80 per cent of gamers willing to put up with 3D glasses

A joint research group called the U-Decide Initiative has released a preliminary report based on gamer surveys which suggests that 3D glasses are not viewed as an impediment to the adoption of 3D in gaming.

Instead the study found that 80 per cent of gamers surveyed were willing to wear glasses to play games and watch 3D video content. The survey shows continued interest in glasses-free 3D but the willingness to play games in 3D increased just 12 per cent when considering 3D technology without the need for stereoscopic glasses. 

This findings of the report contrasts with those released by market research outfit Interpret which said that 46 per cent of consumers didn’t want to wear 3D glasses and just 13 per cent were “in the market to purchase a new HDTV.”

Interpret did, however, focus on main stream 3D TV adoption while the U-Decide initiative is aimed at videogaming. Even so, U-Decide also shows a low 20 per cent of users were prepared to use 3D glasses when watching “traditional broadcasting” rising massively to 61 per cent for glasses-free technology. In this respect both Interpret and U-Decide’s findings point to consumers shunning 3D glasses for casual content.

The U-Decide initiative aims to provide a realistic indication as to consumer attitudes towards 3D technology, backed by The S-3D Gaming Alliance (S3DGA) comprised of a number of firms firms including Panasonic, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft.

The findings of the report strongly suggest that consumers consider 3D worthwhile, and particularly worth putting up with stereoscopic 3D glasses, for immersion activities such as playing games and watching movies. 

Of those looking to buy a new HDTV, 3D is considered a “high interest” feature for 57 per cent of respondents while 19 per cent were neutral, and 24 per cent expressed a low interest in 3D. With 3D features costing comparatively little, it seems that HDTV manufacturers would be unlikely to want to provide any excuse to switch to another brand or model by not offering the technology.