NVidia 3D Vision

[Dil-tech]

My glasses will be here in the next day or two, and we all know that out-side of a few blogs there's not too much detailed impressions on what it really brings to the table (and some of those blogs certainly seem a bit on the "bought" side).

For this reason, I've decided to give a full review on the experience once my glasses come in. I'm posting this earlier though to see if there are any specific games that people want to know how much it adds to the experience on. Post em up and I'll do my best to get my hands on it if I don't already have it in my possession.

The test system is the one in my sig, glasses are the NVidia Wired 3d Vision glasses (got em for $48 shipped new, figured I may as well make sure I'm really going to love it before I buy a wireless kit), and monitor is the LG W2363D. Take note that it is NOT a 3dvision 2 monitor.

The test room is 100% pitch black, and with it having no windows lighting will be very easy to control. The only light in the room will come from the monitor, that's it.

So what would you guys like me to test out?

Games in the list:
Batman: Arkham City
Metro 2033 (apparently this one is a show stopper)
Bulletstorm
Street Fighter X Tekken
Starcraft II
Diablo 3
COD: MW3 (was asked to test it)
Max Payne 3
The Witcher 2
Skyrim
Dead Island

I will test out any games you guys request should I manage to get my grubby hands on it, and give a detailed review on how well each one runs and how much 3d vision adds to the table.

[DarkTower87]

I am interestred in Metro, D3, and BF3. Will be looking forward to your results/impressions!

[The Dude]

Actually l4d2 might be really cool with 3d

[CybrSlydr]

Yes, Metro and perhaps some of the FEAR games - only 1 and 2. Lol

[Dil-tech]

Glad that there's some interest in this. So many people instantly think 3d is just a gimmick, but from the bit I've played using tri-def at my bro's it definitely made a difference, and supposedly 3d vision is much better.

Speaking of tri-def...I have access to my bro's set-up, which runs Tri-Def (the same software in use for AMD 3d) as well. If it's wanted, I'll actually see how they stack up versus each other (albeit, I can't compare them in the same room as his water cooling is FAR too exotic to attempt to move, being 3 120x3 radiators actually mounted to a shelf).

This will be an on-going project. I will also be checking input lag in street fighter x tekken (to those who remember, I'm big in fighting games, which are hurt by input lag FAR worse than shooters) when it comes to 3d gaming. It'll be a lot harder to do this with the old crt vs lcd trick, but I can definitely tell if there's even 2 frames of lag. In 2d mode, this monitor is spot on, NEVER a single frame of lag. I'm going to assume 3d should be the same way.

Basically, I'll be updating this with every new game I run on the set up.

Also, if people are interested, I'll test CPU scaling with 3d vision to see how much CPU power makes a difference.

Additional Comment:

Looks like the project may be on hold for a few more days, the idiot store shipped me out the wireless glasses, as in the extra pair that doesn't come with the 3d vision hub.

[daredevil]

I can tell you SF4 is fine input lag wise in 3D but haven't bought SFxT on PC as of yet. The experience is great providing the game has good support for it. Games like Trine, Batman AA/AC, Assassin's Creed run brilliant. The thing I find using it for prolonged periods of time is not that it necessarily hurts your eyes, more that you kind of just become used to the effect and don't notice it. Overall I think it's pretty fun though, I've been using mine for about 8 months now.

[Dil-tech]

Considering the idiot who shipped me the wrong glasses now wants me to pay to ship it back to him and wait til he gets them before issuing me a refund, I'm going to try and find a NVidia 3d emitter on ebay or I'll see if I can find someone to make a direct trade on craigslist wireless for wired.

I found one emitter, hopefully I win it.

[FX5200]

Why you not testing any of the games that I like...?

[Dil-tech]

Originally Posted by FX5200

Why you not testing any of the games that I like...?

I said I'll test any games that people ASK me to test, as long as I can get my hands on them. So what is it that YOU want tested?

[FX5200]

Soz, missed that part.

Any of the Assassins creed games, Mirrors Edge, and Bastion maybe?

[Dil-tech]

Originally Posted by FX5200

Soz, missed that part.

Any of the Assassins creed games, Mirrors Edge, and Bastion maybe?

