Some things changed, however, when the idea of taking media, such as comics, pictures, film, et al, and bringing them 'to life' in a 3D way. Before we go into what changed this idea, we should have a firm understanding about what makes something appear to be '3D', or to 'pop out' as it may be.
The human brain is an interesting thing. It holds great capabilities, and this is where our understanding of 3D viewing starts. In order for us to see the world around us, we have eyes connected to our brain. The eyes we have are a slight distance apart. For those who only have one working eye, there is a problem: the lack of depth in things viewed. Why does this happen? Simply put, when we see something with both eyes, the image that the left eye and the image the right eye view are slightly different. The differences between what the two eyes see are greater when an object is close, and more subtle when focusing on an object at a distance. The human brain processes the differences between the two images, and forms a composite image we understand as a single image, with depth. This process happens constantly, but we barely notice, unless we're specifically thinking about it. In 1838, Charles Wheatstone published a paper that provided the scientific basis for stereography, showing that the brain unifies the slightly different two-dimensional images from each eye into a single object of three dimensions. [Source: http://cnx.org/content/m13784/latest/]
The problem with most media is that the media itself is (generally speaking) all shown on the same flat plane. This causes it to appear more 'flat' than how we perceive the rest of the world. 3D technology changes that dynamic, by presenting slightly different images to each eye.
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| This image allows the viewer to see it in 3d, with the "magic eye" technique |
The first major implementation of this trick was done with a thing called a stereoscope. Stereoscopes could make a picture seem three dimensional by angling the light slightly with lenses, or by having the viewer see the same image with both eyes, at slightly different angles. [Source: http://cnx.org/content/m13784/latest/]
Modernly, with the resurgence of popular 3D media, there are several companies whom have been looking into providing a more immersible play environment. The most notable of which has recently received plenty of attention at this year's 2010 E3 (Electronic Entertaiment Expo). Nintendo has announced their new portable hand held device: the Nintendo 3DS. I won't go into all the details about the system specifications, but if you're interested, you can read about it here: Nintendo's Official 3DS website.
The way it works is rather simple. Nintendo's 3DS technology is based upon Sony's 'active shutter' 3D technology. Simply put, just like the stereographs and stereoscopes of old, it angles a picture slightly differently for each eye using "shutters". The main downfall of this technology is that it isn't economical to use it in television, because the shutters would not work the same from all angles. However, Nintendo has overcome this problem. If the only one to view the 3D technology is a single person from a single perspective, with the ability to change the 3D settings as they like, there should be no problem with the viewing of 3D without glasses. (All of this can be generally explained by reading a recent publication of Game Informer, if I recall correctly, it was located in either the June or July issue of 2010.) Editor's Note: To be exact, it was in issue 208.
Although the use of 3D technology in the video game industry is new and unfounded to date, expectations of this expansion are high. There have been many reviews of this new technology, from those who have already gotten to test it out (compliments of Nintendo). Many of these can be found online.
For a more in-depth explanation of how the 3D shutter technology works, see the link below.
An explanation of the Active Shutter System developed by Sony.
With the surge of 3D media, could 3D gaming be the ultimate next step? This is uncertain, but this shows that the game industry is still seeking ways to improve itself. Culture is beginning to expect greater, flashier things, and regardless of if this technology is a success or a failure, the goal is meeting the wants of the customers. Where this will lead culture to look for new ideas is still unknown. Perhaps virtual reality is just around the corner?
Editorial Notes:
(Edited: 9/13/10)
Source:
Spiro, L.
(2006, October 30).
A Brief History of Stereographs and Stereoscopes.
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http://cnx.org/content/m13784/1.5/
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