Look at that header image again: This is the future of gaming. In a matter of years pirates are going to leap out of the monitor and menacingly reach for you with their spectacularly shiny hooks. The details of the background fade away as Captain Hooky slowly leans towards you, but your glasses slip off your face and the moment is ruined forever.

3D is coming whether you like it or not. James Cameron's Avatar made sure that modern 3D wouldn't fade away like its red and blue counterpart from the 80s. And as time goes on we'll see more and more 3D options for gaming. Just take a look at this article from USA Today, where Edward C. Baig takes a look at two new 3D enabled laptops.

Each laptop sports different technologies for 3D, and apparently neither are as outstanding as what was used in Avatar.  Overall, Baig seems impressed by what he saw, though it's hard to discern if it's his love of 3D in general over any actual improvement in realism or immersion.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

I'm not convinced there's any mainstream appeal for laptops with 3D, at least not yet. There's simply not enough content. The technology is intriguing if imperfect, and it should appeal to well-heeled early adopters. While the family might someday congregate to watch 3D fare on a living room TV, watching 3D on a laptop is a more solitary affair. The 3D effects were decent (especially on the Asus), but nowhere close to what you'll see at the neighborhood multiplex. Watching 3D can cause eye fatigue. You'll likely have to mess around with software settings in games to get it just right.

Baig's initial impressions match my skepticism. While 3D in movies can find an acceptable technology standard and keep any extra costs minimal for consumers, 3D in games seems like a war waiting to happen. We might have a PS3 standard, a Nintendo standard, and an Nvidia standard. The cost of the technology will in turn be placed directly upon the consumer, whether through the costs of a new console or in games directly.

Where do you stand, Ranters? Is 3D, whether in the movies, on your television, or in your games, even a blip on your radar?  We're just getting into the thick of motion controls, is 3D something we should expect as well? Make sure and check out the article and share your thoughts.

Source: USA Today