Xbox Gaming in South Africa

For those who don't know, XG recently had the opportunity to test out LG's new line of LED 3D televisions, the Infinia range, which will be hitting South African shores later this month. So, what was it like? One word, "Wow"!

The most popular room of the evening, despite the game on show, was LG’s 3D gaming room. In contrast to the other 3D setups, every time someone entered the room a series of audibly positive gasps would follow. Without a doubt, video games are what 3D was created for. Forget what you have seen in 3D cinemas or, for those lucky enough, Blu-Ray 3D. Until you have experienced a video game in 3D, you have yet to comprehend the potential behind this 'new' technology.

Due to the lack of currently available 3D enabled games for the Xbox 360 platform, or for any platform for that matter, the only game on show was James Cameron's Avatar. However, despite the games own shortcomings, the experience provided by adding a faux three-dimensional element was enough to keep me playing, repeatedly.

One of the biggest differences between cinematic 3D and gaming in 3D is the fact that you can focus on any part of the image without inducing a headache. In Avatar the game, the sense of depth to the gaming environment was incredible and truly remarkable. You could actually focus on the distant waterfalls, animals and plant-life without any unpleasant repercussions. In fact, the game really ‘comes alive’ in 3D. So much so that there were times when all I did was pan the camera around my 'avatar', simply absorbing the graphical eye candy that beautifully rendered itself 'off' the screen, while curbing my sudden urges to reach out and touch the screen popping scenery. Never before have I felt so mesmerised or wholly immersed by a video game.

A large portion of this tantalising experience is no doubt courtesy of LG's LED and 3D technology. For starters the viewing angles are sublime. Although they advise that viewers remain within the recommended 60 degree viewing bubble, I was able to impressively push it to about 160 degrees before losing the 3D effect altogether. Thus, these new televisions are great for split-screen games. Additionally, they boast millisecond refresh rates, thus they are also perfect for first person shooters and racing games.

As great as the move to 3D is, it is important to note that this new technology is still very much in its infancy. This was made apparent by the fact that although Avatar the game supports 3D, the Xbox 360 itself does not. Bringing up the Xbox guide during game play, for example, did nothing more than cause brief bouts of nausea as it threw the screen into an unfocused disarray of garbled text and images. There was also a strange doubling effect on certain in-game characters and environmental structures, not unlike switching your car’s rear-view mirror to anti dazzle mode. These graphical artifacts were annoying and became rather disorienting after long periods of game play. However, I believe this is a result of the 3D technology and not the game because the same doubling effect was apparent during certain scenes within the 3D Blu-Ray movies. I have been told that a simple setting is all it takes to fine tune the image. Despite these brief and nascent discrepancies, the technology is here to stay and, for the large part, works exceptionally well. If only I could afford it.

This 'new era' in entertainment television is certainly not cheap. Early adopters are expected to handsomely hand over approximately R1,000 for every inch of eye smacking 3D TV goodness. Thankfully, each 3D TV from LG is bundled with two USB rechargeable 3D glasses which are required for the 3D effect. Although the glasses are said to last for approximately 40 hours on a single charge, great for those lengthy gaming marathons, each additional pair will cost a cool R1,500. To add insult to injury, unlike those generic stereoscopic 3D glasses found at your local neighbourhood cinema, the LG branded 3D glasses will only work on LG 3D televisions. This is a trend all other 3D TV manufacturers are unfortunately following and stems from the fact that the kind of 3D being used refers to 'active shutter' 3D technology. In layman's terms, this is whereby glasses contain electrically stimulated liquid crystal lenses, which block or pass light through, in synchronisation with the images on the given display. This alternate-frame sequencing fools the brain into interpreting the current image as having three dimensions. Sadly, this addictive 3D effect may also result in some less than desirable health issues.

Apart from emptying your savings, jumping into a prolonged '3D' experience may result in negative side effects, such as blurry vision, disorientation, headaches and even exhaustion according to recent reports. Being a gamer, I know that no matter how short you plan a gaming session to be, it always turns into an hour upon hour bonanza of fun, most often carrying over late into the evening or even early morning. As a result, I am somewhat dubious of a technology that not only reinforces the gamer geek stereotype - the glasses 'cool' factor wears off rather quickly - but also one that may ultimately cause discomfort if the 3D effect is slightly out. Do not misunderstand me, I think that the technology in its current form is fantastic, it is just not perfect. In my opinion, consumers would do better to wait for auto-stereoscopic screen technology to become mainstream, before investing so heavily in a technology that may become obsolete sooner rather than later. However, auto stereoscopic technology - seeing a 3D image without the need to wear any kind of specialised head gear - may still be several years away from reaching the consumer market.

Personally, I am extremely excited about the commercialisation of stereoscopic 3D technology, despite its arguable side effects. I believe in the potential of '3D' and I am convinced that it is the push that the gaming industry needs for further innovation in the game playing space. Just imagine what this new technology would be like partnered with Microsoft’s Project Natal. The possibilities are endless!