iZ3D Creates 3D Gaming Theater

Packed to the brim with an estimated 800 audience members, true 3D gaming was demonstrated for the first time on professional Real D projection equipment using iZ3D LLC stereoscopic drivers at SIGGRAPH 2008 via a joint presentation by Neil Schneider, President & CEO of Meant to be Seen and Mark Rein, VP and Co-Founder of Epic Games.

Similar to the experience movie goers get in 3D theaters, consumer gamers use S-3D technology at home for superior game immersion, visual beauty and game enjoyment. In video games, stereoscopic 3D hardware makes explosions fly out of the screen and adds a depth that makes the screen look like a window rather than a flat projection. Sample hardware includes iZ3D 3D monitors, TDVision head mounted displays, and a growing selection of 3D HDTVs by Samsung, Mitsubishi, and SpectronIQ.

"Stereoscopic gaming is inevitable. It's not so much a question of added realism or emersion, terms that I find too nebulous to define. Stereoscopic 3D gaming is more fun – that's why it's here to stay," said Lenny Lipton, Chief Technology Officer of Real D, and the inventor of the original CrystalEyes Glasses that laid down the groundwork for many of the modern consumer 3D solutions available today.

Stereoscopic 3D displays are quickly becoming the equipment of choice for avid gamers, and the technology has already demonstrated as much as 3:1 revenue benefits over 2D theaters in the Hollywood cinema space.

"It is a fantastic experience when you see games like ours running with proper stereoscopic equipment," said Mark Rein, VP and Co-Founder of Epic Games.

After Mark Rein played Unreal Tournament 3 in front of the gaming audience, he accepted the Meant to be Seen Gold-A Certification Award for Unreal Tournament 3 – MTBS' recognition that it is fully compatible with the popular iZ3D LLC stereoscopic 3D drivers. This rating can be upgraded further when similar compatibility is achieved with additional MTBS recognized driver solutions.

The Game Creators also earned an MTBS Native Certification award for their popular Dark Basic Professional game engine. It natively supports iZ3D monitors and anaglyph solutions with further options on the way.

"3D was meant to be seen in 3D, and it's great to see an organization like MTBS plant a flag firmly in the ground and state with determination that they want the real thing, and you know what? I think they will get it too! The Game Creators are very pleased to have been awarded an MTBS certification for the implementation of S-3D technology in the latest update to Dark Basic Professional. We look forward to extending our native support for S-3D to our other brands, including DarkGDK and FPS Creator in the near future," said Lee Bamber, President & CEO of The Game Creators.

Meant to be Seen is the foremost authority group on consumer stereoscopic 3D technology. It has quickly become the largest S-3D community in existence by working jointly with its members and partners to grow the stereoscopic 3D gaming industry through advocacy and business relationships. Their site features industry interviews, S-3D game reviews, active forums, game certification, and a member driven massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) called MTBS Nations at War.

"The audience was thrilled with Unreal Tournament 3 in S-3D and we had the honor of concluding the second half of the show with the opening sequence of Bioshock by 2K Games in stereoscopic 3D. I was repeatedly told that it was such an enveloping experience, the audience was left wanting to see more when the show was finished," said Neil Schneider, President & CEO of Meant to be Seen.

"To make this happen, we used the popular iZ3D S-3D drivers along with Real D technology. Real D is the same technology used in modern movie theaters for successful films like Beowulf 3D, U23D, and Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D. Special thanks go to Rob Engle of Sony Imageworks, SIGGRAPH, TDVision Corp., iZ3D, and NVIDIA and Real D for supplying the specialized equipment needed to make this possible," Schneider said.

Meant to be Seen is made possible by unrestricted education grants from iZ3D LLC and TDVision Corp. Non-proprietary in nature, MTBS welcomes additional industry involvement to help grow the popularity and effective use of consumer stereoscopic 3D technologies.

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