"in focus: 3-D Video Gaming" - 1988 Electronic Game Player article

[ParallaxUltra]

 

 

[Newsdee]

I love it. This is like the Computer Games book from Usborne that talked about "games of the future" at the end. ?

 

Edited November 17, 2019 by Newsdee

[ParallaxUltra]

2 hours ago, Newsdee said:

I love it. This is like the Computer Games book from Usborne that talked about "games of the future" at the end. ?

 

That is really cool!

[Newsdee]

My mind is kind of blown when I think my Switch is pretty much all of that combined. Excepg the lasers haha.

 

But it took a while for Nintendo to get there, even catastrophic tries like the Virtual Boy and then doing 3D right with the 3DS. I am kind of sad they abandoned 3D, though. The new 3DS had a gorgeous screen.

 

[CatPix]

It's funny how 3D gaming tried to be around for so long and yet it still doesn't stick. Somehow. The most successful 3D device is probably the 3DS and how many people really use in in 3D mode?

Edited November 17, 2019 by CatPix
read the topic wrong UwU

[empsolo]

7 hours ago, CatPix said:

It's funny how 3D gaming tried to be around for so long and yet it still doesn't stick. Somehow. The most successful 3D device is probably the 3DS and how many people really use in in 3D mode?

I don't know about you but all the 3DS Fire Emblem games look gorgeous using the 3D mode on the N3DS.

[ParallaxUltra]

The arcade games in the Sega 3D Ages series (not the Genesis/MD games so much) look absolutely stunningly gorgeous on New 3DS.  Galaxy Force II especially. 

 

And Thunder Blade on 3DS is the only arcade-perfect version of that game.

The next-closest home version of Thunder Blade, which is technically about 1/2 as good as the arcade graphically, was the Japan-only version for the Sharp X68000 computer.

 

Galaxy Force II and Power Drift on 3DS also put to shame the 1998 Sega Ages versions released for the Saturn in Japan, which were 30fps instead of 60fps like the 1988 arcade versions.

 

[roots.genoa]

3D Out Run looks also incredible, especially with the unlockable turbo mode activated. And it runs at 60 fps instead of 30 fps like the arcade original game.

 

Since most games are modeled in 3D to begin with, I really don't understand why most people still prefer them displayed in 2D. Sometimes I feel like the boy from The Sixth Sense, being the only one seeing reality in 3D. T_T

[CatPix]

I guess because people do'nt want to wear clunky glasses to watch TV.

Especially since instead of choosing a passive technology, most TV makers choose to do their own proprietary active mode, which mean that for each person that wanna watch TV with you, you have to get an expensive pair of glasses (the cheapest I recall seeing were 30€ piece, and most 3D TV came with one pair only), basically slowing down the adoption of 3D... even halting it, I gotta say.

 

Maybe VR will finally do it, but being that I own an Oculus Rift, for now, we're still in that troubled era of "let's take a regular game and add an useless VR mode that add nothing to the game" and "let's make gimmicky games that last 5 minutes".

There's only a handful of games that utilise VR effectively (IMO) and they require the full 3D experience, having at least 3 motion sensors so you can move around and really be immersed in the game.

There's one game I would like to play in 3D and it's Silent Hill Downpour. Especially since they use a FOV change when you play the "alternate world" and that must be something to experiement in 3D :

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2019 by CatPix

[ParallaxUltra]

11 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

3D Out Run looks also incredible, especially with the unlockable turbo mode activated. And it runs at 60 fps instead of 30 fps like the arcade original game.

 

Since most games are modeled in 3D to begin with, I really don't understand why most people still prefer them displayed in 2D. Sometimes I feel like the boy from The Sixth Sense, being the only one seeing reality in 3D. T_T

 

Yes, and it also plays properly at 60fps, which cannot be said for the Saturn version with its 60fps smooth mode on.  Still, I love the Saturn version of Out Run, especially the stand-alone Japanese version, with its remixed music that was cut from the 3-in-1 Sega Ages Volume 1 North American release.

[Newsdee]

I was hoping that the 3D tech of the 3DS would make its way mainstream, since so many content creators were pushing 3D just a couple of years ago. Sadly it may have been funded by manufacturers, and they clearly decided to pull the rug from under everybody.

[roots.genoa]

Manufacturers are the real culprits indeed, especially when they decided to launch UHD which is not compatible with 3D. For some reason they thought that releasing an even more expensive version of the Blu-ray format would help them against streaming. -_-

The irony is that several companies like LG initially made 4K TVs that were still 3D-compatible and actually considered very good 3D TVs (mainly because 3D is displayed through interlacing), but it wasn't really promoted (not a single 3D logo on the box!) and these models have completely vanished. And yet, most blockbusters are still available in 3D in theaters - some people even complain they have no way to watch them in 2D - even though it's conversion 99% of the time, alas. So 3D Blu-rays are still a thing, but you could wonder how you're supposed to watch them without any 3D TV available on the market. ?

 

I was going to talk about 3D screens for smartphones but let's call it a day.

[Newsdee]

I was hoping somebody had an obscure link of a mini 3D display that could be bought... but I suppose the only option right now is a VR headset ?

