See my new 3D shades!

First was Avatar. Then came the followers. Now, even TVs are touting 3D movies in the comfort of your room. But the big question remains: how do you get rid of clumsy, clunky 3D eyewear that is not just ugly but also cumbersome? You may not need to wait for too long: Electronics giant Sony may just have the right answer, judging from the kind of patent applications they have been making recently.

One of them caught our eyes. With the new 3DTVs entering the consumer gaming and viewing markets, Sony is capitalising on the rising tide with an innovation that is bound to excite gaming and movie buffs in many ways.

Sony is looking at stereoscopic video for more than just 3D gaming; it could take the place of split-screen local multiplayer video games. Console gaming website Broke My Controller noticed the patents filed a year ago. It shows a method for rendering separate images on the same screen, which are then filtered by glasses worn by player 1 and player 2. The glasses also look like they have earbuds, meaning players get separate audio feeds, too.

The end result is having the entire TV screen for yourself instead of having to share a portion of it with your opponent, neither will you be distracted by other activities and sound from off your segment of the game. Needless to say, 3D movies will be far more enjoyable when audio is intimately delivered via the ear buds.

Techies who are interested to go into the intricate details can take a look at their patents (pdf) here and here.

SWITCH thinks that this brilliant invention could save a lot of people from being called a cheat in their winning ways, and save them a black eye from sore losers. What’s next? Split-personality TV?

(Source: Broke My Controller via Kotaku)