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开发者不应受媒体误导 对待3D技术应优先考虑客户需要

发布时间:2011-04-11 18:45:10 Tags:,,

尽管3D技术还未受业界的一致认同,但近些年来确实已经越来越流行。Neil Schneider在下文中指出媒体是如何描述这种立体技术,以及开发者如何在游戏中使用这项技术:

作为立体3D游戏玩家和先进技术的倡导者,我情不自禁想知道游戏业是否在错误压力的鞭策下向前发展。虽然逐渐变得锐利和鲜明的画面显示出这项技术正越来越成熟,但游戏业主流公司却看似是在对媒体压力做出回应。(游戏邦注:作者说的是“媒体压力”而并非“消费者压力”。)

去年12月,我接受某著名出版社采访,内容报道在其今年3月份的刊物上。记者向我了解目前市场上所有可用的3D解决方案,包括方案的原理以及运用到3D游戏中的可能性等等。我们甚至还通过邮件讨论当PS3和XBOX 360涉及3D游戏时所用HDMI连接器的规格。在2011年消费电子展(CES 2011)期间,杂志事实核查部再次与我联系,确认早期采访的所有细节,为3月份发表文章做准备。但当我读到他们出版杂志的内容后,感到十分震惊。

虽然文章只是简要概述和评价了不同3D平台,文中也有着许多错误。首先,他们丝毫未提及资料的来源,给读者的感觉是他们在这项技术上见解独到。其次,在我与杂志记者的交谈中,从没说过“很少人使用”和“愚蠢的眼镜”等字眼,这些纯粹是他们自己加上去的。

2D游戏玩家希望或不希望佩带眼镜观看3D图像的比例

喜欢3D技术的人不断增加,不过也有将近10%的人从未体验过。我不是出版社的员工,而且杂志有权发表对3D的消极看法。不幸的是,他们的观点偏离了我的意见,此举误导了读者,这无异于在没看过电影的前提下撰写影评!数周前我与他们编辑部的员工联系,但未得到任何回应。我感到甚为忧愁,因为我极度怀疑有这种经历的可能不止我一个。

在我看来,这是引发更大问题的催化剂。顶尖3D制作者和技术能手正面临重重危机,他们逐渐依赖3D技术的力量,追逐着这项还远未成熟的技术,却只是因为媒体虚构出来的压力。(游戏邦注:这里的媒体压力指各大媒体贬低需要用户佩带眼镜的3D图像,大力推崇裸眼3D。)

裸眼3D高清电视图像是目前的趋势之一。在找到突破口前,目前制作的裸眼3D图像使分辨率下降50%,或需要人们从某个特定的角度才能看到3D图像。这项技术可用于移动设备,如平板电脑、掌上电脑和手机。不幸的是,将裸眼3D用于三维高清电视是完全不切实际的做法,在近期内根本无法实现。因为存在媒体压力,几乎所有主流制造商在CES 2011上展出其3D图像蓝本。他们并未真正计划发布,只是展出蓝本而已。

佩带眼镜的3D技术不存在分辨率或观看角度的限制,对消费者而言也较为便宜。我们都知道3D眼镜已成功应用于3D电影院中,最近的《U-Decide Initiative》也表明玩家很愿意佩带3D眼镜玩视频游戏和在家中观看电影。主流媒体意见表示屏幕外效果制作较为粗糙而且还会令观众头痛,但事实并非如此。据经验丰富的立体3D游戏玩家所述,多数人想让大部分视频游戏将深层次和屏幕外体验结合起来。3D电影也是如此,目前我最喜欢的电影是《卑鄙的我》。那些角色多么可爱,电影中处处洋溢着快乐的气氛。

倍感不幸的是,尽管游戏开发者采用3D技术,他们在屏幕外效果上表现得犹犹豫豫。有些甚至限制3D深度以简化关卡,这种做法更为糟糕。这会影响到游戏的3D效果和潜在的销售能力,开发者需要走出牢笼打开思想和观念,真正感受3D效果的乐趣。只要设立控制3D关卡的标准并在适当的时候使用屏幕外效果,就无需担心其他问题。

