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A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:08 pm
by DevilMaster
Yesterday I reached a site which mentioned the new GeForce 3D Vision products by nVidia (which I am aware they exist), but it also mentioned some things that seemed "suspect" to me. Unfortunately, I lost the link to that site, so I cannot show it to you directly.

Anyway, one of the things it showed was a video card with an orange (and not green) nVidia logo, calling it "a video card specifically made for stereoscopic 3D". But that's not all. It also showed a peculiar logo on the GPU of that video card, stating that nVidia introduced "a totally new brand" to distinguish products made for stereoscopic 3D from their "regular" products.

I made the mistake of not saving the picture which showed the logo, so, in order to show it to you, I had to draw it from scratch, trying to get it as close as I could remember. And this is a crude representation of the logo for that supposed "totally new brand".
Image
So, did anyone read anything like that? Is nVidia really going to resurrect the 3DFX brand and use it for stereoscopic 3D-related products? Or was the only intention of whoever wrote that article to dupe clueless n00bs who never heard of 3DFX? Or was he a clueless n00b himself?

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:06 pm
by andrewfear
This is completely false.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:00 pm
by cybereality
Is this a joke? Sounds bogus.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:04 pm
by DevilMaster
cybereality wrote:Is this a joke? Sounds bogus.
Yeah, well, it sounded bogus to me too, that's why I asked for a confirmation.
Moreover, I just looked up "3DFX" on USPTO, and, while the 3DFX is currently live, it has nothing to do with nVidia (it belongs to a company called "Exim Brands", which I suppose to be the trademark equivalent of a cybersquatter). At this point, it's safe to say that whoever posted the article and the (doctored) photographs on that site only wanted to play a prank.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:33 pm
by djnixtre
DevilMaster wrote:
cybereality wrote:Is this a joke? Sounds bogus.
Yeah, well, it sounded bogus to me too, that's why I asked for a confirmation.
Moreover, I just looked up "3DFX" on USPTO, and, while the 3DFX is currently live, it has nothing to do with nVidia (it belongs to a company called "Exim Brands", which I suppose to be the trademark equivalent of a cybersquatter). At this point, it's safe to say that whoever posted the article and the (doctored) photographs on that site only wanted to play a prank.
Sweet prank. :roll:

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:56 pm
by Neil
Hi Andrew,

It's great to see that NVIDIA and its team has taken such a direct interest in the MTBS community. I'm sure it is quite clear now that our members and services have proven their worth to the industry - NVIDIA included.

NOTE: For those unfamiliar, Andrew Fear is NVIDIA's Product Manager for Stereo 3D and their SLI group.

MTBS has requested 3D glasses and media samples for some time, and our requests have gone unanswered. We don't review hardware, but it is important for us to properly test games with different driver solutions. I'm sure everyone who has read our reviews would confirm that we follow credible practices and are very tactful with our positioning.

I just got back from CES, and I have to say that I had the most awkward experience at your NVIDIA booth on Sunday. At CES, Ken Brown (one of your PR managers) informed us that NVIDIA does not have enough samples for all the media outlets, which is weird because MTBS is the only active S-3D community and website in existence. So active, in fact, that even NVIDIA representatives post here regularly.

Can you please give your PR team a wake-up call, and get this rectified right away? I look forward to meeting you again in San Jose:

http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpbb/viewtopic.p ... plications" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Best wishes,
Neil

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:24 am
by Okta
andrewfear wrote:This is completely false.
Whoohoo here is the man, eveyone have their rocks at the ready? Funny thing is at this point its a too late and done. Nvidia has unveiled their product and can not give us back the 2 years lost by the 8000 series owners. I guess its really only a small % of gamers who know what they were missing out on after the 7900's and some will forgive, others will not.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:06 am
by Neil
No rocks, please! This isn't how we do things at MTBS, and it helps no one.

Andrew, can you please look into this? I know the community would like to see this resolved.

Regards,
Neil

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:51 am
by yuriythebest
yup please send MTBS a sample! and to stereo3dnews as well.

It would greatly benefit the community and allow any questions about the upcoming glasses to be answered by knowledgeable professionals, possibly even help with the tech support :)

What do you guys think? Should NVIDIA help the community out?

