via video games.
Sony Corporation and Nintendo Company presented duelling versions of 3-D gaming on Tuesday at the opening of the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, where attendance was expected to reach 45,000.
Both companies are investing heavily in 3-D video game technology to drive the next wave of consumer spending in an industry that generates roughly $45 billion (Dh165.2 billion) in sales worldwide. Sony showed off a number of game titles it hopes will prompt players to don glasses and enter the third dimension, including Gran Turismo 5, a much-anticipated racing game debuting on November 2, and Killzone 3, an adrenaline-soaked shooting game that is due out in February.
New technology
The 3DS, unlike Sony's 3-D games, does not require glasses, an advantage that Nintendo hammered home at its Tuesday news conference at the Nokia Theatre. "Man! Those glasses!" Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime exclaimed in mock horror. In an effect similar to lenticular images, the Nintendo 3DS projects an illusion of three dimensions on its 3.5-inch screen. The result is a picture comparable to 3-D with glasses.
The 3DS is similar to the current DS console, except that the top 3.5-inch screen will display 3-D images while the bottom, slightly larger display is a touch screen. Equipped with three cameras (two on the outside casing), the DS lets players take 3-D pictures and share them with other 3DS owners via a Wi-Fi internet connection. A slider lets viewers adjust the extent of the 3-D effect, including the ability to turn off the 3-D feature entirely.
