Welcome to the Age of 3D

After setbacks in the 1950s and again in the 1980s, 3D finally seems ready to make the transition from technological curiosity and gimmick to mainstream phenomenon. A new generation of 3D cinemas and televisions have finally dispensed with some of the chunkier elements of the past and are set to make further inroads into the way we enjoy our entertainment, from movies to sports and video games, in the coming years.



The big 3D event of the new generation was, of course, the 2009 box office record-smashing blockbuster movie Avatar. Although its story and characters left some viewers cold, there is no denying that the film was an enormous technical achievement, delivering breathtaking computer graphics and a revolutionary 3D experience to millions of people around the world. Since then, 3D has continued to attract large audiences and has become a new draw for many movie-goers.



3D has been making inroads in the home too thanks to a new generation of 3D-enabled television sets and 3D glasses. This has made 3D home viewing technology affordable for the first time for many people. 3D blu-ray discs are now widely available and new subscription 3D channels have sprung up alongside HD services. Even sports are now regularly broadcast in 3D, with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa pioneering the technology.

While 3D has now become established at the cinema and is now starting to appear on our TV screens, it has yet to really make significant in-roads into the home. Early experiments with the technology, such as Nintendo's Virtual Boy, were unsuccessful and led players to complain of headaches and eyestrain. However, with both Sony and Nintendo expressing new interest in 3D, the situation is about to change drastically. Sony introduced updates to its Playstation 3 console in 2010 allowing it to play games and Blu Ray discs in 3D through a compatible television set.



Nintendo, meanwhile, has designed an all-new handheld console that boasts one of the holy grails of 3D in its feature set - the ability to view moving images in 3D without having to wear glasses. Due to be released in Spring 2011 in Japan, North America and Europe, Nintendo's new 3DS allows players to play in true 3D, with game characters and surroundings coming to life in the hands. The strength of the 3D effect can be adjusted using a handy slider and the system will launch with enough titles to keep even the most ardent gamer busy, including a 3D remake of Nintendo 64 classic Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.



With the cost of 3D technology dropping all the time, this decade may well finally see 3D triumph on the big screen and at home, as it has threatened to do before.



Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.