3D PCs are the next big thing

By The Inquirer
11:41 May 31, 2010 | 14 Comments
Tags: 3D | PCs | gaming | news

Gamers drive uptake of next gen 3D systems.

3D PCs will be the next step in the stereovision market with gaming kickstarting the uptake.

According a report by Jon Peddie Research (JPR), one million 3D PCs will ship in 2010. JPR predicts that 75 million 3D PCs will roll out by 2014 as stereovision in the home becomes the next big thing. The company also claims a growth rate forecast of $34 billion for all hardware in the 3D market by 2014.

The report on the emerging Stereo 3D (S3D) PC market said that most PCs are 3D ready because of the graphics processors. However, punters aren't ready to adopt them wholesale because of the fractured 3D eco-system provided by competing brands and technologies.

But JPR says that 3D PCs will offer a one-stop shop for punters looking for hardware that can cope with 3D games, claiming, "Gaming will be the vehicle for kick-starting the S3D PC market."

"The gaming segment has the largest inventory of content and the most vocal enthusiasts who will spread the word and show their friends and families what it looks like and what it can do."

However, if the planet doesn't go 3D mad, Peddie says it could "be reduced to a small volume novelty market."

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14 Comments

UberPenguin May 31, 2010 12:22 PM	Frankly I'd like 3D gaming - its another way to raise the immersion level, especially if its implemented well. Its just that the hardware for it is too expensive, if that drops then it will be great. 3d and 5.1 turned up in a dark room on a good monitor - common if it all worked well wouldn't you want it?
Rage09 May 31, 2010 12:44 PM	I'd love to have it but I'd want to try it for a decently long gaming session before I fork out +$400. From the reviews I've read it can be a little hard on the eyes and as it is I go from reading papers/books all day to playing a FPS it takes my eyes a couple of minutes to get used to things moving fast again. I wonder if they'll ever be able to do 3D like the cinemas do, so you don't have to have active glasses.
UberPenguin May 31, 2010 12:55 PM	Apparently the active glasses aren’t bad these days (I remember the old shutter glasses that you could see the flicker). You can set up a dual projector system with polarised lenses but if you think $400 is impractical try pricing that setup - especially with the special reflective screen you'd need)
motiv May 31, 2010 12:55 PM	Rage09, you can run 3d on Nvidia cards without active shutter glasses. Anaglyph 3D aka cyan/red. I have been running this way for fun ever since Nvidia had updated their drivers about a year ago I think? Running it this way, colours do get washed out and if used for prolonged periods, your eyes need to readjust as you will be washed with red/cyan. The other option is to get the Nvidia active glasses for ~200 and pick up an olf CRT which can achieve a refresh rate of 120hz (60hz each eye). Rob
bozo01 May 31, 2010 2:32 PM	motiv I've been playing in anaglyph 3D for a while too Avatar and Batman Arkham Asylum are examples of 3D implemented well. Hopefully Transformers War for Cybertron will implement 3d well as well.
Alkahest May 31, 2010 3:11 PM	3d FPS FTW wish i had 3d bad company2 right now :P ill probably dive out of my chair to avoid an RPG
motiv May 31, 2010 3:30 PM	Bozo01, I'm playing 3D Wow, TF2, portal as you can agree, Takes a bit getting used to and you need to really fine tune the 3d depth, too much and your eyes have to keep refocusing (cross eyed). But once you find that sweet spot. It is pretty crazy, if you dont mind the washed out colours. Currently waiting on my nvidia shutters to come in the mail. Have an old 21" CRT that does 1280x1024 @ 120Hz to see if it will work.. Hope it does! Rob
Gharphield May 31, 2010 4:21 PM	Sounds good to me! Bring it on!
nukejockey May 31, 2010 6:26 PM	Looks like those kids have a severe case of conjunctivitus! 3d is bad for us!!!!!
Acintai May 31, 2010 6:40 PM	3d is too expensive for me because i'd have to pay for surgery to get my eyes fixed. sad face.
tny May 31, 2010 8:07 PM	For anaglyph stereo 3D, I have found that the "optimised anaglyph" mode of the IZ3D drivers is better than NVidia anaglyph mode in compatible games. Colours still get washed out but they are a bit(more) modified to prevent visual artefacts (I think it is called retinal rivalry, not sure). So it is more comfortable for the eyes and the stereo 3D effect is better. And IZ3D drivers works with both ATI and NVIDIA graphic cards :)
tmcomputers Jun 1, 2010 9:36 AM	Too bad if you can't see in 3D.
tmcomputers Jun 1, 2010 9:40 AM	It's hard to wear glasses under glasses as well.
MagnumXY Jun 1, 2010 6:02 PM	I don't see what the big deal about 3D is anyway. I mean sure it's immersive but you still have to year those chunky glasses. I think I'm gonna hold out until true 3D, without glasses, whatever that is.

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