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Challenges for success in stereo gaming: a Virtual Boy case study

Published: 29 October 2009 Publication History

Abstract

Stereo video stands to revolutionize the medium of videogames in the same way that stereo sound revolutionized the audio experience. It is a pending revolution. Despite years of research, development, and hype, 3D stereo video ubiquity in videogames has yet to be observed. Using Nintendo's Virtual Boy (VB) gaming platform as a case-study, we explore why the revolution hasn't yet happened. We identify six factors that played a significant role in VB's failure: its lack of defined identity as a product, a comparatively weak display, its socially isolating game experience, purported negative effects, the challenges in explaining and demonstrating stereoscopic gaming, and its lack of a must-have game. We note that the factors we identify aren't just technological and that they interact in confounding ways. Nearly fifteen years after the introduction of the VB, new technologies may address the original VB's technical shortcomings, but not necessarily the others. There is currently still an issue with raising the bar on consumer's expectations as well as encouraging game designers to explore the design space offered by stereoscopic video.

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cover image ACM Other conferences
ACE '09: Proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology
October 2009
456 pages
ISBN:9781605588643
DOI:10.1145/1690388
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Publication History

Published: 29 October 2009

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Author Tags

  1. 3D
  2. LCD shutter glasses
  3. Virtual Boy
  4. case study
  5. depth perception
  6. head-mounted display
  7. stereoscopic
  8. virtual reality

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  • (2024)Virtual and augmented reality: Human sensory‐perceptual requirements and trends for immersive spatial computing experiencesJournal of the Society for Information Display10.1002/jsid.200132:8(605-646)Online publication date: 11-Aug-2024
  • (2023)Virtual Reality: A Journey From Vision to CommodityIEEE Annals of the History of Computing10.1109/MAHC.2022.320877445:1(18-30)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2023
  • (2022)Virtual reality in physical rehabilitation: a narrative review and critical reflectionPhysical Therapy Reviews10.1080/10833196.2022.210507727:4(281-289)Online publication date: 27-Jul-2022
  • (2021)VR Education Support System—A Case Study of Digital Circuits DesignEnergies10.3390/en1501027715:1(277)Online publication date: 31-Dec-2021
  • (2020)Developing an Immersive Virtual ClassroomCurrent and Prospective Applications of Virtual Reality in Higher Education10.4018/978-1-7998-4960-5.ch006(118-144)Online publication date: 31-Jul-2020
  • (2018)Following the White Rabbit: The Virtual Reality for GamesVirtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality: Applications in Health, Cultural Heritage, and Industry10.1007/978-3-319-91584-5_14(172-183)Online publication date: 15-Jul-2018
  • (2017)Local Multiplayer Immersion Affected by 3D StereoscopyExtended Abstracts Publication of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3130859.3131429(25-35)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2017
  • (2017)Technological HistoryEchoes of Other Worlds: Sound in Virtual Reality10.1007/978-3-319-65708-0_6(181-212)Online publication date: 2-Sep-2017
  • (2014)A Review on Stereoscopic 3D3D Research10.1007/s13319-014-0026-35:4(1-9)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2014
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