There's GigaDude, Imagination Guy, and a host of others who want to sell you 3D, as long as they don't have to make the stuff. Is 3D a commodity technology worth buying?

You know, for a few weeks now I've been seeing the word gigapixel appearing on a lot of hardware Web sites. For a minute there, I thought everyone was getting hot for GigaPixel, the company, but it turned out that 3dfx's announcements about gigapixel fill rates had created my confusion. But, it got me thinking, and I'd like to talk a little about 3D IP (intellectual property), a valuable commodity, for sure, but something that is more of a hard sell than you might imagine.

GigaDude - the GigaPixel mascot - a personal hero of mine if only because, he is the first cartoon figure to emerge from within a graphics company. Think about that one. (Courtesy of GigaPixel)