Forget movies and sport, it's gaming that will drive 3DTV sales.

Right now I've got Panasonic's flagship 3DTV in my lounge room - the 50-inch Viera TH-P50VT20A. This plasma giant is hooked up to a Panasonic Blu-ray player, TiVo and PlayStation 3. A few days of testing have confirmed my initial impressions of 3D - it's only worth donning those sexy glasses in order to play games.

When it comes to the World Cup in 3D on the TiVo, or watching 3D movies on the Blu-ray player, the 3D effects are at best a novelty and at worst a distraction. The hassle of wearing the glasses only adds to the feeling that 3D is more trouble than it's worth. It's not until you fire up a few 3D games on the PlayStation 3 that you start to see the real value of 3D.

My theory is that you need something engaging and interactive to distract you from the glasses. Turn on Spain vs Netherlands and the 3D effects only seem to get in the way and distract you from the action. They don't actually add anything to the experience. The same goes for most movies I've seen in 3D, perhaps with the exception of Avatar. Now switch from the football over to WipEout HD or MotorStorm: Pacific Rift on the PS3 and the 3D effects actually enhance the gaming experience. Soon you forget about the uncomfortable glasses, while any imperfections in the 3D effects don't bother you because the game is a virtual environment anyway - it's not supposed to look "real".

When it comes to movies and sport, I still think 3D is an expensive novelty. If I owned this television, the only time I'd bother breaking out the glasses is to play 3D games.