Sony has gone all in on 3D in gaming, but analyst Michael Pachter doesn’t see it taking off for another decade.
The videogame industry’s 3D future may take a while if Michael Pachter’s predictions are correct. Sony has already added 3D functionality to a selection of PlayStation 3 games this year, but Pachter thinks the technology remains a “fad” until people actually own 3D televisions.
When asked whether he thought 3D gaming was a fad or not on Gametrailers’ Pach-Attack, Pachter said: “I would err on the side of saying fad.” His reasoning is that the adoption of 3D televisions will take a while, because the masses won’t buy expensive 3D televisions just to play games. He also points out the issue of players having to wear special 3D glasses, which are expensive too.
However, don’t count 3D out in the long run. “As long as the audience for 3D televisions remains small, I think 3D gaming is a fad,” he continued. “When the audience for 3D display becomes really broad, every game will be in 3D and it is the future.”
In closing, Pachter thinks 3D gaming is “a fad for the next five years,” but will be “the future maybe in ten.” This stands in contrast to Ubisoft’s view that it’s only going to take three. Pachter is basically saying what we already knew here, because no matter how cool 3D gaming is it all comes down to the price of entry. $2000 for a television and $200 for glasses? No thanks. When I can get my 3D on for around $500, it’d be a different story.
