While Sony has dived right into 3D gaming with the PlayStation 3, Microsoft has been much more hesitant to dip its toes in the water.

Though a small handful of Xbox 360 games can be played in 3D if you have the necessary kit, it's not the same full 720p stereoscopic effect that Sony boasts with the PS3.

Speculation earlier this year pointed to an E3 announcement for additional 3D support, but that came and went without a peep. So what gives?

Well, Xbox senior product manager David Dennis told Eurogamer that Microsoft is still weighing up whether it's something consumers really crave.

"3D is an interesting space," he said.

"There was a big rush by some other folks in the industry to convince people they want to play in 3D. You can question the motivations of why they want to make everyone go buy a new TV perhaps, but I think 3D has to fit in a natural way where it fits with the gameplay.

"Something we're watching and wanting to understand from consumers is whether this is something they actually want.

"Does it add to the gaming experience? Does it distract from the gaming experience? Is it something they want to play long-term? Or is it something they try a few times and then go back to regular 2D modes?"

Despite clearly remaining sceptical, Dennis added that if it deemed the demand was there Microsoft will consider adding greater 3D support in the future.

"You watch the market penetration of 3D TVs, you look if it's something people are buying and you adapt and innovate, just like we've done by deploying different system updates and features. If there's other things we want to do with 3D because consumers are asking for we would explore it."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-27-microsoft-still-hesitant-on-3d

Posted: Jul 05, 2011 9:07 pm