Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision

Fun as three-dimensional games have been for the last decade or so, there's rarely been one that's as enjoyable as seeing a 3D movie in a theater with red-and-blue glasses. But with the release of GeForce 3D Vision, which Nvidia officially unveiled at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 3D gaming is no longer a misnomer: Gone forever are the flat images that extend in every direction except the one directly toward your face. Now every game can literally pop out of the screen at you—as long as you have all the proper hardware.

The $199 3D Vision package comes with a pair of 3D goggles (fitted with stylish polarized lenses, not garishly colored film), an infrared emitter, and all the cables, software, and instructions you need to set everything up. The bundle only comes with one pair of goggles, but the IR emitter supports multiple sets.

Setup is simple, and it takes about five minutes: Install the software, plug in one USB cable for the IR emitter and another to charge the goggles (which work wirelessly), and step through a quick configuration process. Once that's done, just put on the goggles and start up a 3D game or a stereoscopic 3D video using Nvidia's included software, and you're off—provided you have the required GPU and monitor hardware.

For starters, you'll need a relatively recent-vintage Nvidia GPU. Just about every card released after the 8800 GTS and 8800 GTX (in late 2006) possesses the proper capabilities. The only catch, especially for hard-core gamers, is that three-way and Quad SLI setups won't work; you'll need to use only one or two GPUs. That means, for example, that if you've hooked up two dual-GPU cards, such as the GeForce GTX 295, you'll need to disconnect one. (According to Nvidia, support for three-way and Quad SLI will be added at a later date.)

Your display is another matter. A standard 60Hz or even 75Hz LCD, of any size, isn't sufficient. You'll need an LCD with a refresh rate of 120Hz (60Hz for each eye), which isn't exactly easy to locate. As of this writing, 3D Vision supports only the Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ (which we used for our testing) and the ViewSonic FuHzion VX2265wm. If you still happen to have an analog CRT with a refresh rate of 100Hz or better, that will work, too, as will DLP HDTVs and special projectors such as the DepthQ HD 3D Projector. As you may have surmised by now, using 3D Vision can require a considerable commitment of dedication and quite possibly finances.

Is it worth it? If you really like being on the cutting edge of game playing, the answer is probably yes. The goggles create 3D effects without the red-and-blue film color distortion, so you see games with the palette their creators supplied. Beyond that, the quality of the 3D is astounding: The images "closest to you" are crystal clear, and there's only a tiny bit of degradation visible "further back," meaning you hardly have to compromise any of the intended visuals to get the upscaled, layered versions 3D Vision allows. And 3D Vision works with every 3D game, old or new.

We experimented with a combination of classic and current titles (Flight Simulator X, Far Cry 2, Lego Batman, and the just-released Mirror's Edge), and enjoyed distractingly strong results with all three. We never needed to tweak the image quality by adjusting the settings in the Nvidia Control panel, though we did occasionally need to use the thumbwheel on the back of the IR emitter to recalibrate image depth when switching between games. But for the most part, operation is easy enough that you can set it and forget it.

That's a good thing, because whenever we used 3D Vision, we found that we had become much more interested in the games, even if we had played them many times before; Nvidia has brought crackling new life to even well-worn titles. We wish all this were possible without requiring a potentially large outlay of cash for new and specialized hardware, but we've never seen "real" 3D anywhere quite as impressive as that we got with 3D Vision.

Price (at time of review): $199

author : Matthew Murray