 

 

[roots.genoa]

My brother has a 3D screen laptop and had great fun with (a few) compatible games, but as you may know, it's a pain in the a** to watch a Blu-ray with a computer, unless you're willing to pay a very expensive licence. ? And now that his laptop is getting old, he has no choice but to watch 3D movies with his PSVR, which is far to be perfect and practical indeed.

I really hope my 27" 3DTV will last a few years more...

[Flojomojo]

I recently realized that the 50" Panasonic plasma that my neighbor gave away for free is 3D capable. I just got some compatible 3D glasses for cheap on ebay, looking forward to playing games like Wipeout PS4 in 3D because I thought they supported stereoscopic TVs (it's in the PS4 options) ... until I realized there are like 5 games that do. There are more games that support VR, but that's completely different. My new 3D goggles remain in the box until I get some 3D Blu-rays or something. 

[mbd30]

On 11/17/2019 at 1:01 AM, Newsdee said:

I love it. This is like the Computer Games book from Usborne that talked about "games of the future" at the end. ?

 

 

They weren't too far off with their predictions.

 

[CatPix]

Indeed. Whoever wrote that was/were very aware of the tech of their day and how it would evolve. If you replace "game cubicle" with "VR helmet" then it's pretty close. The only thing a bit off is their depiction of the multiplayer system, but the text description fit for any multiplayer system.

[roots.genoa]

7 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

I recently realized that the 50" Panasonic plasma that my neighbor gave away for free is 3D capable. I just got some compatible 3D glasses for cheap on ebay, looking forward to playing games like Wipeout PS4 in 3D because I thought they supported stereoscopic TVs (it's in the PS4 options) ... until I realized there are like 5 games that do. There are more games that support VR, but that's completely different. My new 3D goggles remain in the box until I get some 3D Blu-rays or something. 

Indeed, PS3 had a lot more 3D compatible games, including AAA games. ?

[tripletopper]

How do you solve the problem of a lack of 3D TVs?  Do exactly what Sega did,. Instead of  selling separate TVs. Make a device which turns ordinary 2D TVs into 3D TVs.  It works for surround sound systems like Dolby and DTS.

 

Sega technologies probably now public domain as far as patents are concerned.  So anyone could turn a 2d  TV into a 3D tv.

 

2 problems.  the first was that broadcast standards that will push for the 2012 and 2013 Super Bowl worst side by side half, which though technically broadcast to go on ATSC, anyone who didn't have a 3D TV would have a coded picture it's not natural.  it's not like scrambled satellite but you'll have to quit images side-by-side that are thin.

 

The format they sure use for TV was alternate frames.  Since a lot of TV shows broadcast in 30 frames anyway, an ATSCs minimum is 60 frames per second, yet some retro channels have a 30 frames per second mode, so there should be a new standard called 30 frames per second x 2 eyes.  On a normal 2dtv it would read 30 frames per second with the dominant eye always being first.  It would just ignore the X 2 eye tag, just like TVs ignored Dolby 5.1 surround if nothing understands it. Or closed captioning.  

 

but if one does have a decoder then there be a second frame buffer for the alternate frame because TV compression works on neighboring panels and neighboring frames it doesn't do skip-neighboring frames, and it would give left and right frames is altering frames.

 

And best of all no one has to go out and buy a new TV just to get 3D or compromised on what TV to buy just to get 3D.  It works for big and small TVs,  expensive and cheap TVs, 1080P and 4K TVs, highly processed or low ping TVs, any brand, you could even add it to your existing 2D so you don't have to wait for your TV to be broken before you can get 3D.

 

I'm talking to a few television stations Cleveland to see if we could try this 2D friendly 3D standard.  Because 3D TV went downhill once people realize broadcasting in 3D would ruin it for 2D viewers.

 

an active shutter base system would work but there's only one problem which I think I saw and that's getting the syncher to sync with the TV.  To do so.  you have to capture either the display or something indicating the timing after it comes out of the TV after processing.  I assume that it could send an inaudible signal through audio, kind of like Dolby information.  and even though most TVs don't have video out every TV HDTV has audio out, whether Arc or left/right out or toslink out or coaxial out. And that audio is synched with video.

 

Even though I like shutter based systems, mainly because tilting your head a little bit on polarize displays causes partial depolarization, which causes double vision,which causes confusion,  which causes headaches, it's cheaper to get a polar system...

 

As long as it's built into the TV.  Imagine trying to polarize any HD screen of any size of any ratio and having the exact line lineup side-by-side alternate pixels?  Betty crazy you need to hire a professional and buy a specific part for a specific TV.

 

Another might be a different polar solution which I call Active polar.  If it was some way you could switch the polarization in front of the TV, a shield in front of the TV. That alternates left polarity/right polarity. Then you could add cardboard glasses for like less than a dollar a piece I have a party.

 

I still can't solve the issue of simultaneous 3D and 2D viewers.  Except that 2D viewers have to either going to active simulview mode or wearing passive unifilter glasses.

 

Finally just like all DVDs and blu-rays have Dolby stereo and or DTS shouldn't 3D movies have a combo 2D 3D disc?  the only problem with them currently is that they don't solve the issue of always focusing on the dominant eye of the director.  two separate standards alternate frames l and alter frames are will respectfully have the left and right frame as the first of the pair.