While 3D gaming might not be what gamers want, it is apparently what developers want. Even Square-Enix, legendary JRPG studio, are working on ways to bring 3D to their titles. First up is Final Fantasy XIV on PC. Grab some comfortable nose pads and strap on your 3D shades because this is going to be a long ride.

As exciting as 3D technology is, it can be equally as annoying. It’s expensive, you have to wear glasses, and it can sometimes take away from the experience all together. The thing plaguing my brain is why Square would bother with 3D on a title that requires anywhere from 80- 120 hours of gameplay. I would think that games with short playtime bursts instead of long drug out hours of gaming would work better with 3D gaming. This way gamers aren’t expected to wear the glasses for prolonged periods of time.

That’s not to mention that gamers who already wear regular glasses are completely excluded from 3D gaming unless they wear contacts. Not a big deal, but it is still another hurdle many gamers will have to make if they chose to go 3D.

The other problem is pricing. Using the NVIDIA 3D setup Square was running Final Fantasy XIV on at E3 will cost you roughly $1,600 (when purchased in a bundle). So now, not only will I have to spend $50 for the game, and $20 for the monthly online subscription, but I’m going to have to shell out close to 2K for a 3D ready gaming setup.

A few years ago people were complaining about the investment in Blu-Ray, which is a minimum expense when compared to the investment needed to run 3D on our PCs alone. If people were hesitant to commit to a Blu-Ray device that cost a couple hundred dollars what makes these companies think that they are willing to invest thousands to go 3D?

Square stressed that Final Fantasy XIV in 3D was merely a tech demo, but with a majority of developers working on 3D versions of their games it looks like 3D will be forced into the market whether we like it or not.