Reuters has an interesting
storyon the rise of 3D games. The most compelling development is the stereoscopic 3D glasses that will be used in the upcoming Avatar game, based on James Cameron’s next film.
While 3-D films have been around for decades, innovations in digital projection technology are ushering in a new age of eye-popping action. A Santa Monica, California start-up called Real D is leading the crush to cash in. As Michael Lewis, co-founder and CEO of Real D told me, “Cinema is the tip of the sphere to get the consumer indoctrinated in new generation of 3-D.”
Real D’s business model is built around the licensing of its software and hardware. Light is circularly polarized from the digital projectors onto a special silver screen, which helps capture the images. Instead of donning clunky headsets or red and green lenses, viewers wear lightweight stereoscopic glasses that can be recycled or trashed after use. Competitors, such as Dolby, have introduced 3-D systems requiring costly washable glasses. Unlike Real, Dolby’s projection technology can be utilized using a theater’s existing white screens. I doubt it will be long before 3D glasses occupy another shelf in the living room, right next the Rock Band drumsticks.
David Kushner is the author of many books, including Masters of Doom, Jonny Magic & the Card Shark Kids, Levittown, The Bones of Marianna, and Alligator Candy. A contributing editor of Rolling Stone, he has written for publications including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, and The New York Times Magazine.