With 3D technology already starting to see price cuts, the vision of full immersion in video games is coming closer into view for many people. However, Codemasters, the development team behind the newest title in the racing series Dirt, have gone on the record saying they have no plans to offer 3D for their next game, Dirt 3, and that the inclusion of it could have even make users sick.
2010 introduced 3D to the masses while Sony was right behind it, supporting the new technology with full conviction. In the games we’ve observed and tested, 3D has been able to provide what it claimed it could: a deeper feeling of connection between the user and virtual world. Most developers have been eager to experiment with the technology, which is why a recent quote from Codemaster’s Chief game designer, Paul Coleman, has caught our attention.
Coleman describes the difference between Dirt 3 and other racing games viewing styles, some of which can have negative effects on users when 3D integration is included:
“For us, with it being quite a horizon based racer, 3D isn’t as helpful as it would be in a game like MotorStorm where the environment’s changing around you, stuff’s falling down and you’re doing big drops. That feeling of depth is far greater.
“For us we’re always racing for that point at the centre of the screen. You end up in a 3D environment getting a bit of a tunnelled effect going on, and it can actually be quite nauseating if you’re doing hour or two-hour long playing sessions.”
No need to worry though; Codemasters may not be looking into 3D for their current line up of titles, but that doesn’t mean they’ve ruled it out forever:
“It’s something we’re conscious of. It’s something we’re definitely going to look into, because if we can make it so that [the tunnelled effect] isn’t a problem, we’d love to have it in our games. But for Dirt 3 we haven’t focused on it.”
[Source]
