What home buyers want in their next new home | St Louis Real ...

By Dennis Norman, on December 26th, 2012

dennis-norman-realtorThe real estate recession and weak economy has not pushed homebuyers into downsizing their next home, at least not according to the results of a survey conducted by national home builder, PulteGroup.? In fact, 84 percent of homeowners between the ages of 18 and 59 said they do not have plans to downsize their next home. Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau supports this notion as well, with the average size of a new home increasing to 2,480 square feet in 2011, an increase of 3.7 percent from the year before.Other highlights from the survey:

  • More than half homeowners between the ages of 18-34 would like their next home to be larger than their current home.
  • Nearly 40 percent of homeowners between the ages of 35-54 want a larger home.
  • 21 percent of homeowners ages 18-59 rarely use their formal dining room while 17 percent said they rarely use their formal living room.
  • Almost half of the respondents (48 percent) when asked to rank the most important feature in their next home, said they want larger, open spaces, including master bedrooms, larger rooms and open floor concepts.
  • When asked to rank their top five ?must haves? in their next home, respondents indicated they want:
    • Larger rooms
    • Master bedrooms suites
    • More storage space
    • Patio/outdoor living space
    • Energy efficiency
  • When asked what homeowners 18-59 would be willing to give up for the ?must haves? in their next home:
    • 52 percent cited being close to public transportation
    • 35 percent said they?re willing to give up being close to entertainment and shopping
    • 28 percent said they would give up being near parks and better schools.

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Related posts:

  1. Housing Resource Fair Offers Help to Potential Home Buyers

Source: http://stlouisrealestatenews.com/st-louis-new-homes/what-home-buyers-want-in-their-next-new-home/

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US Treasury to take steps to avoid borrowing limit

FILE - In this Thursday, July 26, 2012, file photo,Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Banking Committee hearing: "The Financial Stability Oversight Council Annual Report to Congress." The U.S. Treasury Department announced Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, it will begin taking steps this week to delay hitting the government's $16.4 trillion borrowing limit. Without those steps, the debt limit would be hit on Dec. 31. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says in a letter to congressional leaders that the department will take several accounting measures to save approximately $200 billion beginning next year. The government borrows about $100 billion a month, so that would (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, July 26, 2012, file photo,Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Banking Committee hearing: "The Financial Stability Oversight Council Annual Report to Congress." The U.S. Treasury Department announced Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, it will begin taking steps this week to delay hitting the government's $16.4 trillion borrowing limit. Without those steps, the debt limit would be hit on Dec. 31. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says in a letter to congressional leaders that the department will take several accounting measures to save approximately $200 billion beginning next year. The government borrows about $100 billion a month, so that would (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

(AP) ? The U.S. Treasury Department will begin taking steps to delay hitting the government's $16.4 trillion borrowing limit on Dec. 31.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a letter Wednesday to congressional leaders that the department will use accounting measures to save approximately $200 billion, which could keep the government from reaching the limit for about two months.

The move comes as President Barack Obama and the GOP congressional leadership are locked in negotiations over how to avoid a series of tax increases and spending cuts, known as the "fiscal cliff," that are scheduled to take effect in the new year.

Obama has sought to include an increase in the borrowing limit in the talks. But Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders have demanded concessions in return. The negotiations hit a stalemate last week. Obama and lawmakers are returning to Washington this week to resume talks.

Geithner says the negotiations over tax and spending policies make it difficult to predict how long he can delay reaching the borrowing limit.

The borrowing limit is the amount of debt the government can pile up. The government accumulates debt two ways: It borrows money from investors by issuing Treasury bonds, and it borrows from itself, mostly from Social Security revenue.

In 2011, Congress raised the limit to nearly $16.4 trillion from $14.3 trillion. Three decades ago, the national debt was $908 billion. But Washington spent more than it took in, and the debt rose steadily ? surpassing $1 trillion in 1982, then $5 trillion in 1996. It reached $10 trillion in 2008 as the financial crisis and recession dried up tax revenue and as the government spent more on unemployment benefits and other programs.

In August 2011, the rating agency Standard & Poor's stunned the world by stripping the U.S. government of its prized AAA bond rating because it feared that America's dysfunctional political system couldn't deliver credible plans to reduce the federal government's debt. S&P decried American "political brinksmanship" and concluded that "the differences between political parties have proven to be extraordinarily difficult to bridge."

A year and a half later, the two political parties are still as deadlocked as ever.

