Using fancy plugins to display Gen. 5 games in 3D?

[Blue Protoman]

Is it theoretically possible, at all, to take a game from the 90's (such as Super Mario 64), and with some emulator trickery (and correct and powerful hardware that we assume to have), and have it display in 3D, even with glasses? Or would this need modification of the ROM itself? Because you'd have to throw in another camera. I mean good 3D, not the kind that's hastily applied at the end and looks like crap (aka Green Hornet).

 

[ikreos]

Stereoscopy

 

[Blue Protoman]

Well, yes, but it'd have to be applied.

 

[ikreos]

All you would have to do is divide the output image into separate color channels (RGB) and shift the red and blue slightly out of "focus" with the rest of the image. I don't think it would be very hard to do and it certainly wouldn't be very intensive.

 

[Blue Protoman]

That doesn't seem like it would be very effective at immersing you, though. I mean honest-to-god, 3DS-level 3D, where you can see into the world (or occasionally it pokes itself out). What you describe is pretty much what old 3D anaglyph movies did.

 

[Aethix]

You would still need to create and extra camera, one shifted slightly to the left or right as the original. I imagine it's doable with a ROM hack, albeit extremely difficult.

 

[ikreos]

I just have a basic understanding of it. I never was much into "3D".

 

[Halcyon]

I would guess there would have to be some assumptions about where the infinity point is for the separate color channel trick to work. Other wise my guess is somethings would appear close but would really be in the distance. Anyone getting behind the 3DS? I saw one at the store, to be honest homeboy made me a little sick, i'm holding out for holograms this early stage 3D tv and products isn't really doing it for me yet.


Although, I do have a rocking issue of nintendo Power from 95' where i got some glasses that made it 3d, maybe I can tape those to the Pandora and make it happen :lol:

 

[THB]

I have some 3DS downloaded games like excitebike and xevious in 3D and I think they look great. Pretty much 2D games with a background and a foreground. They are not as complex as say zeldaOOT or pilotwings resort but the effect works well.

 

[bismuthdrummer]

In real life, your eyes are actually presented with two different images rather than the exact same image twice. Each eye perceives a different geometry and lighting. Try looking at stuff like a pirate and alternating your open eye. One eye will see sides of objects that other cannot.


What this means for video games is that, if they don't have separate images (two slightly different sprites for every frame of movement) and cannot generate it (render the same model from a slightly different angle), then they can't produce realistic 3D. That's my understanding. They can 3D-book mock it by shifting the colors as ikreos suggested, and there are probably other tricks as well. But just like blowing up a photograph doesn't really give you a bigger image, shifting an image's clone doesn't really produce the full 3D effect. It's an information problem; you need more information to begin with.

 

[Nintendo]

I have some 3DS downloaded games like excitebike and xevious in 3D and I think they look great. Pretty much 2D games with a background and a foreground. They are not as complex as say zeldaOOT or pilotwings resort but the effect works well.

+1


IMO, I think old games can easily be made into 3D (stereoscopic 3D) using the background and a foreground technique.

 

[vuurrobin]

maybe that its possible if you modify the graphics plugin of the emulator. I once read that you could enhance the graphics of ps1 games by using a different shader for the ps1 emulator.

 

[WizardStan]

It is absolutely possible, no need to hack the ROM. The emulator uses OpenGL to display the geometry, correct? There are already OpenGL hacks to add an extra camera to the program created one, render a second image, and display them stereoscopic. This should be even easier when you have an emulator with source, you can "simply" have it create a second camera beside the one it normally uses and do its own 3D output. It's totally doable. It may not look very good for some games, though.


I actually remember, way way back in the early 00s I believe, a demo of Mario64 being run through an emulator with such a feature.

 

[Aethix]

It is absolutely possible, no need to hack the ROM. The emulator uses OpenGL to display the geometry, correct? There are already OpenGL hacks to add an extra camera to the program created one, render a second image, and display them stereoscopic. This should be even easier when you have an emulator with source, you can "simply" have it create a second camera beside the one it normally uses and do its own 3D output. It's totally doable. It may not look very good for some games, though.


I actually remember, way way back in the early 00s I believe, a demo of Mario64 being run through an emulator with such a feature.

Oh, that makes sense.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dzIJgTgGgZY?feature=oembed

The embedded video doesn't work very well, you may want to view it on youtube.