任天堂 3D技术的思考

问题最大的可能就是任天堂公司。任天堂3DS是广受媒体和消费者喜爱的游戏系统,他们已经售出数十万台,这绝对是款成功的产品。然而公司却不乘此胜利之势,任天堂已宣称其下一款卧室控制器可能不支持立体3D游戏,我认为这是目光短浅的做法。

任天堂3DS是3D游戏病毒式销售的良机,如果3D游戏内容有足够的吸引力,玩家就会去尝试并喜欢上它,也会有动力去购买其他3D产品,如3D高清电视、显示器、笔记本电脑和支持3D游戏的控制器。所有人都知道3D功能已渐渐成为新产品的默认特征,无论是通过内部或第三方支持,索尼产品和Xbox都在利用这个市场。然而,任天堂却并没有如此重视。

任天堂的观念是暂缓3D技术支持,直到市面上出现裸眼3D高清电视,我认为这种想法是个严重的错误,原因有如下几点。首先,对最终拥有3D高清电视的用户而言,任天堂控制器的吸引力就不如它的竞争对手索尼的产品和Xbox。高清电视是否能够显示裸眼三维图像与任天堂的控制器兼容或潜在的市场份额本就没有多大关联。其次,这使得任天堂游戏开发者掌握的技能落后于那些开发支持PS3和Xbox系统游戏的人。很难想象毫无准备的任天堂如何与已经在用户卧室内形成整套3D游戏生态系统的控制器竞争,而且任天堂的硬件设备还在苦苦等待3D电视的出现。

我很欣赏任天堂公司与媒体亲和的“摘除眼镜”立场,但公共关系、市场营销和产品开发不该总是保持一致。除了价格低廉外,Immersion界面的革新也是Wii的卖点,这足以说明这一点。迫于媒体反3D眼镜的压力,他们可能不经意间将自己置于核心市场的不利位置。反而,任天堂应该充分利用3DS的发展势头,迅速掌控3D控制器市场,而不是逃避。

最后,我想说技术能手们需要区别对待媒体和消费者。这两者是完全不同的群体,为标新立异或提升文章的关注度,某些有影响力的作者不惜加上自己华丽的词藻积极贬低3D技术。出于这个原因,游戏开发者和技术能手需要优先考虑目前及将来的客户来保护和增加其市场份额。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,转载请注明来源:游戏邦)

Media Versus Customer: Who To Believe?

3D Technology has only become more and more prevalent over the last few years, though the technology has not been met with unanimous acceptance. Neil Schneider points out the ways in which the media portrays stereoscopic tech, and how developers have made use of it in their games.

As a proud stereoscopic 3D gamer and a technology advocate, I can’t help but wonder if our industry is moving according to the wrong pressures. While the technology gets better and better with sharper and brighter displays, the market leaders seem to be tying a hand behind their back as an answer to media pressures. Note that I say “media pressures” and not “consumer pressures”.

In December, I was interviewed by a top publication for a story to be printed in March of this year. The journalist needed information about all the available 3D solutions on the market, how they work, availability of 3D games – everything. We even had email exchanges about the HDMI connector spec for Sony PS3 and XBOX 360 as they relate to 3D. During CES 2011, I was contacted again by the magazine – this time by their fact checking department. We again confirmed all the details in our earlier conversation for their upcoming March issue. After reading what they put out on newsstands, I was shocked.

Even though the article gave a brief summary and rating of the different 3D platforms, it had several problems. First, they gave no credit to their sources which made it seem as though they had hands-on expertise that they clearly didn’t. Second, in all my conversations with the magazine, I never once mentioned “migraines”, “few dozen adopters”, or “stupid glasses”. These are embellishments that they came up with on their own.

There is a large and growing community of gamers who love 3D technology, and I will be the first to tell you that others don’t. As much as 10% of people can’t even see in 3D. I’m all for freedom of the press, and if the magazine wanted to express a negative opinion about 3D, they had every right to do just that. Unfortunately, by not crediting their sources and separating fact from editorial opinion, they presented false expertise and mislead their readers. It was the equivalent of doing movie reviews without actually seeing the movie! I reached out to their editorial staff weeks ago to discuss this matter further, but only received dead air. It saddened me because I am highly doubtful that my experience was unique.