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 11:49 am
by Sir C
I think they have to, cause at the end the thing that matters is what the user think, this is the one that brought the products (glasses, monitors, video cards, etc), and is better if it has a good review in which he can rely of how it looks, made by people that knows well of what they talking.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:53 pm
by sharky
i got some pms these days.. people asking me about the glasses and othher ces things. i like those pms, but i also wish i had an answer. i think what the users want iswhat counts. and i wodner what nvidia is waiting for.

regards

igor

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:11 pm
by flexy
Well sorry for your PMS :)

Anyway, it doesnt make any sense to have a dedicated "card for 3D" (S3D, that is...)

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 6:11 pm
by Silversurfer
I'm hoping that if enough of us politely request NVIDIA to start to release 3D glasses and media samples to this forum then this request will not fall on deaf ears. Surely there is enough of us in MTBS3D.com to start a quiet and peaceful revolution which is bound to be heard.

So how about NVIDIA, can’t you spare one (at least) NVIDIA GeForce 3-D vision Kit for MTBS, arguably the biggest S-3D community in existence, so we can spread the S3-D gospel together?!? :D

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:06 am
by koshien
Whatchagonna do Nvidia?
I really don't think it is a good idea to send samples to other websites and not to mtbs3d... mtbs3d is one (probably the only one) of the few websites that is actually into S-3D, where you can find technical reviews and where people at their first 3D experience can find help from other experienced forumers...
Not a smart move this one :wink:

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 5:22 pm
by Okta
I am sure Nvidia already realise their history is openly discussed here and do not wish to associate themselves with a website that is all in all a user forum of enthusiasts who will (aside from Neil) tell it like it is.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:34 am
by pixel67
I guess i am a little confused why MTBS3D should receive hardware samples at all... Neil already mentioned that he doesn't offer hardware reviews or opinions, so what it to be gained by Nvidia supplying a demo system when it won't be reviewed?

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:37 am
by yuriythebest
pixel67 wrote:I guess i am a little confused why MTBS3D should receive hardware samples at all... Neil already mentioned that he doesn't offer hardware reviews or opinions, so what it to be gained by Nvidia supplying a demo system when it won't be reviewed?
MTBS does game reviews and tries to test out the games on as many hardware solutions as possible,

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:41 am
by pixel67
So MTBS3D does indeed do a "hardware review" but under the guise of a game review.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:46 am
by yuriythebest
pixel67 wrote:So MTBS3D does indeed do a "hardware review" but under the guise of a game review.
game reviews

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:48 am
by Neil
We don't do hardware reviews. However, the NVIDIA solution is bound to their glasses. Without glasses...no game review!

Don't worry. We are independently run, and a pair of shutter glasses isn't going to get in the way of our services.

Regards,
Neil

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:58 am
by RAGEdemon
Call me a cynic but I'm confident it was a strategic decision to not supply MTBS.

And continuing on from that, it only bodes badly when a company doesn't supply a sample to people who know about the technology the most - because they will pick at it, dissect it, and will come to a final true conclusion - stating it bluntly and without spin...

When the sample is bad, the last thing they want to do is put it in the hands of these people.

Neil, Have you had any legal advice on the whole "Meant to be seen" / "meant to be played" thing?

I hope a name change is not going to be needed... I think if we start bad mouthing nVidia, they will start getting nasty.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 8:21 pm
by Neil
I wouldn't worry about legal issues with NVIDIA. MTBS' branding was very specific to 3D long before they even considered returning to the marketplace, and was never intended to be associated with NVIDIA's TWIMTBP branding - it never has been. The thought process in calling our organization Meant to be Seen would have been beneficial to NVIDIA, but nothing beyond that. Besides, NVIDIA shares panels with us, they have made appearances on our site, and there is no benefit to them for chasing that road at such a late stage. The publicity alone would undermine the effort.

That said, we aren't at war with NVIDIA. NVIDIA is very much the reason MTBS exists and served as our introduction to 3D gaming. There are credible media websites that buy their own samples to avoid being tainted by their suppliers, and you can count on MTBS to do whatever is necessary to make our mission of 3D in the home successful. If NVIDIA thinks MTBS is an enemy, it's in their own mind, not ours. We have no interest in tearing their solution apart, and if there are faults to be found, we will be tactful.