No problem. Like I said, this won't be a one day project, it's going to continue as new games come out. I'm actually eyeing GTX 480's to add a second one for SLi right now. I'll make that decision depending on how performance with a single card holds up.

[krone6]

Try guildwars 2 when it comes out this year. Would love to hear what your opinion on it is.

[Dil-tech]

I fully intend on buying GW2, so that won't be an issue to test.

Additional Comment:

Emitter will be here Thursday. Testing will commence then.

Adding Dead Rising 2 to the list as well. Have a feeling that game may be a LOT of fun in 3d.

Additional Comment:

Emitter has arrived and everything is up and running completely painlessly. Testing it out with SFxT for now, and I think I'm in love. I'll be posting up initial impressions tonight for everyone in general before starting game by game break downs.

Additional Comment:

Initial Impressions:

I haven't had a ton of hands on time yet as I'm moving my entire gaming set-up from the main-level of my house to the basement as there are no windows, which is taking longer than I'd like to admit. Here's what I can say so far:

This is easily THE biggest leaps I've witnessed in gaming since going from software rendering to my old Voodoo graphics card in Quake2. To be honest, it almost makes my monitor seem to a window into the game world rather than just a mere way to display the game I'm playing.

Street fighter X Tekken looked absolutely amazing, but realistically 3d didn't add anything. Yes the KO effects (especially during supers) was pretty epic, but it just made the game look pretty. That's when I decided to load up an old faithful, Gears of War.

Gears of War using the auto-settings didn't quite look right and almost made me go cross-eyed until I started messing with convergence. Once I did though, wowwwww. The bullets almost seem to fly right off the screen at you! It actually feels like a completely different game.

The Witcher 2 is where most of my current time has been spent, it is an absolute show stopper. It's also a performance hog in 3d, bringing my 480 to it's knees. Looks like SLi may not be a bad option...

As a side note, I have a strong feeling that convergence settings is why some people think 3d is just a gimmick. It isn't just depth that you'll want to mess it to find the setting that's perfect for you, and NVidia doesn't exactly make it easy to find out much beyond depth. Also, being in a pitch black room is a HUGE difference compared to a lit room... If you're considering setting up 3d vision, I heavily advise setting up your gaming area in a manner that you have total control over the lighting.

Expect MUCH more to be added when I get to spend some real time with the system... i.e. after I finish my man-cave.

[daredevil]

The nvidia 3D forum always has good info on specific games with regards to setup of convergence/depth etc. http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showforum=209

[CybrSlydr]

It's really that good, eh?...

Do you have BF3?

EDIT: I'm guessing this requires a 3D Ready TV/Monitor as well as the glasses, correct?

[daredevil]

Yeah it does, there's quite a good range now adays though. You're definitely better off with a monitor than one of the Tv's.

[Dil-tech]

One thing I'll definitely say, playing in 3d DEFINITELY causes a lot more strain on my video-card. The same card that normally stayed in the 50's now goes up to 60 in the same games. My fps in Heaven went from 37.5 to 22.6, so it wasn't a straight forward 50% frame-rate cut, but it definitely did make a sizable dent.

Originally Posted by CybrSlydr

It's really that good, eh?...

Do you have BF3?

EDIT: I'm guessing this requires a 3D Ready TV/Monitor as well as the glasses, correct?

Yes, it requires a 3d vision monitor. The thing is, 3d vision monitors are also 120hz, which means you get the added bonus of 120fps max in games when not using 3d which is a BIG difference (even if your eye can't tell it's 120fps, it's a LOT smoother!). That's why a lot of people buy said monitors even if they don't intend on ever using 3d vision. I actually snagged my screen for $180 used off of someone who had it strictly for the hz.

You can get the Asus 23" for around $300-$350 with the glasses from Amazon if you're patient and buy at the right time.

http://www.excaliberpc.com/597552/as...idescreen.html

There's one with kit for $359. Keep in mind the 3d vision kit is normally $150 by itself, so that's actually a pretty sweet deal.

I know it's expensive to jump in, but when you consider how much we spend just to make the graphics a little prettier just in video card alone (one of the quickest to depreciate parts of our system no less), the price suddenly makes a bit more sense as an investment.

As for BF3, I didn't buy it mainly because I remember dealing with all the issues in BF2 and BF2142. I wasn't about to go through that yet again!

