3D

As we move further past the one-year anniversary of the first 3D TV sets launched in the U.S., it's clear 3D hasn't leapt to the forefront of consumer technology market. But it hasn't fallen completely into the background, either.

The recent announcement by Nintendo that it would dramatically cut the price of the Nintendo 3DS could be seen as another tough break for 3D products. In fact, Nintendo's newest handheld gaming system overcame two of the most commonly cited objections for 3D--high prices for hardware and the need to wear glasses.

Indeed, the most recent results of NPD's 3D 360° Monitor indicate that the 3DS helped raise the profile of handheld video games to become one of the most recognized 3D product categories.

As is the case with stereoscopy itself, though, there may be more to this picture than meets the eye. For example, Nintendo has traditionally priced significantly below its primary competitor, Sony, in both the home- and portable-console markets. The news that the forthcoming PlayStation Vita would debut at the 3DS' launch price of around $250 might have caused Nintendo to rethink what it charged.

Furthermore, Nintendo continues to contend with increasing gaming activity on the iPhone and other smartphone platforms, as well as a on a host of powerful tablets now vying for consumers' game-playing time.

There are other instances where the impact of 3D is difficult to ascertain. The arrival of "passive 3D" systems from LG and Vizio competing with "active 3D" systems from Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic has set off dueling marketplace claims regarding technical superiority and customer preference. … Read more

LOS ANGELES--Another year, another show floor filled with bright lights, thunderous music, and scantily dressed women showing off big-budget studio games. Sometimes it feels like E3 never changes.

Yet, I've been to roughly 10 E3s in my life dating back to the Sega Dreamcast debut, and in my first on-the-show visit in a few years, the landscape has subtly and definitely altered from years past.

So here are my final observations about this year's show.

Everyone wants to be accessible. The … Read more

LOS ANGELES--While Nintendo created a splash with the Wii U, its 3DS handheld remains in an awkward state of affairs after being upstaged by the PlayStation Vita debut the day before.

The 3DS has only been on store shelves in the U.S. since March, but the system faces an uphill challenge against a competitor in the Vita that has the same price and arguably more-robust technical specs, along with an impressive assortment of games.

Good games are what the 3DS particularly lacks a strong supply of, but Nintendo's press conference focused largely on firing off big-ticket franchise names … Read more

Sony already announced a 3D-capable standalone display at this year's show. Today it unveiled a Vaio all-in-one desktop with the same feature.

We've already seen a Vaio L-Series all-in-one with a standard 2D display this year. This new 3D option effectively comes to the L-Series as another configuration option.

Unlike Sony's new 3D standalone LCD, the Vaio L-Series 3D comes by way of an Nvidia graphics chip, which means it's an active 3D technology that requires a pair of powered 3D glasses. You get a single pair of 3D glasses with the 3D screen option, and … Read more

The big three video game console manufacturers love to use E3 as a forum to brag, tease, and whet the appetites of gamers worldwide.

An entire year later, where do all of the promises, announcements, and hype from 2010's show stand? We've hand-picked each conference's spotlight moments and detailed the progress in a slideshow.

Each year, after E3 comes to a close and financial analysts have a chance to sift through all the news from the gaming industry show, those analysts share their opinions on which companies did well and which left something to be desired. This year, a few analysts, speaking to Gamasutra in an interview, contend that it was Nintendo that did the best job of building hype for its products.

"Nintendo 3DS stole the show," Panoptic Management Consultants analyst Adam H. Kraus told Gamasutra.

His sentiments were echoed by another Panoptic analyst, Asif A. Khan, who told the gaming … Read more

Amid all the hoopla surrounding E3, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told a Japanese publication this week that he plans to bring 3D functionality to the company's next game console.

"If you display a 3D image, the image quality becomes extremely bad, so we'd probably do it with the next system," Iwata told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. "We're thinking that the timing should be once the 3D television adoption rates crosses the 30 percent mark. We're looking at the adoption trends."

Iwata's comments seem to fall in line with Nintendo's recent … Read more

This week on preGAME we take an in-depth look at all three major E3 2010 press conferences. If you didn't get to catch those shows live, make sure to tune in here as we run through each conference, picking apart every announcement, game, and hardware debut.

We've got dozens of videos to show, displaying the latest and greatest from the world of gaming, including Nintendo 3DS hands-on, Microsoft Kinect, and PlayStation Move gameplay. Also, we'll be checking out game trailers for blockbuster titles like Portal 2, Twisted Metal, Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Gears of War 3.

So … Read more

LOS ANGELES--The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is a very visually oriented experience, with game companies spending heavily to create compelling show floor experiences to lure in attendees. You'll typically find plenty of costumed characters, giant physical structures that can hardy be called booths, and more flatscreen TVs per square inch than at your average Costco.

We captured some of the most notable sights from the show floor, as well as from the Sony and Nintendo press conferences. Highlights include some caged zombies from Capcom's Dead Rising, Nintendo godfather Shigeru Miyamoto demoing his latest Zelda game, and the most … Read more