| NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Gaming Kit |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Friday, 09 January 2009 | |
NVIDIA GeForce 3D VisionIt was exactly one year ago that I shared my first experiences with stereoscopic gaming in the 2008 CES Technology Highlights article. Although the wireless active-shutter glasses felt ready for prime-time back then, the full-retail product would have to wait for an official launch. Making a debut at the 2009 CES, the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision gaming kit offers a visual experience like no other 3D product before it. While only first-hand experience can best describe the product, Benchmark Reviews hints at how the out-of-screen effects generated by GeForce 3D Vision will change games forever.
We've all played at least one video game in our lifetime. I know this to be a true statement, because even my 82-year old grandfather has devoted years of his long life to playing Pac Man and video poker. So it's safe to say that video games entertain us. Over the years I have seen games use more realistic shadows, and better use of lighting, but all of these effects are still a forgery of the real thing: true three-dimensional graphics. Virtual-Reality head-mounted displays and stereo-vision goggles have been commercially available to cutting-edge early-adopters for over twelve years, but many of these products are sold with price tags starting around $600. NVIDIA has finally delivered the one thing their competition cannot: affordable true 3D graphics. I know it's easy for me to make these claims, but I assure you, no other stereo-vision product I have experienced has potential like NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision. After all, the industries biggest name in desktop graphics is backing it! About the Company: NVIDIA Corporation
NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA) is the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, a high-performance processor which generates breathtaking, interactive graphics on workstations, personal computers, game consoles, and mobile devices. NVIDIA serves the entertainment and consumer market with its GeForce products, the professional design and visualization market with its Quadro products, and the high-performance computing market with its Tesla products. These products are transforming visually-rich and computationally-intensive applications such as video games, film production, broadcasting, industrial design, financial modeling, space exploration, and medical imaging. NVIDIA Product Lines
GeForce - GPUs dedicated to graphics and video.
Quadro - A complete range of professional solutions engineered to deliver breakthrough performance and quality.
Tesla - A massively-parallel multi-threaded architecture for high-performance computing problems. GeForce 3D Vision FeaturesTired of living in a 2D world? Upgrade your PC to a fully immersive stereoscopic 3D experience with NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision. A combination of high-tech wireless glasses and advanced software, GeForce 3D Vision automatically transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D. Just slip on the stylish glasses and pair them with a GeForce GPU and a "GeForce 3D Vision-Ready" display to experience characters and environments come to life on the screen. In addition, you can watch 3D movies and 3D digital photographs in eye popping, in crystal-clear quality.
Highest quality stereoscopic 3D solution
High Power IR Emitter
Maximum 3D Ready display flexibility
Wear over your prescription glasses
Converts standard games into stereoscopic 3D game
Game for more than forty hours on a single charge
Instant Immersion
Watch movies in 3D
Stereoscopic 3D picture support 942-10701-0003 SpecificationsMinimum system requirements
Compatible GeForce 3D Vision-Ready displays devices Unlike conventional LCD monitors, the latest high-end panels utilize a full 120 Hz refresh rate to offer an exceptional 3D viewing experience on your desktop. With the ability to dedicate a full 60 Hz frame to each eye, you retain full resolution at all times, maximize image quality, and create the most immersive possible gaming environment. Some examples of compatible display hardware are:
EDITORS NOTES:
Compatible NVIDIA GeForce GPUs:
First Look: GeForce 3D VisionAt first glance, the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision wireless active-shutter glasses appear much like regular sunglasses. These glasses are light-weight enough to wear for several hours without discomfort, and large enough to wear over a pair of prescription glasses if required. There really isn't much to the 3D Vision gaming kit, since the glasses only need to pair with an IR transmitter to function properly.
Each 120Hz eye-piece opens and closes the LCD shutters in alternation, creating a view of two separate images. These images are then processed by your brain as they arrive, and become united into one picture. The subconscious mind combines the two images by matching the similarities and then adding in the small differences. The differences between the two images create depth, and deliver a three-dimensional stereo picture.