Originally Posted by daredevil

Yeah it does, there's quite a good range now adays though. You're definitely better off with a monitor than one of the Tv's.

This. 3D tv's have a LOT of processing lag and 3d tv's do NOT accept a 120hz signal at 1080p! You want a screen with a Dual-Link DVI port for 3d, something no TV that I know of has.

[Witchdoctor]

I have no problem recommending this product,

http://www.benq.us/product/monitor/xl2420t


Bit salty but literally plug and play everything included, plug it in charge glasses load nVidia 3D driver and turn on in nV control panel

MW3 is absolutely crazy ... BF3 is great as well, but you can see they spent a greater amount of time on MW3's 3D effects

I will be loading Crisis 2 soon to check it out

This Monitor has some great features and is very bright in comparison to the Acer my friend has

I only play in 3D for single person, trying to play 3D in multi player is counter productive as 3D really takes a lot of power and there is a curve to playing in 3D, maybe once I get used to it better .......... But having a ton of fun with it and 120Hz is a bonus

[Dil-tech]

Originally Posted by Witchdoctor

I have no problem recommending this product,

http://www.benq.us/product/monitor/xl2420t


Bit salty but literally plug and play everything included, plug it in charge glasses load nVidia 3D driver and turn on in nV control panel

MW3 is absolutely crazy ... BF3 is great as well, but you can see they spent a greater amount of time on MW3's 3D effects

I will be loading Crisis 2 soon to check it out

This Monitor has some great features and is very bright in comparison to the Acer my friend has

I only play in 3D for single person, trying to play 3D in multi player is counter productive as 3D really takes a lot of power and there is a curve to playing in 3D, maybe once I get used to it better .......... But having a ton of fun with it and 120Hz is a bonus

The BenQ monitor is nice, but apparently it's a bit like playing roulette (their QC isn't as good as it usually is with that screen). In america that monitor runs around $400-$500 without the glasses, which puts it dangerously close to the price of the 27" Asus. It does have the benefit of being a 3d vision 2 monitor (although so is the asus), although I haven't tried 3dV2 yet so I can't touch on how much of a difference it really is. I went with my set up as it was a cheap entry for me to give it a try ($180 for the monitor put it close to the price for other lag free 23-24" monitors).

:::edit:::
Thinking back, I believe it may have been the x2420XT that has issues with the emitter. I know I remember reading a lot about problems with a benQ, but it seems like I had the two confused. My mistake.

Additional Comment:

Dead rising 2 is pretty crazy in 3d, that much I've decided upon. Blood splatters actually seem to come off of the screen, and you can REALLY get a feeling for just how surrounded you really are!

GTA4 works pretty nicely in 3d but the shadows don't render properly in 3d. I advise disabling them, but I'll test different levels of shadow quality and see if I find one that doesn't have an issue. I'm kind of surprised that game was on their untested list, since it still is pretty popular.

Max payne 3... Three letters... OMG! Words won't cover that one.

StarCraft 2 looks rather impressive in 3d. Buildings pop up, the edge of the map actually looks like the edge of the world, explosions have depth. Very nice effect. Seems like the depth is locked in that game, but it's okay.

Bulletstorm is...well...Wow. During the cutscene walking down the side of the building you will almost get vertigo if you're even mildly afraid of heights. That scene will definitely be my way to show the set up off to new comers.

WoW looks absolutely crazy in 3d as well. I was probably living dangerously letting my woman on my set up to test it, considering now it's going to be hell getting any game time of my own in, but flying on the mounts is a totally new experience that has to be seen to be believed. Easily another solid show-case title for 3d vision.

I'll be doing a full review of each title in 3d soon enough, I just want to REALLY spend some time with the set up on each game before doing so, to make sure there isn't something somewhere in a game that just ruins everything in 3d.

[Witchdoctor]

yea they did have emitter problems and some other issues with dead pixels

I was reading that they feel they have addressed the problem and have resolved it, I hope so

They also have profiles on their site as well for different games that IMO are pretty spot on ......... I looked hard at the Asus but the pixel pitch on a 1920x1080 is a bit big for my liking, have heard it is awsome at 3D effects though using the same 3D tech as the Ben Q,