ipod touch

Hasbro brings 3D gaming, movies and photos to the iPhone and iPod touch with the my3D Viewer. The my3D Viewer is available in Black or White at $34.99 MSRP. It’s a non-electronic device that uses a method of stereoscopic 3D display. The way that my3D Viewer works is by displaying an image to your left eye and showing a slightly offset image to your right eye. A divider inside the unit does this. Both of these images, displayed on the iPhone or iPod touch screen, are interpreted as one and give the perception of 3-D. This visual trick has been done before for the PSP gaming system. Konami used the 3D method with Metal Gear Ac!d 2‘s “Solid Eye” attachment in 2006.

The Solid Eye was a low cost collapsible cardboard unit with a divider, packed with the UMD game, which was used to create the 3D effect. Hasbro’s my3D Viewer is a much more solid construction than, well, the Solid Eye. If you are thinking you can use a Solid Eye on an iOS device, or even make your own stereoscopic viewer, Hasbro has crafted a measure to prevent that from happening. A unique pin printed inside each my3D Viewer unit must be input in a my3D app or game to use it, preventing the use of a homemade 3D viewer. Enter the code once and it will work for all my3D apps downloaded. Hasbro currently offers seven my3D games and applications. Five my3D apps are available for free: my3D 360 Sharks, my3D Tunnel Pilot, my3D Bubble Bolt, my3D Teleport L.A. and my3D Presents. Two are available for a price: my3D Shatterstorm ($1.99) and my3D Sector 17 ($4.99). More details on each of these games are further below.

Included inside the my3D package are four iPhone and iPod touch cradles/trays, which are interchangeable with the my3D Viewer unit. This allows for compatibility with four different iPhone and iPod touch hardware designs (iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations). The trays are not usable as protectors for Apple’s devices and are strictly for use with the my3D Viewer unit. Devices must also be removed from any protective cases to be used with the my3D Viewer.

Controls on my 3D apps and games are fairly similar, if somewhat limited, by motion and virtual buttons for the user’s left and right thumbs. A control scheme was developed to work with this interface method. Two holes on the bottom of the my3D Viewer give the user access to the touch screen. Pressing both buttons takes you to a pause menu, or takes you back to a previous option. See screens of the control methods below (or here).

Movies displayed in widescreen dimensions are in a pretty small resolution (230 x 180), because of the need to have two images next to each other on one screen. The image is magnified, so you will notice more pixels because of this. Games and photos can be at a larger dimension with a vertical 4:3 format. Besides searching for “my3D” on the App Store, available my3D games can be accessed from within any my3D game or my3D app’s my3D World menu. A my3D Inbox menu option delivers updates from Hasbro on my3D releases and news.

So how are the initial offerings of the my3D Viewer? Here are a few impressions for the current available my3D games applications:

my3D Presents
(free download, also available in HD)

my3D Presents is an introductory app to the features and applications of the my3D Viewer. Included are 3D trailers of the initial launch games for my3D, movie trailers for upcoming 3D films and 3D Blu-ray/DVD releases, 3D photos, and a promo for the 3D channel, 3Net (from Discovery, Sony and IMAX). The 3D Photos were among the most fun to look at, including 3D images of Transformers Prime, Water Animals and Land Animals. The 3D trailers offer a way to preview movies with their 3D effect. Included movie trailers were from Rio, Kung Fu Panda 2, Born to be Wild and Smurfs. For 3D Blu-ray and Film releases, included were trailers from Megamind, Despicable Me. my3D Presents is a sampler of the my3D Viewer media.

360 Sharks
(free download)

Starting as a fledging baby shark, with the goal of becoming a great white shark, players must navigate the waters in search of small prey such as tarpon and chum. Controls are all motion based, which takes a little getting accustomed to. There is definitely a floaty kind of feeling. The left touch screen button controls boosting, accelerating or floating still. Once players come across some sea life, they can tap the right touch screen button to inspect it. A narrator gives a few brief facts about the aquatic animal.

360 Sharks includes four main levels, such as reefs and shipwrecks, with one level being unlockable in the future (to be available as a separate download). At the end of each level is a sequence of chases that allow the player’s shark to gain weight. Environmental hazards, like oil, cause your shark to lose weight. Hidden on levels is a unique item to discover, which adds a little replay incentive. The 3D effect you mainly see are bubbles coming at you. As you get closer to other fish or animals, you can see them in 3D a bit more. One thing that made controls frustrating was getting stuck on some walls. There is the occasional polygon breakage or overlapping too. Gameplay isn’t too long, maybe only about an hour or so to get through the four levels. From all the free my3D games, 360 Sharks is among the most immersive.

