E3 has come and gone, and Nintendo have shown us all that the way forwards for portable gaming will be in 3D! Using auto stereoscopic technology, which means you don’t need glasses, the 3DS will bring portable 3D gaming into the anxious sweaty palms of millions late this year or early next, we would bet on it having a release date of before Christmas to maximise any festive sales.

Also boasting twin cameras for taking 3D photos the 3DS is certainly something above and beyond anything Apple, or Sony currently have in the works, at least as far as we know, with regards to portable gaming. The specs are all very impressive, and Nintendo have pedigree when it comes to breaking new ground with gaming systems and concepts, you need look no further than the Wii or the DS for evidence of that.

What is equally, if not more exciting however is the list of developers lining up to throw their weight, and titles, behind the ground breaking system, after all you can cram in all the great specifications you want, but if you haven’t got the media to back it up, people will lose interest very quickly! When reporters got a first look at the 3DS in action at E3 all of the buzz was very encouraging, with many noting how well the 3D was implemented, as well as the comfortable feel of the system and the possibilities it presents.

The future of gaming certainly looks to be 3D.

It has been announced that Microsoft have signed a “strategic partnership with LG that will signal the intended arrival of 3D gaming on the XBox 360. The move mirrors Sony’s move to bring the 3D gaming revolution to their existing platform.

To take advantage of this you will require a 3D TV capable of displaying the latest advance in gaming and this partnership will see 3D LG TVs sold alongside XBox 360s in consumer bundles, the first of which will see the LG LX5900 teamed up with the Microsoft console. Initially these bundles are only set to be available in Korea, but with the demand for 3DTV on the rise, and Sony likely to do something similar in all territories with its own line of 3DTVs we consider it only a matter of time before similar bundles are available here also.

With the E3 show opening tomorrow we would expect many further announcements regarding the future of 3D gaming to be forthcoming, some of which will no doubt be ground-breaking.

Want to get into 3D gaming right away? All you need is a 3D enabled display, a fairly high spec gaming PC, a compatible NVIDIA GeForce 3D graphics card, and an NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit. Once you are suitably equipped and have downloaded the appropriate drivers from the NVIDIA website, you can begin to enjoy 3D gaming straight away.

NVIDIA 3D Vision cleverly automatically displays more than 400 PC games in full stereoscopic 3D. These aren’t just any old games either with real heavyweight titles such as Fallout 3, Call Of Duty: World At War, World Of Warcraft, and the much anticipated Starcraft II compatible and ready to be enjoyed straight from the box (or download) in 3 glorious dimensions without the need for individual game patches.

Of course once available you will also be able to watch 3D Movies using your PC and 3D Display as well. More information can be found on the NVIDIA Website.

So you’re thinking of investing in a shiny new 3D television and 3D-enabled Blu-ray player, but just what can you expect to be able to use it for now or in the near future? Is there actually much out there in the way of 3d media for home use yet?

Well, with regards to 3D TV, Sky are already broadcasting regular sports events in 3D with usually at least one Premiership match a week. We would imagine that the World Cup will see a proportion of 3D coverage, as well as other special programmes. The 3D channel doesn’t launch in full until the autumn however, although the good news is that existing Sky+ HD boxes are already 3d-compatible so you will not need a new set-top box.

3D films are understandably thin on the ground at the moment, as the first wave of 3D movies that hit the cinema last year are only being released on Blu-ray about now. Avatar, the breakthrough movie for 3D in cinemas and highest grossing film of all time is expected to see a 3D Blu-ray release in November. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs is set to be the first three dimensional film release and is expected around June time.

The other main medium for 3D technology to take advantage of is 3D gaming. Sony have already released their latest firmware update for the PS3, which enables it to play 3D movies and games; and if you are lucky enough to have a 3D TV in place already there are four 3D compatible titles available for download to take advantage of the update early. Sony are also reportedly looking into some sort of 3D support for existing games. Presumably functioning somewhat like current Blu-ray players do to enhance standard DVDs to near HD quality.

Although support and media may be fairly thin on the ground just at the moment, 3D TV is certain to give you that wow factor and if you see it as an investment then what’s the harm in being an early adopter of new technology?

It’s not often that companies release things ahead of schedule, and that’s most certainly not an accusation that would have been levelled at the Sony Playstation 3 when it was released. None the less it seems that Sony have rolled out the 3D firmware update for their Blu-ray packing console early, and indeed ahead of their expected launch of the 3D Bravia range in June.

The update will allow the PS3 to play both 3D movies and games. Although there isn’t anything to try it out with just yet, with the Avatar 3D Blu ray not due until November, and the first 3D Blu-ray title, the three dimension animated film Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, due in June you wouldn’t bet against some online or downloadable content being made available to tempt consumers into taking the 3D plunge early.