3D Will be Ubiquitous at CES, But Will It be Good?

If you head to CES in January, make sure you pack your Emetrol along with the rest of the first-aid kit.  You’ll be walking through miles of aisles of 3D TVs, PCs, and other gizmos, and it’s not likely you’ll be wearing your 3D glasses.  Life is about to look very out of focus.

Still, like any nascent technology, 3D has its rightful place amongst competitors in our Last Gadget Standing contest. 3D TVs and monitors, profilic as they are, don’t fit in your hand, so we’re not including them in this year’s LGS.

One big topic among our LGS judges is 3D eyewear. What happens when you invite the gang over to watch the big game?  Bring your own glasses?  Compatibility issues?  One-size-fits-all issues? There’s enthusiasm for universal glasses that cross brand lines and work with all 3D systems.

Top contenders include Xpand and Nvidia.  Nvidia focuses on the PC offering a 3D-in- a- box solution, while Xpand is available for pre order and claims to work with most 3D TVs.

Fujifilm’s Finepix, says Melissa Perenson of PCWorld, is the only true 3D-focused camera that’s shipping now.  The Panasonic HDC-SDT750K may be the only true 3D sort-of consumer class ($1,400) camcorder shipping. Sony’s NEX does a good enough job at 3D panoramas, too. But Melissa’s $64K question? Will 3D get photographers excited enough to invest in a new camera?

Harry McCracken finds 3D laptops–almost ever PC manufacturer has a 3D model now–a bit underwhelming. Let us know if you’ve seen one that jumps right out at ya.

3D BluRay, despite the lack of content available, has support from Panasonic, Sony, and LG.  The question to you is whether one is deserving of The Last Gadget Standing award.

Steve Wildstrom sums up the 3D paradox: “The whole 3D area is looking a bit embarrassing,” he says. There are lots of TVs and almost no content so far (a scattering of Blu Ray 3D movies, about one college football game a week on ESPN).

What about you?  Are you happy with your 2D life or are you itching to see 3D products compete in Last Gadget Standing? Let us know and we’ll find ‘em.