Nvidia glasses $199

Post by **TimColes** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:44 am

I've just found an article stating the Nvidia shutter glasses package is to be $199. Maybe this is old news but its the first time I've heard a price and so I thought I'd let you guys know.

http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/show ... =212700486" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Nvidia will roll out at CES its 3D Vision product, a $199 PC add on for viewing computer games in stereo 3-D. The product includes active shutter glasses, an emitter box and drivers supporting as many as 350 game titles."

Anyone know when they will be in the shops?? the beginning of 2009 is now is it not?

Tim

Post by **sharky** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:43 am

and drivers supporting as many as 350 game titles

including pacman and bomberman..

Post by **cybereality** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:20 am

Damn, thats pricey for a pair of shutterglasses. You can practically get an HMD for that price.

Post by **distantreader** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:35 am

iZ3D should work on getting ATI pageflip shutter mode more urgently!
Once Nvidia comes out with their driver that works, it will be a bloody battle for consumers' wallets between David and Goliath!

Post by **OllyLuck** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:48 am

damn that no way am i going to spend that much , im gona wait for the wrap 920avs to be realised, oow cant wait. http://www.vuzix.com/iwear/products_wrap920AV.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **distantreader** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 12:06 pm

Considering their driver will provide _all_ output formats, it's not that bad. I used to pay that much a few years ago for just the hardware (emitter, dongle,wireless and wire shutterglasses Eye3D package) and the driver was free from Nvidia.

OllyLuck wrote:damn that no way am i going to spend that much , im gona wait for the wrap 920avs to be realised, oow cant wait. http://www.vuzix.com/iwear/products_wrap920AV.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **BlackShark** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:04 pm

I was expecting the nvidia glasses to be expansive (for a consumer product) but i wasn't expecting that much.
I was more expecting someting in the 100-120$ range.

Post by **ssiu** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:54 pm

BlackShark wrote:I was expecting the nvidia glasses to be expansive (for a consumer product) but i wasn't expecting that much.
I was more expecting someting in the 100-120$ range.

Ditto ... Now that we know the price of 120Hz monitor ($399 MSRP for Samsung model) + glasses, IZ3D looks very very favorable.

Post by **genetic** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:44 pm

If I buy their stupid glasses, do we think that driver will work with the Z800 HMD?

Post by **yuriythebest** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:06 am

genetic wrote:If I buy their stupid glasses, do we think that driver will work with the Z800 HMD?

don't see why

engadget link:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/07/nvid ... #c16459106" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Look for something to drive your new Samsung monitor or 120Hz 3D HDTV? Enter NVIDIA's GeForce 3D Vision package, loaded up with powered 3D glasses (no red / blue silliness here, charged via USB) and an IR emitter to keep everything synced between the display and your glasses. Left 4 Dead, WoW: WotLK and several other games are already compatible with more expected to come soon. CES had a quick demo and didn't notice any of the headaches sometimes associated with stereocopic 3D, but at $399 for the display and $199 for this set when it's available in the next few days, we're not sure how close we want to get to those zombies, but WoW fans may see things differently.

what irritates me is that many comments out there are actually positive- must be the shiny nvidia box

Post by **yuriythebest** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:36 am

also the CNET TV video review

http://cnettv.cnet.com/2001-1_53-50004878.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

did a search on CNET TV for 'iz3d"- no results!

Post by **snaileri** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:35 am

Is it true that Samsung's 120hz monitor will not be released until April?
Are there any other monitors coming out before that?

Post by **cybereality** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:53 am

yuriythebest wrote:also the CNET TV video review

http://cnettv.cnet.com/2001-1_53-50004878.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

did a search on CNET TV for 'iz3d"- no results!

Cool video. He says they will work with some projectors, interesting.

Post by **ssiu** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:22 am

snaileri wrote:Is it true that Samsung's 120hz monitor will not be released until April?
Are there any other monitors coming out before that?

Looks like NVIDIA will sell a "Samsung monitor + NVIDIA glasses bundle" online, and maybe that will be available sooner.

Viewsonic has its competitor (VX2265wm) at same price and supposedly available this month.

Post by **Tril** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:13 pm

Here's the official news release from NVIDIA :
NVIDIA Announces 3D Vision-The World's First High-Definition 3D Stereo Solution for the Home

EDIT :
Anyone know what's the price of the DepthQ HD 3D Projector by Lightspeed Design? It's a DLP projector with a resolution of 1280x720 that's compatible with the glasses. The specs about the brightness say :

Brightness:
3D: approximately 2000 Lumens Eco Mode: appr. 1440 Lumens
2D: 2500 Lumens Eco Mode: 1800 Lumens

Post by **mkultra333** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:53 am

Any word on OpenGL support? Can you play Doom 3 or Quake 4?

Post by **peeway** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:32 am

Hi Everyone!