A power button and USB micro-B connection are built into the left arm of the glasses. Beside the left lens-piece on the wireless active-shutter glasses is an infra-red receiver. This component requires a line-of-sight view of the IR transmitter, pictured below. NVIDIA includes a very versatile wireless IR emitter unit with the GeForce 3D Vision stereoscopic gaming kit. The large dial allows the user to increase or decrease the amount of 3D field depth in the picture, which will vary over time as the comfort level improves.
The IR emitter unit connects to the computer by a USB micro-B connection, and can interface with DLP projectors or HDTV's by using the included 3-pin VESA stereo cable. NVIDIA also includes a DVI to HDMI converter cable, for connecting to 120Hz HDTV's. The NVIDIA 942-10701-0003-000 kit comes with everything you see pictured below. Multiple converter cables make it easy to connect your computer to a HDTV or projector. Replacement nose-piece inserts allow your glasses to be comfortable at all times. NVIDIA Even includes a pouch and micro-fiber cleaning cloth for the glasses.
So now you know what's included in the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision kit, we begin the hard part: explaining how it works and describing the experience of 3D stereoscopic gaming. 3D Stereoscopic GamingThis section could be divided into two categories: the experience I've had while playing existing video games using the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision product through driver conversion, and the experience I've had with the demo material written specifically for 3D stereoscopic gaming and allows "out-of-screen" effects. By and large, they are two very contrasting experiences, but since it's impossible to show you without having a kit of your own, this section will be a test to my descriptive skills. So let's begin with what you can expect from the hundreds of PC video games designed with "The Way It's Meant To Be Played" coding. The list of games using 'TWIMTBP' is massive, as the numbers reach several hundred already in existence. NVIDIA leans on their code within 'The Way It's Meant To Be Played' titles, and as a result the 3D stereoscopic data is already hard-coded into many of the games you presently enjoy. For my testing, I used a few of the more popular PC video game titles:
Even though time and game availability were limited, I still feel that my selections were representative of most gamers. After spending at least two hours or more with each game through the Christmas break, I began to see that all of these games were delivering the same approximate amount of 3D stereoscopic vision. Some games, despite NVIDIA's 'excellent' stereoscopic rating, seemed extremely close to the non-3D Vision experience. Other games, with a bit of tweaking and depth adjustment, offered very nice enhancements to the normal experience. My biggest gripe was the reduced post-processing effects some games needed to have turned off in order to function properly with GeForce 3D Vision. Take for example Far Cry 2, which requires that you play in DirectX 9 mode (even though GeForce 3D Vision is a Vista-forward product) with bloom turned off and shadows set to low. Even then the overall experience was decent, with depth separating the various layers of the screen, but not quite as thrilling as I would have liked. Dialing the depth level higher made the sun (or moon) display two versions of the image. Other games, such as Battlefield 2, Call of Duty 4, CoD: World at War, and Race Driver GRID, were all very nice to look at and the added depth energized me with new enthusiasm towards the games. While none of the games I tested made use of positive offset images, or what NVIDIA describes as "out-of-screen" effects, they all kept me entertained. Company of Heroes and Spore were not very great, simply because everything you work with is small-scale and not extremely detailed. The Creature Creator in Spore and close-up views within both games changed the experience from mundane to highly-enjoyable. Crysis, a game I would consider to be NVIDIA's software incarnate, did nothing for me. While NVIDIA gives the Stereoscopic experience a '2' which means 'Good' by their standard, I give Crysis a zero for no added 3D experience.
