IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Japanese Consumers Are Not Interested In 3DTV

Posted July 6, 2010 by M.H. Williams

Now that HDTV has reached its zenith, television manufacturers the world over need something new to get consumers to purchase a new television. Sony is attempting to repeat their Blu-ray PlayStation trojan horse strategy with the advent of 3D gaming on the PlayStation 3. Unfortunately, Sony and other manufacturers may be facing an uphill battle, at least in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Reuters reports that a survey run by price comparison website Kakaku.com shows that almost 70 percent of respondents had no plans to purchase a 3DTV. Nearly 70 percent of those who did not want a 3DTV cited the special stereoscopic glasses as the main hurdle for adoption. 57 percent said the televisions themselves were too expensive, and almost 40 percent felt there was not enough 3D content to justify a purchase.

“Television makers' expectations for 3D are high but looking at the degree of interest among consumers, there is a big gap with the enthusiasm of manufacturers," wrote Tsuyoshi Kamada, head of Kakaku.com's media-creative division.

Sony has already hit the switch on their 3D gaming model. Current 3DTV owners can activate 3D modes in current titles like WipEout HD, Super Stardust HD, Pain and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. Sony's E3 proceedings also revealed Gran Turismo 5 and Killzone 3 as marquee 3D-enabled titles. The company has already said that they're in the long haul when it comes to 3D support.

Kakaku's survey was run online from June 10 to June 16, and had a total of 8,957 respondents.

M.H. Williams has been writing in some form or another for ten years and has been a hardcore gamer since the NES first graced American shores.  You can catch him on Twitter as @AutomaticZen, Google+ as himself, or on his personal Facebook page.