Regards,
Neil

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 8:39 pm
by pixel67
Neil wrote: There are credible media websites that buy their own samples to avoid being tainted by their suppliers, and you can count on MTBS to do whatever is necessary to make our mission of 3D in the home successful. If NVIDIA thinks MTBS is an enemy, it's in their own mind, not ours. We have no interest in tearing their solution apart, and if there are faults to be found, we will be tactful.

Regards,
Neil
Thanks Neil. That was the answer I was looking for. Why? Speaking from experience in my own profession, we can't always rely on the generosity of a vendor to provide an objective POV or risk perceived objectivity based on whether a vendor supplies the solution or not.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 8:54 pm
by Neil
Let's not mistake good business sense for generosity!

MTBS is by far the largest S-3D community in existence. NVIDIA has active discussion forums here, far more than their own. NVIDIA doesn't fund MTBS, yet they have received excellent promotional benefits with nothing asked in return. MTBS is the generous party here, I assure you! :D

Please don't sell off MTBS' industry value for a pair of shutter glasses! :wink:

Regards,
Neil

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:51 pm
by pixel67
They sure have received a lot of promotional benefits but really for their "free" drivers. So, they got their money's worth. :wink: But, these kits are different obviously as is the mind set of several former users of said drivers who have openly stated on these forums that they would like to see Nvidia fail. Verbatim. I can't blame them for hesitancy given the lukewarm welcome they received from some of the members.

I know I would be a little nervous about donating software that my company makes to an organization where some of the contributing members would be looking for a reason to discredit all of the work that has gone into the product. I am sure Nvidia knows that the views of the members don't necessarily reflect the intent of the organization, but it would still make me nervous as a vendor...

Me? I went ahead and purchased the kit and will post my impressions as time allows. I had to RMA my second GTX280 so hopefully the stars will align in the next couple of weeks and I will have both arrive around the same time. Why buy when what I have now works? Expandability limitation with Crystaleyes glasses ($ being limited and family wants to view3d with me), SLI support, and most importantly...to further support 3D development. A small price to pay to keep the industry alive.

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:47 pm
by Neil
I'm sorry, but I don't buy that at all.

I have countless supportive emails and PMs from NVIDIA towards MTBS, they post here, and have been interviewed here. If they participated with MTBS through official channels, I'm 100% confident that the community would receive them well. If they are so scared of what a few members have to say, that speaks volumes about the confidence they have in their products, and that is a problem for them more so than us. They really need to be more confident, especially in front of the largest S-3D community in the world.

In 2007, did iZ3D go running when the MTBS membership screamed bloody murder when their first driver set was released for iZ3D monitors only? A tiny company like iZ3D? This logic makes sense to you? Come on! :P

I think there is a much bigger chance that there is a misunderstanding or disconnect in NVIDIA's PR department. A lot of these guys may have taken over the S-3D market without knowing who the real media players are. It happens.

Regards,
Neil

Re: A weird rumor: can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:14 pm
by pixel67
Neil, my statement about Nvidia being nervous wasn't based on any fact so I hope you do have all the support you need from Nvidia. I hope it is a PR communications issue and you get what you need one way or another to support the industries collective objectives. Especially when they are receiving dedicated forum space without a sponsorship commitment.

My statements were based on my own occupation in software sales and I personally would be reluctant to donate software without an extensive discussion. Not that I wouldn't end up doing it and welcome the feedback both positive and negative, but it would be a cause for some concern and would require considerable discussion...that is all. My statement was not intended to insinuate that you are not an objective person and that MTBS is not an objective site in intent. Yes, Nvidia made the bed they have to sleep in. But no company deserves to fail because they are trying to turn a profit and create jobs from selling software that we all benefit from. Their situation is very different than a newcomer to the 3d scene.

As far as IZ3D's intro in 2007, I don't recall anyone necessarily crying bloody murder when there wasn't shutter support but there sure was a lot of begging going on (me included). The membership welcomed IZ3D with open arms and were pleading with them to support other output profiles, and I sure don't recall a single post that said, "IZ3D needs to fail". Maybe they were there, but I don't remember them. Rose colored glasses on my part? Maybe...

To the community...

Our request for renewed shutterglasses support has been answered but carries a price tag this time. Nvidia learned that the average 2d gamer is not going to take the time to assemble the parts and they need to provide a more bulletproof package. Good for them as at least they are responding to the market. Don't let yesterday's sour grapes ruin what could be a very fine wine...