2009-01-08

DO WANT

Yes, both are still at the early-adopter, not-well-supported, haven't-gotten-all-the-kinks-out stage, but come on, how can you not want to combine a haptic full-3D controller with a high-def, full-color stereoscopic display? When I think about it I feel like Howard Hughes at the end of The Aviator - the way of the future, the way of the future, the way of the future.... 

Imagine a simple chess game, to take an easy example. You've got a 3D chessboard on screen, you click and drag to move pieces around, simple enough. Put on your 3D glasses, and you suddenly see the board with depth, as if its actually floating in front of you, just beyond the surface of the screen. Lose the mouse, and instead reach out and grab one of the pieces - touch it, it feels substantial, it has weight, and it has texture - feel the difference between wooden pieces and glass. Move the piece and set it down, and feel it connect with the board.

Don't like chess? Doesn't matter. Extrapolate to any game you like. See your favorite shooter in full 3D, and feel the recoil of your gun with every shot. Watch effects pop out of the screen, reach out and touch the environment you see. A whole realm of possibilities become available. It could completely change the level of 3D gaming.

While $200 for a game controller, $200 for a pair of 3D glasses, and hundreds more for a top-of-the-line LCD capable of operating stereo 3D may seem steep (especially considering that assumes you've already got a top-notch gaming rig with a recent NVidia graphics card) as early-adopter products go, that's really not bad -- it could be half the price in two or three years, if it catches on, production ramps up, and refinements are made. And if they can get developers excited about it, application support will speed its adoption and spur further improvement and innovation.

I can't wait to see what the next gen of gaming will look like. The way of the future, the way of the future...