Ask HN: What do you think of this 3D fad?
There are 3D TV's coming out, and now a 3D Nintendo DS ( http://www.geekwithlaptop.com/nintendo-to-launch-3d-nintendo-ds-without-need-for-3d-specs )
Just a fad or here to stay? At least partly it's about keeping people watching TV and away from the internet. In a recent interview that I had with a TV company they were quite fearful of the move away from TV and the loss of advertising revenue which that entails for them. Personally I can't see any reason why this isn't just a passing fad. Although I'm interested in 3D vision, I've very little interest in watching TV wearing goggles, and think that the novelty would wear off very rapidly. At the end of the day making good quality shows or movies easily trumps 3D gimmickery. Agreed. It seems to be another attempt by the entertainment business to incorporate new technology to enhance the otherwise "lackluster" broadcasting. Not to say Avatar 3d wasn't great, 3d tv will just be overkill and cost $2000. True test: Wold Cup 2010 After experiencing a couple of movies and recently HDTV in 3D, I'd say 3D is here to stay. It just makes for a better experience. In essence, 3D technology is piggybacking on our highly evolved visual processing ability. The added cost for TV's isn't that much, mainly for the LCD shutter glasses. With the combined push of the display and content providers it should become mainstream within the next couple of years. 3D will enjoy success in the living room for sure, what with even an iPad app (X elements) supporting 3D http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-elements-a-visual-explora... It's kind of pet peevee of mine, but 3D graphics could really play some role in 3D CAD stuff. But that needs better controls too. Mouse moves on your desk which is essentially 2D plane, and that makes it difficult. i think a mouse move with a "apple-esque" for lack of a better term of a pinch to zoom out or a reverse pinch to zoom in would be the way to do something like this. I know the learning curve would be kind of steep and would require a magic mouse sort of device, but it is becoming more and more intuitive.