Microsoft: Xbox 360 'Fully 3D Capable'
Company says it will support the tech if people want it.
The big news in fancy tech to come out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was 3D, and companies like Sony are falling over themselves to adopt it into their products. Will Microsoft do the same with 3D Xbox 360 games? Well... maybe. Sort of.
“From the technical standpoint, we are fully 3D capable. We have 3D games running today,” Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg told G4TV at the show. Writer Patrick Klepek noted that its only demonstration was an Xbox Live Arcade game called Scrap Metal, but this was in the “old 3D”. Possibly the red and green kind.
Greenberg said that Microsoft will take a 'wait and see' approach to the technology. “I think right now we're unsure what level of interest there is from consumers to really want a 3D experience in the living room. Many, many years from now when it becomes a reality we absolutely can support it.”
As you would expect, the Xbox group product manager would rather everyone look at Project Natal than any of this 3D stuff that's wowing audiences at cinemas. But Greenberg thinks the cinema experience doesn't exactly relate to home entertainment. “When I play games or watch TV, I've got my phone, I've got all kinds of things going on... I'm not in a dark theater, wearing glasses... I think it's just a different environment.”
Standing by the sidelines seems to be Microsoft's game this round, possibly after the failure of HD-DVD, which the company half-heartedly adopted on the Xbox 360 via means of an external add-on device. It may believe that waiting out on unproven tech will benefit it in the long run – Natal being a product born from the Wii's success.
Would you rush out and jump on 3D gaming? What about 3D in the home? Do you think Microsoft is right to stand back and wait it out? Let us know your thoughts in the forum below.
“From the technical standpoint, we are fully 3D capable. We have 3D games running today,” Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg told G4TV at the show. Writer Patrick Klepek noted that its only demonstration was an Xbox Live Arcade game called Scrap Metal, but this was in the “old 3D”. Possibly the red and green kind.
Greenberg said that Microsoft will take a 'wait and see' approach to the technology. “I think right now we're unsure what level of interest there is from consumers to really want a 3D experience in the living room. Many, many years from now when it becomes a reality we absolutely can support it.”
As you would expect, the Xbox group product manager would rather everyone look at Project Natal than any of this 3D stuff that's wowing audiences at cinemas. But Greenberg thinks the cinema experience doesn't exactly relate to home entertainment. “When I play games or watch TV, I've got my phone, I've got all kinds of things going on... I'm not in a dark theater, wearing glasses... I think it's just a different environment.”
Standing by the sidelines seems to be Microsoft's game this round, possibly after the failure of HD-DVD, which the company half-heartedly adopted on the Xbox 360 via means of an external add-on device. It may believe that waiting out on unproven tech will benefit it in the long run – Natal being a product born from the Wii's success.
Would you rush out and jump on 3D gaming? What about 3D in the home? Do you think Microsoft is right to stand back and wait it out? Let us know your thoughts in the forum below.
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Comments
chumby 13 Jan 2010 10:00
1/19
not sure that 3d really is wow cinema audience as much as studios are saying that is.
i didn't think avatar was that great - not as good as the animated stuff like coraline
and the stupid glasses annoy the crap out of me
i didn't think avatar was that great - not as good as the animated stuff like coraline
and the stupid glasses annoy the crap out of me
irritant 13 Jan 2010 10:45
2/19
"Many, many years from now when it becomes a reality we absolutely can support it.”
3D TVs will be available widely this year. Funny, they (half heartedly) supported HD when it wasn't widely available.
As for downplaying whether home audiences will care about 3d games:
The receptionist from my work was at a recent games show in Leeds and got to experience a 3d driving game NVidia were showing off. She's tried console games already and is fairly non-plussed by them but she was blown away by the 3d stuff. Was raving on about it for days.
3D TVs will be available widely this year. Funny, they (half heartedly) supported HD when it wasn't widely available.
As for downplaying whether home audiences will care about 3d games:
The receptionist from my work was at a recent games show in Leeds and got to experience a 3d driving game NVidia were showing off. She's tried console games already and is fairly non-plussed by them but she was blown away by the 3d stuff. Was raving on about it for days.
