The lifelike, immersive 3-D experience Hollywood movies have been dreaming about for years may have moved a step closer with Hasbro's (Nasdaq: HAS) My3D viewer. It isn't quite a full body suit with tactile response like we saw in Star Trek, but we're taking baby steps here.
The $34.99 device looks a little like an old school View-Master with a 21st century twist. All a user has to do is snap on your Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone or iPod Touch and off you go into a world of 3-D -- a world that is pretty impressive even at the product's launch.
As you might expect, specially designed apps are required to actually see anything 3-D, but considering how cool the initial apps are, the App Store will be filling with them before long. Sony (NYSE: SNE), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), DreamWorks Animation (Nasdaq: DWA) and IMAX (Nasdaq: IMAX) have said they will provide content before long. But for those who can't wait, there are already previews available.
And since the My3D viewer puts you so close to the screen, the two tiny images in the iPhone look like a 60-inch plasma screen or as if you're sitting in an IMAX theater.
While movies will be really cool, the My3D viewer can also utilize the accelerometer in the iPhone as it does in 360 Sharks. Turn your head and the camera follows you wherever you're going. I may need to get a padded room at home just to play video games now. The iPhone is really opening up possibilities, and Apple hasn't had to lift a finger to make it 3-D.
When the iPhone was initially released, part of Apple's plan with the App Store was to create a platform for outside developers to innovate, and this is a prime example. As much as I like Angry Birds, an interactive 3-D game is a huge leap forward from that relatively simple game. Now the question becomes: Who will leverage this to game and video success? Time will tell.
Have you tried My3D yet? What do you think? Leave your thoughts in our comments section below.