Despite S&P's warnings and the political stalemate, investors still want U.S. Treasurys. Given economic turmoil in Europe and uncertainty elsewhere, U.S. government debt and U.S. dollars look like the safest bet around.

That is why the interest rate, or yield, on 10-year Treasury notes has fallen from 2.58 Aug. 5, 2011 to 1.75 percent Wednesday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-26-US-Borrowing%20Limit/id-8c05a80461094b8fb734b14ce3c2965b

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What I learned about science blogging/writing this year

I experimented with topics, lengths, forms, and voices, quite a lot this year, trying this and that to see what works for me, what works with the readers, etc. This is what I learned:

I can still write a standard ResearchBlogging type of post of reasonable length, yet covering all the context it needs.

And I can post it at the time embargo lifts. And I can get quite nice traffic for it:

How barley domesticated its clock

I can blog a conference, even if the topic is not my narrowest area of expertise.

I wanted to learn how to cover a meeting like a journalistic pro. Instead, Editor-in-Chief told me ?No, you should blog it?. So I did. And I had fun, I added my own photos, and people in the field liked it:

#2012SVP ? what do Vertebrate Paleontologists talk about?

I can get outside of my area of expertise when the news cycle requires it, learn about it fast, and become a temporary expert on it.

And then get interviewed and quoted by the other new outlets as if I really am an expert on the topic:

Did NYC rats survive hurricane Sandy?

But my personalized follow-up on the Big News story, does not work as well as the original.

But heck, at least I finally got to publish some old photos:

No rats in Ryder Alley

I can write on deadline, with word-limit, and I like getting my stuff edited.

When all the editors started nominating stories for our Top Ten 2012 Stories list, I suggested ENCODE, so I was assigned to write about it. I was worried about having to re-write everything from scratch, so I turned it in two days ahead of deadline. When I got the piece back, edited by Phil Yam, it looked very, very red on my screen. But as I started checking all the edits, I realized that each edit was small ? a punctuation here, a word-order there, a small change in wording, etc. No huge changes, but LOTS of tiny changes. And each little thing made my article a little bit better. All the changes together made my article much better. So I am quite happy how it turned out:

Publication of the ENCODE Encyclopedia: A Milestone in Genome Research

Long posts with strange structure can work well.

I experimented with coverage of several papers in a single post. I covered each one briefly, had subheadings (e.g., What is it about, What is new, Take-home message, Some more thoughts, Good coverage elsewhere, etc), finishing with my own summary of how all of the papers fit together, how they move the field as a whole forward. And it got quite decent traffic:

Clocks, metabolism, evolution ? toward an integrative chronobiology

I can write fast, publish as embargo lifts, and STILL manage to get a lot of context and lot of my own thoughts.

It helps that I have written, few years before, a very involved post on a related topic, so I could draw from that pool of information, build up on it. Many people told me they really loved this post:

Stumped by bed nets, mosquitoes turn midnight snack into breakfast

Totally quirky stuff has its own fans.

It started with a bet that I could seriously use the word ?callipygous? in a science article. That led me on a search for topics in which I could potentially use it. That brought me to spiders (yes, it could have been sheep instead). So I wrote a completely stream-of-consciousness post connecting all sorts of seemingly unconnected things about spiders. I wrote about spiders before. I talked about spiders very recently. I saw the Spider exhibit at the AMNH just before it. I included bits and pieces of all of that somewhere in the post. And I timed the post to show up on the anniversary of ?Charlotte?s Web?. All of that combined into a quirky post with surprising twists and turns, cool scientific information, fun videos, personal stuff, and more. And people just loved it:

Charlotte?s Web: what was she smoking?

I can write REALLY fast! And lack of time for over-thinking makes it better.

I heard about the study at 8am. I published my post at 11am. While multitasking other stuff I had to do at the time. Yes, I carefully read the paper first. And the paper got lots of media coverage elsewhere, yet the author contacted me to tell me specifically how well I did it. And the PIO in charge of the paper bought me a beer a few months later for giving the paper so much visibility and good coverage. And the post even resulted in a comic strip, the original of which is now hanging on the wall of the institution where the research was done. My favorite post of the entire year:

Tigers take to the night ? for peaceful coexistence with humans

Next year, I?ll try some new approaches, do new experiments, try to make it fun for me and you. We?ll see how it works out in the end?.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=90155da996ee5195d0613da90d131f51

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Are You Going To Have A Real Estate Valuation?

