What intrinsic advantages does 3D have over 2D? – #1

What intrinsic advantages does 3D have over 2D?

This is a question I’ve frequently encountered from investors, customers, and colleagues while running this business. While the advantages are clear to me, explaining them isn’t always straightforward. Many people around me believe they can live perfectly well without 3D.

To address this, it’s necessary to define some terms clearly to better redefine the question.

Broadly speaking, the world can be divided into four quadrants based on two criteria: Reality / Virtual World and 2D / 3D.

2D, Reality: Paper, books, paintings

3D, Reality: My room, the office, school, and most of the world we inhabit

2D, Virtual Reality: Google, Photoshop, and numerous other apps/digital art on PCs and smartphones

3D, Virtual Reality: Overwatch, Roblox, Blender, Unity, and VR applications

The boundaries between these are somewhat ambiguous.

For instance, a book in 2D has a “thickness” as much as a piece of paper, which makes it hard to consider as 3D, and although Overwatch is a 3D game, it’s played on a 2D screen—whether it should be considered 3D is debatable.

However, according to the criteria I set, it’s about the “conceptual” classification or perhaps the subjective “freedom” perceived by the viewer. For example, in Overwatch, even though it’s on a 2D screen, there is an element of moving up and down,

Moreover, there are items that blur these lines. Rather than distinctly having four concepts, I think it’s more accurate to view them as a continuous spectrum. For instance, in StarCraft, there are concepts of ground and air units. Similarly, League of Legends, which at first glance might seem like a flat game, includes the concept of “lifting.” Other examples include side-scrolling games like Dungeon Fighter. There is much debate over whether to call these 2.5D or 3D, but the term 2.5D seems quite clever.

AR is another example. AR, which superimposes virtual entities onto the real world, I believe, sits on the boundary between 3D reality and virtual reality.

Returning to the original question, let’s redefine it based on this classification.

Typically, the question “What is better about 3D compared to 2D?” refers to what makes 3D virtual reality better than 2D virtual reality.

2D virtual reality already dominates our surroundings. Services like YouTube, Instagram, ChatGPT, Google, and Amazon all operate within a 2D virtual reality deeply embedded in our lives.

Usually, the intent behind this question is, “Why bother venturing into the 3D virtual reality business, which, apart from special fields like gaming, doesn’t seem to be used much?”

I intend to calmly unfold the explanations I’ve often given verbally or through investor relations materials into written form.