id Software co-owner and CEO Todd Hollenshead hinted on Tuesday that Rage and Doom 4 may not support 3D gaming. Hollenshead said that the new technology wont's have a serious impact on the gaming industry until the price of 3D HDTVs and displays becomes more reasonable. Still, there was no real confirmation or denial of 3D support.
"My most recent, oh, okay, this is really cool experience with 3D was with the movie Avatar, which everybody has seen," he said in an interview. "Even then, I was a little annoyed that I had to wear these glasses for two hours in a movie. My nose hurt by the end of it."
But he admitted that 3D in the living room is a different experience. "You can get higher quality glasses that fit," he added. "But you still gotta sit in your living room wearing these glasses. And then if you're playing games and move your head then it can get out of phase, which is a major issue. And, also, the TVs are f***ing expensive. Is there enough content to justify?"
3D gaming support varies throughout the industry. Recently Crytek revealed that--starting with Crysis 2--all Crysis sequels will be developed with 3D in mind. EA Sports president Peter Moore was far less enthusiastic about 3D, indicating that the new tech wasn't a right fit for the FIFA franchise. Many development houses and publishers are taking the "wait and see" approach as hardware supporting 3D begins to hit the market.
Hollenshead said that the "uber end of the videophiles" will adopt 3D without hesitation, but that won't be enough for the whole industry to make a shift. "It has to be more pervasive and more widely adopted before it makes sense for videogame development companies to invest," he added.