In the long run, every game I played was made more enjoyable by GeForce 3D Vision, but none of them compared to the 'out-of-screen' experience I had with the test demo. Perhaps this was my biggest mistake: watching the NVIDIA Control Panel 3D Vision test scene before playing games. This scene shows (an antiquated version of) the 'nVidia' logo revolving on a static walkway. The logo comes to the screen surface while turning, and then sinks back to the rear of the screen. Okay, so far this is 'neat', and pretty much on-par with every game I played with the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision kit. But then the experience changes. After the casual to-and-fro of the logo, it decides to take a flying leap out of the screen and come within inches of your face. "Whoa!" I said, as I slipped past the charging logo. THAT WAS AN EXPERIENCE! The problem as I see it, is that this isn't the experience we can expect to have with most of the current games available. NVIDIA Has told me that only a few games currently offer out-of-screen effects. World of Warcraft Lich King is one such game, but I am not aware of any others. NVIDIA Added that no special campaign is planned for 3D Vision games, but developers may feature advanced out of screen effects in one way or another as a result of NVIDIA's relationship. Let's hope so. 3D Vision Performance ImpactEDITORS NOTE: This section was added on 01/12/2009, after the article was initially published. At the time that I received the 3D Vision for GeForce kit from NVIDIA, Benchmark Reviews was packing up for the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. While I would personally consider the 3D Vision kit to be an experience enhancing product, and not a competitive tool, there have been a few questions in regard to the overall impact on frame-rate performance. So with CES behind us now, I have returned to deliver some benchmarks showing what kind of performance you can expect from the 3D Vision for GeForce gaming kit. The system I used for testing was comprised of the following hardware and software:
Before I reveal my benchmark performance results, I feel that it's prudent to note that my game-play experience was not altered by the frame rate performance at any point during testing. While I have been a competitive gamer at points in the past (namely with Battlefield 2), my original objective for this product wasn't to see if it would improve or decrease performance. The entire idea behind 3D Vision is the revitalize video games with a new immersive experience. Overall, that was exactly what I rated with the video games I tested. This section, however, is all about numbers. NVIDIA offers 3D Vision enhancements from 1-100%, or disabled from the control panel. Using Far Cry 2 as my test platform, I utilized the included benchmark tool to measure frame rate performance. 3D Vision for GeForce does not use standard-edition ForceWare drivers, as it requires special 3D profiles (similar to SLI profiles) from a different ForceWare package. Beginning with no 3D Vision, I set a baseline for performance. Next I follow-up with 16% enhancement (which is the default for 3D Vision), and completed the testing with 100% enhancement. The chart below illustrates the impact on frame rate performance.
While I didn't particularly notice any degradation of performance while playing the game for several hours, the benchmark has caught what I didn't. Far Cry 2 is probably the most demanding video game on the market today, requiring slightly more graphical power than the original Crysis. With the frame rate at 1680x1050 reduced to 19 FPS using the short benchmark tests (which give the lowest score), it appears that there will be a point at which the action will be reduced by using 3D Vision for GeForce. I'm not entirely certain this will matter much to the average consumer, who I presume will likely look at the 3D Vision kit as a tool for improving gaming experience. It's like the force-feedback and motion seats for racing games, or the vibration in game control pads; 3D Vision for GeForce is not necessarily going to improve performance but it will improve the experience. Stereoscopic 3D Gaming Final ThoughtsUnlike some other stereoscopic 3D solutions which rely upon a driver "wrapper" which can dramatically decrease performance and adversely affect compatibility, GeForce 3D Vision makes use of NVIDIA's own graphics driver. In doing so, NVIDIA is able to leverage the same resources and relationships from "The Way It's Meant to be Played" program to ensure the best possible stereoscopic 3D gaming experience. The most interesting integration example is the one I received during the initial start-up of a game, where an on-screen text message prompted me to adjust game settings to those specified for the best experience.
