I swear, that image is relevant. Maybe someone in the comments can tell you how.
It’s utterly impossible for me to go through a day any longer without thinking about 3D. Congratulations, industry! You have successfully managed to make your new initiative utterly inescapable. But today is the first time I can say that I’m honestly interested in the potential of the technology.
The source of this new intrigue is a pair of patents Sony filed in the US to use the same technology which outputs stereoscopic 3D images to instead allow two people to experience separate images on the same display. Adding a switch to the glasses which stops the shutters from alternating, users can select to view only one of the two flickering images, effectively allowing two people to see completely different things when looking at the screen.
In essence, what we have here is split-screen on crack. The days of squinting to play a multiplayer game on the couch with a buddy could be over. Even better, this could open up creative options for developers who might like to create games where it’s important to withhold information from individual players while relaying it to others. Games like Pac-Man VS., for example, which is a game that I find absolutely criminal to not be available on PSN and Xbox Live.
And this could just be the beginning. Imagine the potential in enabling your game-hating spouse to use the TV while you happily plug away on your latest interactive diversion. What a wonderful world that would be.
Sony Files Two Patents Related to Stereoscopic Screen Sharing [Broke My Controller]
