Tekken X Street Fighter in stereoscopic 3D is unlikely... because it's really hard

Youknow how every time 3D gaming comes up, everyone complains about needing to wear glasses and how 3D TVs are too expensive? It isn't just consumers. If you were the head of a development team, how would you justify the time and resources required to develop for 3Dtechnology, unless, maybe, your company manufactured 3D TVs? That's the dilemma facing Namco as it develops the penultimate fighting game super-mashup.

Developing a stereoscopic 3D game is very challenging. Instead of creating a game that runs at 60 frames per second, which already requires optimizing the hell out of any engine, a 3D game requires two such images to be displayed. That effectively means it needs to run at 120 frames per second. It's all just a bit much for Tekken lead guy Katsuhiro Harada.

When asked in aCVG interviewif the final version of Tekken X Street Fighter would be playable in 3D, Harada said the team believes it would be worthwhile, but that"there is still the technological hurdle." He continued, "It's kind of hard to say at this point."

Above: If there’s no 3D in Tekken X Street Fighter, there may be rioting. That is, if there happens to be any two people on the same street corner who own a 3D TV, 3D glasses, a PS3, and the fighting game fanboy gene...

Producer Yoshinori Ono chimed in during the same interview saying, "At this point, talking about 3D if you think about the frame-rate, with 3D games it is doubled and because both of our fighting games are of high-grade gaming it is 60 frames per second. Running a 120 fps game is pretty difficult so we're not sure about that."

Then, of course, there's the fact that3D gaming might just kill you. Okay, that's hyperbole, but thedownsides aren'tlost on developers.

At this time, the only games running in full stereoscopic 3D are on the PS3, and they're first-party Sony titles. It has apparently been difficult to convincedevelopers to devotetime and effort to 3D games when, realistically, only a tiny fraction of the audience will be able to appreciate it. 3D TVs cost an arm and a leg, andeven 3D glasses are selling for around $150 per pair. That said, 3D PS3 games can look wicked awesome, and we'resure the residents ofPark Avenue penthouses will love them.

So that fantasy you haveabout Chun Li and Lei Wulong duelingin stereoscopic 3D is probably going to have to remain a pipe dream for now. But so what-there's a game coming out that puts Street Fighter and Tekken characters together. We're all winners.

Sep 7, 2010

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