In the same manner that NVIDIA's driver has SLI profiles which have the ideal settings for a specific game, GeForce 3D Vision relies upon a custom profile for each game. Because no two titles are identical, NVIDIA has researched the optimal stereo settings for each game and made it a default within the driver. When you install a game and want to see what it looks like in stereoscopic 3D, you do not have to waste time configuring settings and trying to figure out what looks best. When gaming with GeForce 3D Vision, you simply start the game and begin playing in stereoscopic 3D. The NVIDIA Stereoscopic 3D control panel includes a compatibility list that specifies the level of stereoscopic 3D compatibility for hundreds of games. At the time of this writing (nearing the 2009 New Year), this information was not available online. NVIDIA Has since indicated that an online list will be maintained at www.nvidia.com/ged3d. I recommend that users take the NVIDIA Stereoscopic rating lightly, because it really depends on your expectations. The only non-'Excellent' rated game I played was Crysis, which had a score of 2, and really did nothing for me. Then again, I don't care much for this game without 3D Vision, either. Ultimately, my worries are with the development of "NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Ready" game titles. Sure, NVIDIA's TWIMTBP program has done well enough, but I want out-of-screen effects on EVERYTHING! It's like candy to children; once they've tasted chocolate, they'll forever want to taste it again. This will be the biggest hurdle for NVIDIA, because it means more work for software developers, and more money spent on testing. These days, it's all about money, and the wonderful experience I've had with out-of-screen effects with GeForce 3D Vision means nothing to corporate suits. Putting this experience into perspective, you have to think of other examples of great idea's held down (or lifted up) by consumer dollars. Remember that text messaging has been around for over a decade already, but it wasn't until the Apple iPhone launched that suddenly everyone needed a keyboard on their phone. Electric and hybrid vehicles available in 1992 (I know this, because I wrote on the topic during my Senior year), and yet nobody wanted to promote them until fuel was reaching $5 per gallon (which it did here in Reno, Nevada, where gasoline is always fifty cents higher than the national average for some reason). Since I already see PC video games losing ground to consoles, perhaps backing 3D Vision will be exactly what the enthusiast computer hardware and PC gaming industry needs. GeForce 3D Vision ConclusionNVIDIA packages their GeForce 3D Vision product in a very progressive wrapper. Quite frankly, I think that less is more, but these days a product needs every edge to garner a sell. The retail package clearly states the product requirements (namely, Windows Vista), and goes above an beyond the call of duty to list a collection of 3D Vision Ready displays. Everyone who see's this kit is going to have their own take on the way they think the wireless active-shutter glasses look. Overall, I think that they match equal parts function and fashion, but even I can't help but wonder why NVIDIA decided to use so many straight lines on their frame.
The NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision stereoscopic gaming kit is built very well, and should be able to sustain some rough handling without compromise of the product. The IR Emitter unit is practically impervious to casual damage, so it's really just the glasses you need to be careful with. The lens are actually small LCD panels, so caution should be taken with their care. Functionality is the tricky subject for this article. The GeForce 3D Vision glasses worked extremely well for me at ranges up to twenty feet (which was awesome for out-of-screen effects). Since I don't wear glasses, my biggest concern was discomfort. To my surprise, at no point during my testing did the wireless active-shutter glasses become uncomfortable or create eye strain. Every game I played was made more entertaining with the added depth, but I have been teased with the potential and want more. All of NVIDIA's efforts with "The Way It's Meant To Be Played" program certainly pay off, but it will be the extra out-of-screen effects that make the 3D Vision product line a success. World of Warcraft Lich King is a very good start, but out-of-screen Stereoscopic effects need to become standard on all major titles before 3D Vision will catch on. When it does take off though, it will be like wildfire. NVIDIA is currently listing the GeForce 3D Vision kit for $199 direct from their site. This wireless stereoscopic gaming kit (NVIDIA item 942-10701-0003) includes everything inside the box, but does not include a monitor or HDTV. For anyone who is looking for the complete bundle, NVIDIA offers part number 942-10223-0000-000 which includes the kit with a Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ 22" widescreen 120Hz LCD monitor. The 3D Vision bundle package is offered for $598 directly from NVIDIA. Alternatively, a few other retailers also offer this product through our price comparison tool. UPDATE: As of October 2010, the full NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Home kit sells for $183 at Amazon and NewEgg, and spare 3D Vision shutter glasses cost $127.
In conclusion, the GeForce 3D Vision is the product I've been waiting on ever since costly virtual-reality headsets made their appearance many years back. NVIDIA delivers mind-bending out-of-screen 3D experiences with the GeForce 3D Vision stereoscopic gaming kit. Going forward, this level of realism really depends on how willing video game writers are towards dedicating additional time and production funds to the development. Even without a wealth of stand-out 3D effects built into the games presently available, the added back-set depth have injected a new level of excitement into old games. I highly recommend the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision for gamers who play for fun and entertainment, and anyone else wanting to revisit old game titles with a new experience. Pros:
+ Adds legitimate realism to gaming Cons:
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