The 3D Revolution Has Nothing To Do With the Consumer

I haven’t heard a single positive thing about the new 3D technology that is about to hit the world. It’s being introduced too soon after HD, it’s expensive and bulky (requiring 3D glasses), and nobody wants it. But still it seems the unwanted revolution is pushing forward.

Wired Magazine recently published an article outlining Sony’s motivations behind backing 3D. I love Sony - in the battle of the console companies, my allegiances lay with it. So it saddens me to say that Sony is pushing the 3D revolution for one really stupid and selfish reason: Sony wants to “win.”

Time after time, Sony has been the first to introduce new technologies… only to have its glory taken away by a competing version that goes mainstream. Atrac Audio files vs. Mp3’s Betamax vs. VHS - Sony just kept on losing.

Now Sony is determined - almost desperate - to be the leaders in 3D technology. And for good reason, too: Sony has faced some losses recently, its newest home console, the PS3, is still struggling to catch up to competition, and there’s a chance that the company will break apart into smaller sections if this doesn’t work out. Sony claims to have already “won” the Blu-ray vs. DVD battle. But that’s not enough. Sony’s CEO Howard Stringer states over and over in the Wired article that he wants Sony to beat its competitors in 3D. The message he is sending is upsetting: “We will force 3D onto consumers, whether they want it or not.”

You would think that gamers, of all people, would welcome 3D. After all, it would be so cool to play a game that almost literally places you right in the action. But the truth is, HD is enough for us. Not to mention, it would be… too much. Can you imagine God of War or Wipeout in 3D? My head is spinning just thinking about it, and not in a good way. When the author of the Wired article tried playing Wipeout, he almost threw up. Sony doesn’t even care that the 3D technology is uncomfortable for the consumer. “They’ll get used to it,” they say.

Will we? It doesn’t look like anyone wants to buy into this. I certainly don’t plan to. The faliure of 3D will potentially harm Sony. But if this really is their attitude towards its consumers, maybe they have it coming.