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deleted 13 Jan 2010 11:01
3/19
@chumby
I was Amazed by Avatar, Very impressed sure the story was a recycled one, but the visuals were top notch! nad the 3D was the best used id ever seen! very immersive, i for one am looking forward to COD:MW4 in 3D.
I was Amazed by Avatar, Very impressed sure the story was a recycled one, but the visuals were top notch! nad the 3D was the best used id ever seen! very immersive, i for one am looking forward to COD:MW4 in 3D.
jackOFalltrades 13 Jan 2010 13:27
4/19
well i love how back in 2006 going in 07 microsoft said it didn't care about 3D then futhered there statement by saying they had no intentions to add or support 3D gaming because they 360 was just that good. now sony was the hit of the floor at CES with there take on 3D. so now microsoft is all hands for 3D lol!!
its sad because i know for sure that in the next 2-3 years im going to have to upgrade my 360 to something more advanced like xbox something.
i love both my systems but it seems microsoft has just lost there edge.
soooo i saw project natal first hand. ..hmm well making believe i have a gun in my hands with no trigger was less than pleasant. its just not what people are aiming for. (by the way , the natal camara wasnt developed by microsoft..they bought the finished product from a dutch company called 3DV systems)
and by the way i was at the C.E.S this year and um there was no 3d racing game being demoed by nvidia. it was grand tourismo5 on full 3d spec. nvidia was showcasing army and geographical concepts for new pc software
its sad because i know for sure that in the next 2-3 years im going to have to upgrade my 360 to something more advanced like xbox something.
i love both my systems but it seems microsoft has just lost there edge.
soooo i saw project natal first hand. ..hmm well making believe i have a gun in my hands with no trigger was less than pleasant. its just not what people are aiming for. (by the way , the natal camara wasnt developed by microsoft..they bought the finished product from a dutch company called 3DV systems)
and by the way i was at the C.E.S this year and um there was no 3d racing game being demoed by nvidia. it was grand tourismo5 on full 3d spec. nvidia was showcasing army and geographical concepts for new pc software
jackOFalltrades 13 Jan 2010 13:32
5/19
arron greenburg is funny. he stated at CES that they wer going to sit by the sidelines and wait for 3d gaming to take off..but in a recent interview he said there ready and have a load of games ready for 3d..gosh what a dork.
irritant 13 Jan 2010 20:38
6/19
@jackOFalltrades
"by the way i was at the C.E.S this year and um there was no 3d racing game being demoed by nvidia"
I don't recall mentioning CES at all. The show I'm referring to was at Royal Armouries in Leeds. I think the show is called Eurogamer or similar. I wan't there though and can't remember fully.
"by the way i was at the C.E.S this year and um there was no 3d racing game being demoed by nvidia"
I don't recall mentioning CES at all. The show I'm referring to was at Royal Armouries in Leeds. I think the show is called Eurogamer or similar. I wan't there though and can't remember fully.
Arron Greenburg 14 Jan 2010 01:14
7/19
Hello fellow gamers.
We have just shipped the 1st copies of GranTurismo 5 3D for the Xbox 360.
It has 120 tracks, 1000 cars, realistic physics and handling, realistic weather, 32 online racing and Triple screen support.
Some times when I eat beans, I fart.
When I walk down the street, I notice that the place that I walked away from, I am no longer there.
3 D gaming is what MS stands for, 3 D is total immersion, and ifit is important that you be able to live your life in 3 dimensional immersible technology.
My wife is a man, her name is Kazunori Yamauchi and we do it naked when using the Wii.
Her Wii Wii is very small and makes me laugh.
One day when I make Bill Gates ask me why we went 3 Dimensional, I will answer, beacuase its neat.
Thank you for your time..
I love you all, even my man wife...
We have just shipped the 1st copies of GranTurismo 5 3D for the Xbox 360.
It has 120 tracks, 1000 cars, realistic physics and handling, realistic weather, 32 online racing and Triple screen support.
Some times when I eat beans, I fart.
When I walk down the street, I notice that the place that I walked away from, I am no longer there.
3 D gaming is what MS stands for, 3 D is total immersion, and ifit is important that you be able to live your life in 3 dimensional immersible technology.
My wife is a man, her name is Kazunori Yamauchi and we do it naked when using the Wii.
Her Wii Wii is very small and makes me laugh.
