There's no doubt that 3D media is the way of the future. With more and more films being released in 3D, televisions designed specifically with 3D in mind, and computer video cards including 3D graphic support for games, it looks like most of our viewing experiences will involve three dimensions.

There's no doubt that much of the success of James Cameron's Avatar can be attributed to its impressive use of 3D technology. Avatar was one of the first examples of a film made from start to finish to be viewed in 3D, as opposed to most other 3D releases, where the extra dimension was added in post-production. James Cameron showed the world that 3D didn't have to be a gimmick; there's a way to use it well, in a way that truly brings the viewer into the film's world. It is certain that other movies will follow suit, with many others continuing to add 3D after the fact. 3D is the future of a movie-goers viewing experience.

Extending beyond the silver screen, the 3D wave has began to wash over television audiences as well. Several 3DTVs are already on the market, with many more to come. Each comes with several sets of 3D glasses for use with 3D enabled movies on Blu-ray (again, think Avatar). There are even several 3D satellite/digital cable channels, including ESPN 3D and, in the UK, SKY 3D.

Movies aren't the only medium entering the third dimension; soon interactive 3D gaming will come into the mainstream. As mentioned earlier, some high-end graphics cards support 3D gaming for a handful of PC games. For instance, Nvidia's current top-tier graphics cards come with special glasses. Big titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum, Resident Evil 5 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, among others, all support full 3D graphics, with dozens of others supporting the feature in some way through downloaded patches. In fact, Batman: Arkham Asylum is being rereleased on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this spring with 3D glasses, playable in the third dimension on any TV, though only in the old-school, “red-and-green lenses” type of 3D. Still, it's something new for the medium.

Until manufacturers can figure out a way to incorporate 3D well, without the use of special glasses, will the movie-going, TV-watching, game-playing public support this trend? Only time will tell, but the technology apparently does exist. Last week Nintendo announced that their new handheld system, tentatively dubbed the 3DS, will feature 3D graphics without the need for special glasses. No other explanation or images were given; only that they will have more to say about it at this year's E3, an annual video game expo for press and media.

At the moment, there are a number of 3D technologies in use. As more media moves towards a 3D experience expect that number to dwindle as consumers and developers support one technology over another. Eventually, probably sooner than one would expect, a unified 3D tech system will be incorporated across all mediums, so users will only need one pair of glasses. Eventually even the glasses won't be needed. The point is, the future of entertainment media is 3D.