Gaming graphics supremo NVidia plans to help take a blast from the past - 1980's style stereoscopic specs -- and make them a must-have accessory for enthusiast gamers.
The effect, in person, is remarkable: in a racing game, the illusion of speed became intense, the surface of the road all-too-close. More affecting, however, was seeing scenes from "bird's eye" RTS games like
Age of Empires III in genuine 3D - the tiny protagonists becoming like claymation figures one could reach out and squish. It's the shiny meathook future we were promised decades ago.
With modern DLP TV technology, super-fast 120hz refresh rates and other
"mojo," it's possible to make stereoscopic flicker almost imperceptible, reducing the eye strain and headaches associated with yesteryear's implementations. Nvidia's side of the equation is in baking support into its video drivers: hardware partners such as Zalman will make the headsets (pictured are prototypes from another company), while makers of DLP TV sets (including Samsung) produce compatible displays.
The depth of field can be increased or decreased depending on your tolerance for the effect. "Training" the eyes with a lower setting helps avoid headaches for those unaccustomed to stereoscopic occlusion tech. 50-70 recent titles are supported, and many other games work just fine with generic profiles: so long as the original 3D engine is implemented without too many odd hacks and tricks, Nvidia's new drivers will be able to correctly stereo-ize the player's view of the scene being rendered. It works with both OpenGL and DirectX.
Flaws: the scene is a little like a hologram, with items in the distance moving weirdly in synch with foreground objects. The 3D effect offers an illusion of depth and form, but it's not like a window into another world.
More importantly, the reliance on brand-new and specifically compatible
DLP sets must be overcome. Requiring 120hz and an ultra-low latency is only part of the technology, Nvidia says -- compatibility with non-dead technologies like LCD and plasma is an obvious must.
That said, it's the best implementation of three-dee tee-vee I've ever experienced. Worth buying a new TV set for? No. Worth considering for those in the market for a new set who fancy some seriously elite gaming tech? Definitely.