One day when I make Bill Gates ask me why we went 3 Dimensional, I will answer, beacuase its neat.
Thank you for your time..
I love you all, even my man wife...
COOLC 7 Feb 2010 04:21
8/19
I was a none believer until 2 weeks ago. I was in the mall and happen to stop by the sony store. They just so happen to have there first 3d ready LCD display. I was truly blown away!!!! after leaving the store i could not get my mind off what i had just experinced. I realized that this new 3D technology is really good, and not like the old standerd of red and blue glasses. It dawn on me that the tv i brought 1 year ago was a 3D ready 50inch DLP!! I quickly started my mission! I recieved my 3D shutter glasses 3days after i dove into this new journey. the only 3D game thats ready to go at this point on either system PS3 or 360 is Avatar the game. Visually' in 3D its better than anything ive ever played!!! My wife is not into games but she was amazed at what she saw!!! BELIVE ME!! when you walk into best buy in a couple months from now and you putt on the 3D shutter glasses (nothing like the glasses your worn to see avatar the movie) you will quickly realize that this is where gaming is going, LIKE IT OR NOT!!. I honestly cant wait for more content. Samsung and Mishibishi are the leaders in 3D tv, and they new this tech was going to be big! 3D ready tvs have been on the market since 2007.
Isaac99 3 Mar 2010 17:12
9/19
they really should make 3d on xbox 360 because i have an xbox 360 and im tempted to make the swithch when the 3d tvs come out
Game Veteran 10 Mar 2010 23:23
10/19
Sony has already posted details about their June release for the 3DTVs and PS3 will also have 3D capability. Xbox 360 Gamers are going to feel like suckers if Microsoft "stands back" and waits "many many years" to keep up with their competetors. Just look at how well the movie Avatar has done because it was 3D. Should Microsoft wait it out? Absolutely not.. Unless they want 360 gamers playing PS3 instead.
scottyboy 22 Mar 2010 16:51
11/19
project natal combined with 3d, games will be unreal i dont see why microsoft would sit back and wait i think alot of people will buy thew ps3 for this instead of waiting for xbox because both consoles are fairly cheap now. could be bad in the long run. more ps3=less xbox360
Irritated... by fanboys. 22 Apr 2010 19:05
12/19
@irritant
"Many, many years from now when it becomes a reality we absolutely can support it.”
3D TVs will be available widely this year. Funny, they (half heartedly) supported HD when it wasn't widely available."
Um... what the hell are you talking about? The Xbox was the only last gen system to support HD.
"Many, many years from now when it becomes a reality we absolutely can support it.”
3D TVs will be available widely this year. Funny, they (half heartedly) supported HD when it wasn't widely available."
Um... what the hell are you talking about? The Xbox was the only last gen system to support HD.
Dave WIlson 6 Jun 2010 17:36
13/19
6 years ago I had a (decrepid by todays standards) PC with an Nvidia 5950 graphics card (£300 at the time) feeding a 21" monitor at 120hz. I got some E-dimensional shutter glasses and the 3D was awesome! This was at home, 6 years ago playing need for speed 2 and half life 2, etc! Then flat screens became the norm and they couldn't run past 60hz, so the 3D of the day died out. Oh, how I can't wait until Xbox, PS3 and movies go 3D, which they will.....
axon 19 Jul 2010 08:33
14/19
Im sooo tempted to get rid of my XBOX and get a PS3 myself....For 1, in a few years 3D games will be standard and Microsoft are slacking.....2. I love racing games and PS2/3 Just had so many different racing wheels supported compared to 1 decent wheel from XBOX which is the porche wheel.....3D racing games are going to be awsome so me and a bunch of others are prob going to switch consoles.
FuRrY321 28 Jul 2010 04:34
15/19
Well, PS3 now supports 3D, 3DTVs are coming down in price, and Sony already has a few 3D games, with more to come.
What's Microsoft doing, besides recycling an old product, adding in things that should have been there in the first place, and calling it a "new console"? The "New Xbox 360" still doesn't support 3D.
