3D Is Back. This Time, You Can Ditch the Glasses

Samsung says it performed an internal survey among what it calls its “hardcore gaming” demographic to find out what they wanted in a next-generation gaming display. This demographic is marked by a willingness to pay thousands for the latest PC gaming gear. Sixty-two percent said they expected the next generation to include advanced immersion—the perfect place to test the waters with 3D tech.

“As we’re looking at the demographic, or just the overall consumer base for monitors, especially when you’re talking about premium monitors over $1,000, the overwhelming majority is spending it on gaming,” You says. That’s important because these first 3D gaming monitors don’t come cheap. Despite the surprisingly limited game support at launch, the Samsung Odyssey 3D costs a cool $2,000.

“We’re in that early adopter stage, right? The sticker price is a little bit of a shock to most consumers,” he says. “But we feel like once we get people into the 3D ecosystem, we’ll get more game studios and developers brought into it because they see the total accessible market increasing.”

When it comes down to it, gamers are willing to spend more on an immersive experience, and that’s going to buy time for the rest of the 3D ecosystem to catch up.

3D on Every Screen

As You notes, even the Odyssey 3D is “so much more than just a 3D gaming monitor.” Whether it’s YouTube, Zoom, or even just full-screen photos, the display can convert 2D into 3D using machine-learning algorithms, adding an artificial layer of depth that wasn’t previously there. While the effect is not as convincing as in games, and DRM limitations restrict the content, it’s an impressive tech demo nonetheless. More than that, AI is enabling 3D to overcome the need for tailor-made 3D content, another one of the main problems with 3D tech in the past. It’s planting the seeds for broader uses that a more mainstream audience can benefit from.

Fattal says gaming is his second-favorite use case for 3D. “3D has that power to convey the human connection a lot better than on a flat screen,” he says, explaining that taking 3D photos and videos of his kids was what made him truly believe in the power of 3D. His dream is a world in which all videos can be taken and experienced in 3D. “Our goal is to end up completely standard on all devices, but especially on cell phones, so that people can chat and take pictures and videos, and share on social media—and all of that should be in 3D.”

It’s an ambitious aspiration, and one echoed by Silicon Valley titans. Apple and Google have been touting spatial photos and videos with their respective mixed-reality ecosystems, where you’ll be able to experience memories with depth. Google also recently showed off Google Beam—a way to convert people in video calls to appear more 3D and lifelike for a more personal touch.

The Apple Vision Pro could never exist without gamers willing to try out the early versions of VR, even with the severe lack of game libraries and uncomfortable headsets. There have always been other use cases for VR, but gaming has always been the main draw. It’s too early to say whether this new era of 3D will have more success going beyond gaming than VR has.

Don’t expect 3D TVs to make a comeback anytime soon—the current implementation makes it so that the 3D tech only works for one person. But for now, companies like Samsung have much brighter hopes for the proliferation of 3D, promising to “triple down” on its 3D monitor lineup in the next year or two. That’s a serious vote of confidence.