Ubisoft Expects 3DTV In Everyone's Home In Three Years

Ubisoft has been an outspoken proponent of 3D gaming, having worked on a 3D video game interpretation of James Cameron's multi-dimensional blockbuster film Avatar. The publisher's UK marketing head Murray Pannell said Ubisoft's support for 3D will continue as game console makers like Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo push the technology forward -- and he's counting on rapid adoption of 3D-compatible televisions. "The truth is I think it is a technology that's coming," he told Eurogamer. "We can't ignore it. It'll start slowly this year. But like HDTV, I wouldn't rule out the fact that this will be installed in everyone's living room in three year's time, and for us to be in a position to have content that could really look absolutely amazing in 3D." Sony has unveiled 3D stereoscopic PlayStation 3 games, including Killzone 3 and Wipeout HD, while Nintendo generated substantial buzz at the E3 conference in June with the unveiling of the handheld 3DS system, which creates a 3D effect without the use of glasses. Sony is particularly invested in 3D technology. Now that its PS3 can support the effect, it is releasing 3D Bravia televisions, tying its console into some television promotions. A June study from research firm Informa forecast that North America will easily take the largest share of the 3DTV market with 60 percent of the 2010 total by year end. That share will drop to an estimated 41 percent by the end of 2015, as Western Europe and regions in Asia adopt the televisions. The firm estimated that the U.S. will have 8.7 million active 3DTV households by the end of 2015, with Japan having 2 million, the UK 1.6 million and Korea 1.5 million.