What's Microsoft doing, besides recycling an old product, adding in things that should have been there in the first place, and calling it a "new console"? The "New Xbox 360" still doesn't support 3D.
wTr 29 Jul 2010 15:38
16/19
I do believe 3d-gaming will outstand nowadays 2d-gaming... Most of all I'm interested in the device that will visualise this 3d image:
3d projectors and 3d flatscreens are pretty expensive compared to the video headsets (starting at 200$) who are perfectly capable of composing excellent 3d-images since they have separate screens for each eye. This fact combined with the head-tracking capabilities of most of these headsets makes them the perfect viewing devices for real immersive 3d-gaming...
Wonder what others think...
3d projectors and 3d flatscreens are pretty expensive compared to the video headsets (starting at 200$) who are perfectly capable of composing excellent 3d-images since they have separate screens for each eye. This fact combined with the head-tracking capabilities of most of these headsets makes them the perfect viewing devices for real immersive 3d-gaming...
Wonder what others think...
FuRrY321 29 Jul 2010 21:45
17/19
@wTr I don't believe that the headtracking headsets you are thinking of are really 3D. If you mean things like Vuzix headsets, then they don't even have their 3D headset yet (and it looks ridiculous - check this out). My guess is that that will probably end up being more than $200.
What I personally think in this matter is this: people don't mind paying that much for a 3DTV. I mean, yes, $2000 for a good one is expensive, but I think it's the fact that a lot of people are uncomfortable with wearing the glasses. Which is ridiculous, seeing as how they are a thousand times more comfortable than the ones at the theatres. Once 3D TVs come out that don't need the glasses (like Nintendo's 3DS) and they aren't limited to certain viewing angles (dead-on centre, for example) I believe that we will see a bigger adoption of this new technology. Hopefully then Microsoft will see that it is, indeed, a marketing front.
As for the headsets, you can't really have multiple people watching something at the same time with just one headset, can you? ;)
What I personally think in this matter is this: people don't mind paying that much for a 3DTV. I mean, yes, $2000 for a good one is expensive, but I think it's the fact that a lot of people are uncomfortable with wearing the glasses. Which is ridiculous, seeing as how they are a thousand times more comfortable than the ones at the theatres. Once 3D TVs come out that don't need the glasses (like Nintendo's 3DS) and they aren't limited to certain viewing angles (dead-on centre, for example) I believe that we will see a bigger adoption of this new technology. Hopefully then Microsoft will see that it is, indeed, a marketing front.
As for the headsets, you can't really have multiple people watching something at the same time with just one headset, can you? ;)
FuRrY321 29 Jul 2010 21:49
18/19
Forgive me, I see now that the Vuzix headsets allow a side-by-side 3D viewing mode. Now, if only they could provide full HD headsets for the price of the 310XL...
wTr 31 Jul 2010 07:04
19/19
Since these headsets have two seperate screens for each eye, most of them are capable to split a 3d-video signal over those screens. If this is done well, I think this is the best way to offer 3d.
I did some further rechearch, and a big disadvantage of these headsets seams to be the low resolution. Under 500$, the maximum resolution one could get is 640 x 480 and between 500 and 1000$ you can get OLED op to 800 x 600. Full HD isn't affordable... (for a good overview with the right prices: link)
Indeed, only one person at once can use the screen. Not ideal for looking a 3d movie with your girlfriend :) But for gaming, I think that's not a problem. I wouldn't care for the looks either.
For gaming, I think the screen moving with your head combined with head tracking offers a big extra. e.g. in a racing game you could look into the corners like one would do in real live...
Another disadvantage is the compatibility with consoles... Head tracking isn't yet supported and getting the 3d video signal right seams difficult.
I did some further rechearch, and a big disadvantage of these headsets seams to be the low resolution. Under 500$, the maximum resolution one could get is 640 x 480 and between 500 and 1000$ you can get OLED op to 800 x 600. Full HD isn't affordable... (for a good overview with the right prices: link)
Indeed, only one person at once can use the screen. Not ideal for looking a 3d movie with your girlfriend :) But for gaming, I think that's not a problem. I wouldn't care for the looks either.
For gaming, I think the screen moving with your head combined with head tracking offers a big extra. e.g. in a racing game you could look into the corners like one would do in real live...
Another disadvantage is the compatibility with consoles... Head tracking isn't yet supported and getting the 3d video signal right seams difficult.