3D: Are we there yet?

Bringing glasses-based 3D to the masses is not a new phenomenon.

From the ill-fated Virtual Boy to the flimsy anaglyph glasses given away with kids’ magazines, various gaming and tech firms have tried to master the concept.

Over the last two years, 3D has once again found its way back onto everyone’s lips. Even if you set aside next week’s launch of a certain handheld, this two-character buzzword is cropping up everywhere. It’s on the latest televisions, there are dedicated channels for it and we’re almost always handed a pair of special glasses when going to see the newest films.

And gaming is trying to drive the technology forward. While 3D in games is not as high-profile as it is in other mediums, major proponents such as Sony and Ubisoft are keen to make it more prominent. Even Call of Duty: Black Ops – which, lest we forget, was the biggest selling game of last year – featured a Stereoscopic 3D mode.

So why is everyone getting so excited if 3D failed to take off before?