Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2010

So, you know how everything’s going 3D these days, but you feel a bit of a Luddite for wondering what the point is? Well, you’re definitely not alone—we’re right there with you. Take the July 8 baseball game between the Hanshin Tigers and Yakult Swallows down in Koshien that was, apparently, the world’s first such contest broadcast live in 3D.

All four viewers in Japan (can there possibly be more?) with the requisite Hikari TV package and a 3D telly from Panasonic or Sony were able to enjoy the Thursday night game and its eye-popping extra-dimensional action, as long as they could tolerate the silly glasses for the duration.

And that’s precisely the problem—if it’s not immediately obvious why blurry 3D anything is better than its pin-sharp 2D equivalent, why would anyone bother with the specs, the discomfort (there’s even a health warning on the broadcaster’s website) and the ¥200,000 TV sets? Surely this whole 3D drive can’t just be a novelty-based marketing shtick?

http://meturl.com/3dbaseball