Designer 3D Glasses By Oakley And Calvin Klein Coming Soon

If you thought those special $150 TRON: Legacy 3D glasses by Oakley were ridiculous, you ain't seen nothing yet. Later this week, Oakley is set to release two additional pairs of designer 3D glasses for $120 a pop. Then, in December, Marchon will release a pair of Calvin Klein 3-D glasses for $180 a pair. Each obviously looks way cooler, will be much more comfortable, and should actually improve the 3D viewing experience – plus, it's probably better for the environment not to have to recycle 200 pairs of glasses after every single movie – but would you really spend $200 for your own pair of 3D glasses? Read some more about it after the jump.

According to the Oakley press release, their glasses, called the 3D Gascan's, boast the first ever "optically correct 3D glasses." Here's what Oakley CEO Colin Boden has to say:

No one has ever engineered optically correct 3D glasses. We collaborated with industry partners and utilized the DreamWorks facility for testing. For OAKLEY 3D GASCAN, we achieved unparalleled visual clarity while extending the wearer's peripheral viewing angle and providing truer alignment of 3D images. This is a technological breakthrough that sets a new standard for 3D.

If that's true, what are we putting on our faces when we go to the movies? Are the glasses actually hurting the experience? Where is James Cameron to weigh in.

As for the Calvin Klein glasses, their press release calls them the best. According to Claudio Gottardi, President of Marchon:

With Marchon3D's M3D technology and ck Calvin Klein Eyewear's sleek, fashion-forward design, we are providing consumers the best 3D-enabled sunglass on the market. Having infused technology and fashion only raises the bar in the 3D eyewear field and Marchon is excited and proud to lead the industry.

That all sounds pretty confusing. The fact of the matter is this – the main difference between the Oakley's and the Marchon's is that the Marchon's are also developed to be real sunglasses as well. Each can be used in most 3D situations, except in the home market, where several of the TVs use "Active" 3D. That means, that their 3D is only good with their glasses. Other places – such as most non-IMAX movie theaters, use "passive" 3D, and any of these glasses will work just fine there.

However, until 3D becomes more prevalent in the home (which is coming, don't forget) and all 3D is totally compatible, I don't think these are going to be very big sellers.

Here's a video on the whole situation thanks to USA Today.

If you were in the market for a pair of sunglasses and you know about 30 3D movies are coming out in 2011, would you purchase a pair of these? Or do you agree with me in that, while the idea of having your own personal pair of 3D glasses is good, until you could get more use out of them – and the price was lower – you probably wouldn't buy them?

Source: USA Today