Obtaining a valuation from a surveyor before the home goes on the marketplace is perhaps the most critical factor in securing a great asking price for your home. Unlike an agent (who simply forms an opinion as to the value of a property), a chartered surveyor is certified to carry out property valuations that financial institutions utilize to decide whether to offer finance.

Say, for example, your home is valued by a surveyor at $200,000, but you set the asking price at $250,000. If you get an offer on the home for anything over $200,000 you might get a bad surprise when the potential purchaser tells you they?ve been turned down for a mortgage. If the bank thinks the asking price is too high above the valuation they?ll see the mortgage as too great a danger.
So, you can see why it?s important that your surveyor returns with a great valuation. But can you impact the valuation that you get? Is their any method to increase the value of your home?

Indeed, there is. Here are just three quick tips that could add thousands of dollars to your appraisal with just a little effort.

Offer Recent Sales Data
One of the ways a surveyor will value your house is to compare it to the value of similar properties that have been recently sold in the same area. Before a valuation you must keep close track of local property rates, noting down the specifics of the estate agents who managed the sales so your surveyor can later confirm the sale prices.

The perfect time to sell your home is when you see that a home similar to yours was sold at a very high price. Instead of laughing at the mug who overpaid $30,000 for the place across the street, place a call to a surveyor and request a valuation of your own home.

Do Your DIY Today
Lots of people try to convince surveyors to take planned upgrades into account while valuing a house. ?We?re putting in a pool next month,? they?ll say, hoping to bump the valuation. Sadly surveyors can only think about the existing state of the property in their calculations.

If you have any plans for your property make sure that you complete them before the valuation of your property.

Do Not Over Capitalise
On the other hand, you must make sure that any home improvements you plan to make will raise the value of your home above the cost of making the improvements. If, for example, it costs $20,000 to add an extension to the back of your home, you must make sure (by checking for properties with similar improvements for sale in your area) that your investment will be rewarded with a boost in the valuation of at least $20,000.

Of course this only applies if you?re making the improvements to increase your valuation. If you plan to stay in the property another couple of years you must go ahead and do what you like.

So there you have it. Just three tips that could add thousands of dollars to real estate valuations. There are other things that can be done to increase the value of the property as well.

Source: http://www.villasandland.com/articles/are-you-going-to-have-a-real-estate-valuation/

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Atari Sports Games Review by Angry Video Game Nerd

This is episode 109 in a series of reviews of bad video games by the Angry Video Game Nerd. Watch as the Angry Nerd reviews Atari 2600 games from the 70?s & 80?s based on sports.

The Atari 2600 Sports games covered are:

  • Football (Atari, 1978)
  • RealSports Football (Atari, 1982)
  • Super Challenge Football (Mattel, 1982)
  • Super Football (Atari, 1988)
  • Basketball (Atari, 1978)
  • Home Run (Atari, 1978)
  • Super Challenge Baseball (Mattel, 1982)
  • Ice Hockey (Activision, 1981)
  • RealSports Volleyball (Atari, 1982)
  • Boxing (Activision, 1980)
  • RealSports Boxing (Atari, 1987)
  • Tennis (Activision, 1981)
  • RealSports Tennis (Atari, 1983)
  • Grand Prix (Activision, 1982)
  • Math Gran Prix (Atari, 1982)
  • Karate (Ultravision, 1980)
  • International Soccer (Mattel, 1982)
  • Pele?s Championship Soccer (Atari, 1980)
  • Golf (Atari, 1978)
  • Miniature Golf (Atari, 1979)

The Nerd breaks from his usual fantasy games and takes one for the team to review the many sports games on the Atari 2600. As always, comedic yet coarse language ahead.

Next, to keep it in the holidays theme, the Nerd discusses what the best Christmas movies are.

Closing out this news item is ?Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie ? Official Trailer?!

All hail the Angry Video Game Nerd movie! :lol:

What was your favorite part of this Angry Video Game Nerd review?

About the author

Ferry GroenendijkBy Ferry Groenendijk: He is the founder and editor of Video Games Blogger. He loved gaming from the moment he got a Nintendo with Super Mario Bros. on his 8th birthday. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and at Google+.


