14 DAY TRIAL // Those who read this article to so on a computer monitor or, maybe, on a television set. Chances are low that it is one that is capable of displaying 3D images. The same is true for probably all sites that are dealing in news, previews and reviews linked to the video game industry. And in the near future the 2D nature of the screens on which information is delivered will be a problem because of two things: the arrival of 3D gaming capabilities on the PlayStation 3, which will be powered by glasses, and the launch of the Nintendo 3DS handheld, which also offers three dimensional gaming but with no glasses.
By all accounts the 3DS was the most interesting thing at the E3 trade show. Visitors got to see it at the Nintendo press presentation and there was even video of the titles that the publishers is willing to bring to the new device. It was all 3D. Of course none of those watching at home could see this three dimensional effect and then talk about it. The medium has betrayed us and it's not clear how it will manage to convey news in the future.
Consider a 2013 when all home consoles support 3D, glasses are easy to wear and there are no headaches for the majority of the audience. Consider that the on the go gaming space is dominated by the PSP 2, the Nintendo 3DS and the iPhone 3D, all of them supporting three dimensional gaming. Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony rely less than during the previous decade on game sites and on paper magazines and more on direct marketing. The move to 3D might mean that a pitchman for the technology and for the devices who use it could set up a real life demo, much like Tupperware once did and much like cosmetic companies do these days, so that potential players and customers might actually see, with their own eyes, the impressive effects that everyone is talking about.
We might be moving towards a future where gaming comes closer to the masses and where the various mediums that talk about video games might be obsolete. And all because of 3D.