LG preps 2D-to-3D game conversion for Optimus 3D phones
updated 04:20 pm EDT, Mon August 29, 2011
Hopes to have 100 2D games 3D ready by year's end
At the upcoming IFA 2011 conference in Berlin next week, LG will be demonstrating a 2D to 3D game conversion engine for its Optimus 3D smartphone. Using the 3D Game Converter, a user can convert a 2D game to stereoscopic 3D. The engine will be integrated free of charge into an update for the Optimus 3D that carriers will begin to roll out in October.
The converter works with OpenGL-based games. When a user opens a non-3D game, the engine scans the game to see if it has been optimized for 3D conversion. If it has, it will be converted into 3D using default visual settings. If not, it can still converted by adjusting the 3D settings manually. To perform the conversion, the 3D Game Converter recognizes depth information based on the location of each individual object, and generates two different images for the foreground and for the background. It then displays the images separately to each eye, creating the stereoscopy and the illusion of depth.
When the 3D Game Converter engine is distributed in October, LG hopes to have 50 2D games optimized for 3D conversion, with another 50 available by year’s end.
In the US, AT&T plans to sell the Optimus 3D as the Thrill 4G.