Source: http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2012/12/26/atari-sports-games-review-by-angry-video-game-nerd.htm

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George H.W. Bush Condition Worsens, Former President In Intensive Care Unit


AUSTIN, Texas, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Former President George H.W. Bush is in the intensive care unit of a Houston hospital and is in "guarded condition," family spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday.
"The President is alert and conversing with medical staff, and is surrounded by family," McGrath said in a statement.
Bush was admitted to the intensive care unit on Sunday, McGrath said.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/george-h-w-bush-condition-_n_2367164.html

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Dean Baker: There is No Santa Claus and Bill Clinton Was Not an Economic Savior

The truth is often painful but nonetheless it is important that we live in the real world. Just as little kids have to come to grips with the fact that there is no Santa Claus, it is necessary for millions of liberals, including many who think of themselves as highly knowledgeable about economic matters, to realize that President Clinton's policies sent the economy seriously off course.

In Washington it is common to tout the budget surpluses of the Clinton years as some momentous achievement, as though the point of economic policy is to run budget surpluses. Of course the point of economic policy is to produce an economy that improves the lives of the people in a sustainable way. Clinton badly flunked this test.

The Clinton economy was driven by a stock bubble. This is not a debatable point. The ratio of market-wide stock prices to corporate earnings was well over 30 to 1 at the peak of the bubble in 2000. This is more than twice the historic average.

This run-up in stock prices drove the economy in 2 ways. First, since any good huckster could make millions selling shares in dot.whatever, we had many hucksters starting nutball businesses that never had a prayer of making a profit. This is not much of a long-run economic strategy, but in the short-term it led to an increase in investment.

The other way that the bubble drove the economy is through the wealth effect on consumption. The run-up in stock prices generated roughly $10 trillion in bubble wealth. The wealth effect from stock is usually estimated to be 3-4 cents on the dollar. This would mean that the bubble generated between $300 billion to $400 billion annually in additional consumption. This would have been 3-4 percent of GDP at the time ($480 billion to $560 billion annually in today's economy). This is born out in the Commerce Department's data which show that the saving rate fell from close to 7 percent at the start of the 1990s to around 2.0 percent at the peak of the bubble in 2000.

This was the economy that President Clinton handed to President Bush in January of 2001. It was an economy that was being carried by an unsustainable bubble that in fact already was in the process of deflating at the time Bush took office. The S&P 500 was more than 10 percent below its 2000 peak and the NASDAQ was down by more than 40 percent on the day that Bush took office. This pretty much guaranteed the recession that began in March of 2001 just as the collapse of the housing bubble placed President Obama in the middle of terrible recession in January of 2009.

The 2001 recession was the main reason that the surplus vanished in the 2002 fiscal year. Directing tax cuts to the wealthy was a foolish policy response to the downturn, but it was reasonable to turn to fiscal stimulus following the collapse of the stock bubble just as it was reasonable for President Obama to turn to fiscal stimulus following the collapse of the housing bubble. The Bush tax cuts did provide a boost to the economy, although they would have provided a larger boost if this money had been directed at moderate and middle income people or devoted to long-term investments like education and infrastructure.

The growth of housing bubble eventually provided the boost needed to recover from the 2001 recession, just as the stock bubble propelled growth in the 1990s. As the economy got back near full employment in 2006 and 2007, the deficits shrank to sustainable levels.

However, while the deficits were sustainable in the later years of the Bush presidency, the housing bubble was not. Its collapse gave us the most predictable economic disaster in human history, even if all our top economists somehow didn't see it.

To have a sustainable growth path we have to reverse one of the other central policies of the Clinton years, the over-valued dollar. This policy, which was put in place when Robert Rubin became Treasury Secretary, ensured that we would have large trade deficits. The trade deficits were good news for Wall Street with its obsession over inflation. It was also good news for companies looking to move operations overseas to take advantage of cheap labor.

However, the high dollar was terrible news for the country's workers who were placed at an enormous competitive disadvantage. It resulted in the loss of more than 4 million manufacturing jobs. It was also bad news for anyone who doesn't think that bubbles are a clever way to drive the economy.

Rubin and his allies control the Democratic Party with their money at the moment. Their financial power will not be easily overcome. However, it is important that people understand that the Rubin-Clinton team is every bit as much about redistributing money from the rest of us to the very rich as the Republicans.

The big difference is that, unlike the Republicans, the Rubin-Clinton crew believes that the rich should have to pay their taxes. That's something, but until there is someone in this debate who isn't pushing policies that redistribute before-tax income upward, the vast majority in this country can only lose.

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Follow Dean Baker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DeanBaker13

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dean-baker/there-is-no-santa-claus-a_b_2362845.html

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Xmas Camera: Deck Your Photos With Boughs of Holly

Merry Christmas! Today your day is all about friends and family and you're probably taking a lot of pics. We've got a little something for you to give those snaps a little extra holiday cheer. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/5SzM5k_i1Yg/xmas-camera-deck-your-photos-with-boughs-of-holly

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Having Trouble With Your Home Based Business? Try These Tips ...