Tunnel Pilot
(free download)

Tunnel Pilot is a 360 degree tube racer, much like N2O (Nitrous Oxide). The ships are somewhat reminiscent of WipEout. Players must attempt for first or second place on spiraling tracks (only twelve total). Expect plenty of collisions into objects (no deaths, however) since tilt controls aren’t very precise. Controls are motion-tilt based, with limited power-ups including boosts, shields and a disruptive blasts which can be activated by tapping the buttons on the lower screen.

Tunnel Pilot is short in playtime, and feels more like a demo. The 3D effect here isn’t gratifying, nor the gameplay. Just like 360 Sharks, Tunnel Pilot is a game that offers about an hour or so of playtime.

Bubble Bolt
(free download)

Bubble Bolt is pretty much like SEGA’s Super Monkey Ball game series. Players must navigate a fish, shark or starfish in a sphere to reach a goal point. This game is all motion control based, so expect a lot of head tilting. The biggest pain (literally, in the neck) can be in slowing down the sphere by tilting your head back.

The 3D effect in Bubble Bolt isn’t so impressive. Basically, the top menu (Score/Time) looks like it hovers over the gameplay area, and some splash effects are in 3D. The physics feel a bit off, especially when spiraling down some platforms. Gameplay levels are fairly short as well. It is a freebie, but definitely not a showcase game of the my3D Viewer.

Teleport L.A.
(free download)

Teleport L.A. demonstrates potential for 3D virtual reality applications of the my3D Viewer. A couple of images of the Santa Monica Pier are viewable in 360 degrees. Players can interact with the scene by moving their head around, from the floor to the sky.

There is a simple seek-and-find type gameplay, where a narrator gives a hint of an object to be found. Players have three chances to identify an object by hovering over it and tapping the Select button. It is simple and won’t really engage a player too long. Teleport L.A. feels more like a brief tech demo. Don’t expect much, other than a few minutes of interaction and barely any gameplay. It would be great to see this kind of application with first-person games or interactive tours with more detailed information on locations.

Shatterstorm
(available for $1.99 here on the App Store)

Shatterstorm is a 3D shooter much like Tempest, where players must control a ship around various changing stages. Sixty stages are included. Controls are motion control based, even in a scrolling menu. Players can shoot or drop bombs if an enemy makes it up to the navigation point of the ship. It is easy to get trapped and lose a stage once you are out of smart bombs. The background audio music is techno, but very repetitive.

From all of the my3D launch games, Shatterstorm has one of the better 3D effects in its geometric stages and when the player’s ship explodes. Originally Shatterstorm was available for free for a limited time, but at the new $1.99 price there is hardly much content to recommend the purchase.

Sector 17
(available for $4.99 here on the App Store)

Sector 17 is the highlight my3D launch game. Just like Shatterstorm, it was originally available for free but is now priced at $4.99. Sector 17 is very much like the Wing Commander space shooter games. Players must pivot around space to shoot enemy ships. Other objects players have to destroy to avoid getting hit include asteroids and missiles.

There are no navigation or thrust controls, as players take on the role of a gunner in a spaceship. 3D in Sector 17 works decent. You mainly get a sense of depth from the guns on the bottom of the screen. The audio from the ship’s intercom and transmissions have a nice effect.

Three episodes are included in Sector 17. Each episode includes various missions where bronze, silver and gold medallions can be earned. Players can upgrade their ship using earned credits based on the medallion ranking. In-game achievements are also included. From all the launch games, the most rewarding game and what looks to be the best production so far is Sector 17. Hasbro must know this, pricing it at $4.99, the highest price of all my3D launch games.

None of the my3D games support Game Center and there are no online leaderboards, which limit some replay incentives. Some of the 3D photos and video trailers are ok, but the majority of available my3D content doesn’t have much depth. Hopefully future my3D apps, games or videos released for the my3D platform will offer a bit more value in terms of replay and gameplay controls. Game developers, Hasbro will be offering a my3D SDK in the future. my3D doesn’t beat out the 3D capability and display of the Nintendo 3DS, but at $34.99 (if you already have an iOS device) it is a low cost alternative for a 3D portable diversion.

For more details on my3D, visit the official website at hasbroMY3D.com. my3D Viewer is now available in a Black or White unit at $34.99 MSRP and can be found in Target retail stores as well.

See more images of the my3D Viewer below (or here):

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