In my opinion, this is just a catalyst for a much bigger problem. Top 3D manufacturers and technology enablers are walking on eggshells, holding their punches back with 3D effectiveness, and chasing technology that is far from viable because of fabricated media pressures.

One trend is auto-stereoscopic 3D HDTV displays. Until there is a major breakthrough, modern glasses-free displays require a 50% drop in resolution and/or sitting in a very fixed position to view the image in 3D. This technology is very applicable for mobile devices like tablets, PDAs, and smart phones. Unfortunately, auto-stereoscopic 3D is completely impractical for 3D HDTVs – at least for the foreseeable future. Bowing to media pressures, almost all the top manufacturers had auto-stereoscopic 3D prototypes on display at CES 2011. Nothing they plan to actually release – just prototypes.

Glasses-based technology doesn’t have these limitations of resolution or viewing angle. They are also far more inexpensive and attainable for consumers. We also know that glasses have been successfully adopted in 3D movie theaters, and the most recent U-Decide Initiative demonstrates that gamers are content to wear 3D glasses for video games and 3D movies in the home. There is a dominant media opinion that out of screen effects are somehow tacky or headache inducing, and there is nothing further from the truth. According to experienced stereoscopic 3D gamers, most want combined depth and out of screen experiences in most video game categories. There could be some truth to this for 3D movies as well. My favorite movie so far is Despicable Me (yes, even better than the modestly 3D rendered Avatar!). Those Minions are so darned cute, and between the tape measures and ladders swinging in front of me, the film was a lot of fun and thoroughly enjoyable.

It’s unfortunate that while game developers are implementing 3D support, they are hesitant to include out of screen effects to appease their pundits, or worse, limit the 3D depth to pancake levels. This undermines their games’ 3D effectiveness and potential sales. Developers need to keep their options open and rattle some cages! Have fun with the 3D effects. As long as there are settings to control the level of 3D intensity, and amount of out of screen effects where appropriate, there is no cause for concern.

Perhaps most troubling is Nintendo. On one hand, the Nintendo 3DS is an awesome gaming system that was well received by press and consumers alike. They’ve already sold hundreds of thousands of units, and they clearly have a winning product on their hands. Instead of riding on this success, Nintendo has declared that their next living room console will likely not support stereoscopic 3D gaming – and I think this is short sighted.

The Nintendo 3DS is a viral marketing opportunity for 3D gaming. If the 3D gaming content is enticing enough, gamers will try it, like it, and be motivated to buy other 3D products for the home market: 3D HDTVs, displays, notebooks, and 3D compliant consoles. Everyone knows that mid to high level HDTVs are gradually including stereoscopic 3D functionality as a default feature. Sony and Xbox are taking advantage of this market either through internal or third party support. Nintendo? Not so much.

Nintendo’s stance is that they are holding off 3D support until there are auto-stereoscopic 3D HDTVs in the market, and I think this is a critical error for several reasons. For eventual owners of 3D HDTVs, this will undermine Nintendo’s console attractiveness compared to their Sony and Xbox counterparts. Whether or not the HDTV is auto-stereoscopic should have no bearing on Nintendo’s display compatibility or potential market share. Second, it forces Nintendo game developers behind the learning curve compared to those supporting PS3 and Xbox systems. Imagine how unprepared Nintendo will be when competing consoles have an entire 3D gaming ecosystem for the living room, and Nintendo’s hardware is waiting for fantasy 3D televisions?

I completely appreciate Nintendo’s media-friendly “anti-glasses” stance, but public relations, marketing, and product development shouldn’t always go hand in hand. In addition to being very inexpensive, the big selling point of the Wii was a new form of immersion that goes beyond graphics quality. By embracing anti-3D glasses media pressures, they may have inadvertently painted themselves in a disadvantaged corner in one of their core markets. Nintendo should instead be taking advantage of the 3DS’ momentum and grab hold of the 3D console market – not shy away from it.

I will conclude by saying that technology enablers need to differentiate the media and the consumer. They are completely different groups, and in an effort to stand out or draw article traffic, some influential writers are not above adding their own embellishments to be active deterrents of 3D technology. For this reason, game developers and technology enablers need to protect and grow their market positions by focusing on the customer and future customer above all else. (Source: Gamasutra)


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