If a stranger approached you on the street and said that you could quit your job and start a business from your home, would you think they?re lying? Most of the people offering these opportunities make their money by convincing others to purchase work from home packages. It is possible to have a successful home business, but there isn?t any one-size-fits-all solution, and there are no guarantees of success. This below article will provide you with methods for beginning your online business.

TIP! Keep your lines of communication open and give all consumers the chance to reach you if needed. Keep a record of the people who contacted you, and find out which of them purchased your products after the inquiries.

Your home based business does not need a complicated website; however, it must be tested thoroughly. It?s important that your site will load and display properly in every browser and on every platform, from desktop computers to mobile devices. Creating seamless access to your site, through various means, will maximize the number of visitors using your services.

You should find out where you can locate your target audience in your local area and find ways to market directly to them. Increasing your customer base can happen on the Internet or right out in the brick and mortar world. Most communities have events like festivals or craft fairs where you could rent a booth and reach the public directly.

TIP! Use your finances wisely by tracking every business expense. Included business expenses are things such as Internet service and car mileage related to your work.

Thoroughly research any person you are considering hiring to help run your home business enterprise. Employees need to be able to keep up with your business, so make sure that their backgrounds indicate that they are skilled and reliable.

Always deduct client meetings from your taxes when they involve expenditures such as lunch or other forms of entertaining. In these cases, these meetings are actual business expenses. Just be careful that these clients are paying or potential clients, or you may not be able to get these deductions.

TIP! Offer visitors to your website an opportunity to be added to your email list. This link should appear at the top of every page in your site, so visitors are always able to enter their contact information.

Through online message boards, you can find support from different home based business owners for improving your work from home business. There are countless forums and websites dedicated to the owners of home businesses, and the information and support that can be gained there can be invaluable. Here you will find people who understand your challenges and will share their solutions with you. They can help you conquer any difficulties you encounter.

Sell your products or services from your business website to increase sales. A lot of online business owners only sell items in person. To get a jump on those people, set up a website. You can even buy an pre-made online shopping package for a really reasonable price.

TIP! Dress up, even when you work from home. If you work at home, you may wish to work while in your jammies.

You can get consumed by work if you live where you work. You should separate your work and personal life by establishing a specific work zone, as well as setting clear work hours to leave time for your personal life.

Open a checking account that is for your business only. Doing so will make it easier to keep business and personal finances separate. You will appreciate having a clear dividing line between personal and business finances when tax time comes. If your business taxes are simple, you are less likely to make silly mistakes.

If you are going to be running a business from your home, it may be a useful tip for you to save all your receipts. Any money that you expend towards growing and maintain your business, including but not limited to transportation and communication expenses, is tax deductible. You should make it a habit to save all of your receipts if you?re not sure which purchases are tax deductible. Receipts get you out of paying more money to the government.

TIP! No matter how modest your home business is in the beginning, you should have a comprehensive business plan for it. You can make adjustments to this business plan as needed.

Starting your home based business with a loan is not recommended. Is money worth risking a friendship? Furthermore, these loans often stipulate that your home is collateral for failure to pay.

When you are starting your work from home business, try to keep your costs down. One savings advantage when operating a business from home is not renting an off-site office. Before you make any purchases, it?s important that you really consider whether or not you need the item you want to buy. If you maintain a budget and stick to it you?ll find that you?re able to offer lower prices than your competition.

TIP! Keep track of what you are spending and earning by opening a separate account for your business. Keep all of your business expenses going through this account, and all of your personal finances out.

As you have just learned, there are many people trying to sell you on scams. However, as you?ve learned throughout this article, there are also many common-sense tips and tactics that you can use in order to grow your home business. If you?re willing to put in the work, you can certainly be successful.

To obtain some additional information, consider a look at this total article network marketing advertising because what you will discover will help to increase your business and give you new insights into Home Business.

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Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/getfreedom/blog/having-trouble-with-your-home-based-business-try-these-tips/

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Top gaming technologies of 2012 | VentureBeat

2012 saw the continued evolution of three consumer technologies ? autostereoscopy, touch-sensing, and motion sense ? with direct application in the gaming world.

As an analyst in the tech industry (I do this gaming stuff for fun and occasional profit), I?ve witnessed these burgeoning advancements spread from the fevered dreams of OEM engineers to vertical-market trade shows, the Consumer Electronics Show, and finally E3 and the games industry.

