Vizio-Versus
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Vizio 'Versus' offers two-player head-to-head gaming on one screen (video inside!)
At Vizio's CES suite, the HDTV manufacturer was showing off its "Versus"-enabled television. The tagline is "head-to-head gaming" and the feature is that simple. The set uses a 3D panel to drive two images, so two players can play the same game head-to-head. Like 3D gaming, the software needs to support the functionality; thankfully, if the game already supports stereoscopic 3D, it only needs a "small interlace tweak" to support head-to-head gaming. It works like this: Instead of rendering two unique 540p images to create a single "1080p" 3D image, it renders two distinct gameplay streams and uses specially keyed glasses (ours were marked "L" and "R") to isolate each player's display. The game on display was Ubisoft's Shaun White Skateboarding, which already supports stereoscopic 3D. A Vizio representative said they've been working with Ubisoft and Electronic Arts on supporting the feature and are licensing the technology to publishers at no cost in an attempt to drive adoption of their standard. Vizio's also hoping that other TV manufacturers using the same passive 3D technology will license the tech at, presumably, a less altruistic rate. Also not discussed: Sony's recently published patents, which certainly seems to cover this ground.
