A patent uncovered at the website patentbolt.com unveils Microsoft?s bid at the 3D marketplace filed back in 2010. The patent shows two possible designs for a headset display system; one
being the classic 3D glasses model, the other being a helmeted model presumably for when players play too long and find that the only relief to the severe migraines induced by a 3D display an inch from either eye is a swift head-bash to their desk. Can you tell I have a Virtual Boy?
The similarities to Nintendo?s vie at 3D doesn?t stop there. The new patents also seem to allude at the lenses of the display to be transparent, allowing players to experience augmented reality much the same way the 3DS or Vita do by projecting onto real world objects. The transparent displays also could be used for augmented gameplay via the TV screen, seemingly to catch up to what the Nintendo Wii U is promising.
There is no clarification for when Microsoft plans on unveiling the displays to the public or even if this patent is for the current generation Xbox. The patent does clarify that the headsets can, ?be used in applications ranging from video gaming to aviation” which makes far more sense when looking back that the helmet model.
3D displays have been around in the gaming world practically since its inception with notable entries such as the SEGA 3D Glasses for the SEGA Master System and the infamous Virtual Boy
mentioned earlier. This only goes to show that the 3D craze is stronger than ever and regrettably will most likely be around for a long time to come; much to the delight of Excedrin and Tylenol.