None of these technologies debuted in 2012, but they?ve each matured and become an indispensable part of gaming. For perspective, here?s a link to last year?s article.

Seeing in three?dimensions without goofy?eye wear

For those who don?t know, ?autostereoscopy? is an informal term in the tech industry for glasses-free 3D ? ?stereoscopy? refers to the process by which combining two offset images gives the illusion of depth (three dimensions), and ?auto? denotes the glasses-free component.

Nvidia 3D VisionAutostereoscopy uses a parallax barrier to create 3D images without the need for special glasses. This differs from an active shutter system (like Nvidia 3D Vision), which, through special driver software and glasses that present alternating left- and right-eye images, presents the illusion of depth.

Most consumers are familiar with polarized 3D systems, by far the oldest and most mature of these technologies. These are the sort most often found in theaters and theme parks.

Of the three techniques, autostereoscopy shows the most promise, but the tech is inherently limiting, as the 3DS amply demonstrates. The biggest downside to glasses-free 3D is its highly restrictive viewing angles. In my own experience, it ranges anywhere from 45 degrees to 60 degrees. Move too far in any direction and it breaks the illusion. In that way, the 3DS ? and its parent technology ? are not dissimilar to a hologram.

When the 3D revival began in recent years, the consumer electronics industry threw all their weight behind this oft-maligned gimmick. ?CES became saturated with 3D TVs, 3D movies, 3D projectors, 3D laptops, 3D gaming, and more than enough 3D to turn off consumers ? which it did. Whereas the leap from cathode ray tube (CRT) to flat-screen was monumental, 3D wasn?t nearly enough to convince most people to abandon their ?obsolete? LED TVs. Most consumers apparently saw it as a stop-gap solution.

OEMs lay the groundwork for autostereoscopy

I saw the foundation of the 3DS?s glasses-free 3D tech at optoelectronics events (essentially, anything having to do with displays and lighting), and a large manufacturer ? rhymes with ?Carp? ? demoed a small form-factor display long before it did (or didn?t ? shhhh) become part of a certain Nintendo handheld.

And yet, Nintendo?s autostereoscopic handheld system ? which may or may not have utilized display technology from Japanese manufacturer, Sharp ? faced an uphill battle due to inherent limitations with the tech, itself.

The 3DS was hobbled from the start ? health reports loudly trumpeted claims that 3D was unhealthy for children, while many viewers (myself includes) get headaches and/or nausea from observing stereoscopy for too long. And up to 12 percent of the population suffers from ?stereoblindness,? which prevents the individual from seeing 3D images.

But the 3DS? biggest handicap was its restrictive viewing angles, given that its claim-to-fame was its autostereoscopy technology. On July 28, Nintendo partially mitigated this problem with the release of the 3DS XL, which increased the screen size by more than 90 percent ? (top: 4.88 in [124 mm], bottom: 4.18 in [106 mm]). But was it too little, too late?

3DS XL

GamesBeat writer Jasmine Maleficent Rea noted that ?The 3DS XL is what the 3DS should have started as.?

But she also addressed the system?s improved capabilities: ?A wider viewing area enhances the 3D effect, making some games that were too blurry in 3D a joy to play. For those of us with horrible vision, larger screens are a must, and because of this advancement, the 3DS XL is a great step toward people accepting a ?gimmicky? feature as a viable gameplay tool.?

Most consumers still do see 3D as a gimmick, and autostereoscopy is but a fancier gimmick. But for stereoscopy to ever become part of mainstream entertainment, it must shed the clunky glasses and develop into a mature, glasses-free technology.

Pinching, swiping, and styli

Capacitive touch ? which underpins your iPhones, Samsung Galaxys, Droids, and countless smartphones ? has become more prominent as the platforms supporting it have eked out a bigger piece of the pie. And resistive touch ? the passive cousin of capacitive ? has done even better for itself, featuring prominently in the Wii U gamepad (not to mention countless commercial applications like ATMs and credit card payment machines).

Resistive touch sensing ? which registers pressure via fingers, styli, and other objects ? is hardly a new technology. Because of its versatility compared to competing systems (like capacitive touch), resistive touch is popular in commercial applications like ATMs.

Nintendo utilized this relatively primitive touchscreen technology for its DS and 3DS systems, presumably to save a buck and to enable the use of styli.

Source: http://venturebeat.com/2012/12/23/gaming-technologies-of-2012/

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