Dual Play and Simulview: the next stage of Multiplayer Gaming

Being more of a technologically knowledgeable girl in the group, most guys in our college group were fond of me. Even though the whole group used to hang out together, I was more engaged in multiplayer split screen PS2 gaming with the guys rather than gossiping with the girls. And the two favorites at the time were “Counter Strike” and “Left 4 Dead”. So much were we engrossed in these multiplayer games in split screen mode that our parents have had many a sleepless nights.

Without belittling the Split Screen technology, it is compromisingly manageable at best. No denying the late night virtual raids were enjoyable to be a part of, the four divisions on a 32” screen used to confuse us with everyone losing track of which screen his player was in as well increased the scope of cheating in a versus mode game mainly the racing titles. Sony’s Simulview display for full-screen multiplayer gaming looked a decent step in that direction but it turned out to be damp squid with a meagre 24” screen size. And since it would have costed a lot at that time, even the richest brat in the group went against spending the moolah on it.

Fast forward 6 years, and LG has taken full advantage of the untapped avenue and developed a pretty similar technology which goes by the name of “Dual Play”. And unlike the screen restrictions in Sony’s display, the Dual Play feature is ubiquitous in all the models of 2012 LG Cinema 3D range. The tact of making Dual Play lies in putting two same-side lenses within a Glass Frame so that you view only a particular side or in other terms tricking your brain via your eyes only to perceive the view of a single side through same-sided polarized lenses. That way, you get a full screen view of your vehicle/player without interfering with the other person’s game play. Mind you, this feature is still in its progressive stage and limited to only two players but I fully expect LG to expand the horizon for up to four distinct players at the same time. The other minor drawback is a little loss to the screen resolution as basically one part of the screen is being stretched over the whole TV frame.  Although you won’t face any such resolution loss issue on LG’s 4K UD 3D TV.

And it looks like this seems to have woken up the Japanese giants to bring the Simulview in a much larger 84” 4K screen with the launch of their KD84X9005 4K TV. Much more than competition, it is good that the major players are getting serious about the next phase of multiplayer console gaming. The only major drawback of this screen size would be the cost factor which puts it out of reach of the majority of people.

And yes, as a potential consumer, you will be right to complain about the exorbitance of 4K prices which make these technologies perform with resolution losses. But from a long term perspective, companies are right to bring the bigger screen sizes now so that the downscaling is cost effective I the future. As it stands, companies like LG and Sony have the groundwork in place and as soon as 4K’s become affordable, one will be able to enjoy full screen multiplayer gaming in its HD glory!

Dual Play on 3D TV

In my last article, I had talked of cricket. Today I want to talk a little about another supposedly un-ladylike activity – gaming. Hey, 
gaming is not the exclusive privilege of boys – even girls can play it, and play it well! I and my brother have indulged in many an evening of uninhibited gaming, trying to beat each other in our favorite bunch of role playing games on our Xbox.

When playing a dual player game on TV, the biggest problem is the split screen. Since both players need to “see” as separate players, traditionally the screen is split in half vertically to give separate views to the two players. But this ‘screen splitting’ results in two issues – one, the fun is spoiled when you get to watch only in half-screen, and second, the other player already knows what you are going to do – that is cheating, man!

Enter the Dual Play technology – a standard feature on the new LG 3D TVs – manna from heaven from avid gamers like me! Dual Play means two can play the game together – always the best way, IMHO. Once the Dual Play gaming mode is activated, two players can enjoy the game together. And the best part is – you get to play in full screen, plus the other player gets to see only his/her screen, thus preventing cheating or foreknowledge of your ploys.

The way this technology works is a spin-off of the FPR screens that LG 3D TVs use. In the FPR technology, the screen itself generates two different images that are later viewed through passive 3D glasses, and combined in the brain to get a 3D image. The passive 3D glasses are built in such a way as to allow circularly polarized light in a different manner through right and left side filters.

The passive glasses also play a crucial role in the Dual Play – they are the usual passive 3D glasses with a simple twist – while one set features only the left side polarized glass, the other sports only the right side polarized glasses. Thus, the two players get to watch different screens.  Besides the obvious convenience of Dual Play, it also makes for really immersive gaming. You get to play on a WHOLE screen, and that makes all the difference – it is really enjoyable! And since the glasses are extremely light and comfortable, you really get to engage yourself in the game!

Now, the big question is – where do you get the Dual Play glasses? Rest easy folks, I have all the answers. Some of the LG 3D TV models, such as LG LM8600 come with six (yes, you heard that correct – SIX!) sets of passive 3D glasses – absolutely free!! Of these, two are Dual Play glasses – so you can get down to gaming straightaway!

For those of you are DIYers, you can also get down to make your own Dual Play glasses, but that would mean sacrificing two pairs of 3D glasses out of the four that you get FREE with every LG 3D TV! Here is a short and sweet video tutorial of how to make Dual Play glasses.