Director James Cameron (right) at the NAB convention.

APRIL 25, 2011 • According to motion picture director James Cameron, it will be 3D video games that drive the next round of 3D TV innovation. “Videogames are going to help propel the autostereoscopic [glasses free] play because that’s going to be the entry level for most people,” Cameron said at the National Association of Broadcasters convention. “These single-viewing devices that are engaging the person to play these video games will drive a lot of investment in autostereoscopic displays for that very reason. That technology will trickle up to the larger 3D displays that will be used for home viewing and gaming.”

Impact: It is understandable that a successful content creator such as Cameron would hold the conceit that content drives technology. But in the case of 3D, we think the director is talking sense. He is speaking about the Nintendo 3DS, but the implications are well worth noting by other console makers. Sony Computer Entertainment has bet a good hunk of PS3 title investment on the theory that 3D television sales will drive 3D game sales, just as the latter will create further demand for 3D TVs. Like Cameron, we see the current incarnation of 3D television as not quite ready for the mainstream consumer. Glasses-free 3D is the target game makers need to be pushing for.