Next week’s IFA 2011 show in Berlin will see LG Electronics demonstrating its OpenGL-based 2D to 3D game conversion engine for mobile phones. It’s planned to include this in an update for LG Optimus 3D smartphones starting from October.
The 3D Game Converter will help game companies offer 3D versions of existing 2D games without major investments, while smartphone users will be able to convert 2D games into free 3D versions whenever they want.
When a user opens a 2D mobile game through the 3D Game Converter, the program automatically scans the game to see if’s already been optimised for 3D conversion. If so, it’ll be converted into 3D automatically - and if not, the user will be able to adjust the settings manually. Optimised settings for approximately fifty 2D games will be available when the service launched - and another fifty are expected to be added by the end of the year.
Dr Henry Nho, LG’s 3D Technology Evangelist, said “Far from being a gimmick, LG’s 3D Game Converter automatically recognizes the depth information based on the location of each object and separates the 2D graphic images for each eye. Using the existing depth information, the 3D Game Converter generates two different images -- one for the foreground and one for the background. It then uses a thin film called Parallax Barrier on the display to show the left image to the left eye and the right image to the right eye, creating an illusion of visual depth.”