According to Sony (and many others), 3D is the future of television and gaming, but not everyone is convinced. We already heard about Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg’s thoughts on it, and now Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey is calling Sony out on it. According to McQuivey, 3D gaming is nothing but “hype.”
“If it took 10 years for HD to go from one home to reach more than half the US population, it will take 3D just as long, which is an easy bet to make.” he wrote on paidContent.org. “The real trick is figuring out how long we languish in the low-single-digit millions.”
“First more 3D content has to be created—that means new (expensive) cameras, new satellite uplink infrastructure for live sporting events, and an entirely new cable infrastructure to consume more bandwidth to deliver Full HD 3D content (where each eye sees a unique 1080p 3D image).
“And if you think consumers are reeling from the effects of a down economy, you don’t want to sit in that meeting where you explain to a fatigued cable network or cable operator that after just completing a massive transition to HD, they now have to go 3DHD. Ouch.”
Nevertheless, McQuivey still believes 3D gaming is not so farfetched. “Gaming is the ideal environment for 3D—gameheads stare straight at the screen in immersive gameplay for hours,” he added. “That’s why gaming will lead in 3D.”