Games giant Ubisoft claims 3D is the new stereo

 

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Posted on 30 Nov 2009 at 15:47

Yannis Mallat, a senior executive at Ubisoft, has declared that 3D visuals are the next big thing. In an interview with the Financial Post, he said "3D is to pictures what Dolby Stereo was to sound - no one wants to go back to mono."

Ubisoft is one of the world's biggest games publishers, responsible for titles including Assassins Creed, Splinter Cell, Far Cry, Myst and various Tom Clancy related games. More tellingly the company is about to release a game to accompany the film Avatar. Made by James Cameron, of Titanic fame, the upcoming movie has been touted as the big breakthrough for 3D in movie theatres.

3D in movie theatres is certainly catching on, with a number of animated movies, like Pixar's recent release, Up. Although whether it breaks out of the visual novelty bracket, and into a serious artistic tool is yet to be seen.

The game will also be playable in 3D, though of course you'll have to provide your own 3D display to do so, which is a major stumbling block at present. Not even serious PC gamers have yet been willing to upgrade their desktop monitors to play 3D games, let alone console gamers who would likely have to replace the living room TV.

At present a 3D TV costs a huge £6,000, and many major manufacturers don't have 3D models on sale, including Sony and Samsung. However, prices are likely to drop dramatically as interest rises and competition increases. Plus, the latest revision of the HDMI standard includes support for various methods of 3D imaging.

The electronics, games and movie industries are undoubtedly seeing t3D as their next big profit-maker. We're not so sure though, Mallat's comment comparing 3D to stereo sound seems to be more an enthusiastic soundbite than a thorough argument. Stereo required two speakers instead of one, hardly a massive hassle, and one well short of the polarised glasses which much be worn for full colour 3D images.

We reckon that 3D will be more like surround sound. Some see it as an essential for home movie viewing, but most living rooms still don't have 5.1 speaker setups. If you're happy to stud your living room with multiple speakers, and most of us here at Shopper are, then 3D is probably on your wish list for your next TV. Even then it'll take much cheaper sets to persuade us that it's worth the price of entry.

Author: Seth Barton