Do you know if the Zalman Trimon will work in full resolution with the Nvidia Glasses ???
Cause it's a 120 Hz monitor.. Do you think that the quality will be better like that ?? ( no ghosting )

Thanks

PY

Post by **The_Doctor** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:15 am

sharky wrote:and drivers supporting as many as 350 game titles

including pacman and bomberman..

bomberman on a zx spectrum is "da bomb"

Post by **yuriythebest** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:09 am

mkultra333 wrote:Any word on OpenGL support? Can you play Doom 3 or Quake 4?

old drivers supported openGl so I don't think they dropped that support.

Post by **ssiu** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:09 am

peeway wrote:Hi Everyone!

Do you know if the Zalman Trimon will work in full resolution with the Nvidia Glasses ???
Cause it's a 120 Hz monitor.. Do you think that the quality will be better like that ?? ( no ghosting )

Thanks

PY

Zalman Trimon is not a 120Hz monitor (company website says it supports up to 75Hz input signal).

Post by **yuriythebest** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:13 am

ssiu wrote:
peeway wrote:Hi Everyone!

Do you know if the Zalman Trimon will work in full resolution with the Nvidia Glasses ???
Cause it's a 120 Hz monitor.. Do you think that the quality will be better like that ?? ( no ghosting )

Thanks

PY
Zalman Trimon is not a 120Hz monitor (company website says it supports up to 75Hz input signal).

yup- it's vertical interlaced passive polarized so 120hz is not needed. Not sure about future driver support in fact I've been googling for like 15mins and couldn't find anything

Post by **peeway** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:34 am

Thanks everyone.

Actually you are right, the screen supports up to 75-80Hz...

Anyone has tested the shutter glasses ?? Flickering ? ghosting ? resolution ? view angle ? direct comparison with IZ3D ?

PY

http://www.lemondeen3d.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Un blog sur les technologies 3D stereoscopiques

Post by **distantreader** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:35 am

Specs says this device works only with Vista which gives me pause. Anyone knows whether older games still work in Vista? I know for a fact that a few flightsims from Thirdwire are not Vista compatible: https://store.thirdwire.com/store.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On the other hand, older games that run on DirectX 4, 5,6,7 likely continue to run on S-3D if they are Vista compatible or made to be which I'm not sure possible, anyone who run older games on Vista (ie games designed for XP) please comment on this since this will definitely influence buying decisions or at least delaying it. Tks.

DR

Post by **nubie** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:24 am

Quote: http://www.nvidia.com/object/GeForce_3D ... loads.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"allowing you to view the latest 3D technology in full stereoscopic 3D"

So support for polarized displays then?

Doubt it.

So final cost is $600 for the monitor, at least $100 for windows Vista, and of course you need to buy a $200 video card. Assuming your PC is good enough to support all of that you are still looking at $1,000.

Forget all the people like me who have passive technology waiting to go and nVidia pulled the rug out from under us repeatedly.

EDIT: http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d_stereo.html#displays Apparently they DO support the triMon. I wonder why they are hiding the 3D download and the real info far away from the "3D initiative" page?

Any word on if they are screwing Zalman over (I mean besides their snarky comments on passive displays being "half res", my DIY passive display is "double res", so they are simply spreading FUD)

My (useless without iZ3D) gaming display. Thanks nVidia for inspiring me to build it, then crushing my will to use it.
http://picasaweb.google.com/nubie07/StereoMonitorStand#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **yuriythebest** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:27 am

nubie wrote:Quote: http://www.nvidia.com/object/GeForce_3D ... loads.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"allowing you to view the latest 3D technology in full stereoscopic 3D"

So support for polarized displays then?

Doubt it.

So final cost is $600 for the monitor, at least $100 for windows Vista, and of course you need to buy a $200 video card. Assuming your PC is good enough to support all of that you are still looking at $1,000.

Forget all the people like me who have passive technology waiting to go and nVidia pulled the rug out from under us repeatedly.

EDIT: http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d_stereo.html#displays Apparently they DO support the triMon. I wonder why they are hiding the 3D download and the real info far away from the "3D initiative" page?

Any word on if they are screwing Zalman over (I mean besides their snarky comments on passive displays being "half res", my DIY passive display is "double res", so they are simply spreading FUD)

My (useless without iZ3D) gaming display. Thanks nVidia for inspiring me to build it, then crushing my will to use it.
http://picasaweb.google.com/nubie07/StereoMonitorStand#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

alas, justice is served!

Post by **ssiu** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:12 pm

nubie wrote: EDIT: http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d_stereo.html#displays Apparently they DO support the triMon. I wonder why they are hiding the 3D download and the real info far away from the "3D initiative" page?

The http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d_stereo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; page is old (not updated to reflect the new NVIDIA glasses), e.g. the Vista driver is still the same one from March 2008. So it is not conclusive yet whether the new 2009 drivers will support Zalman Trimons.

Post by **mkultra333** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:13 am

yuriythebest wrote:
mkultra333 wrote:Any word on OpenGL support? Can you play Doom 3 or Quake 4?
old drivers supported openGl so I don't think they dropped that support.

I don't know... AFAIK opengl support ended sometime after the 162.50 stereodriver. If you look at the list of games supported, you won't find Doom 3, Quake 4, Prey, Quake 3 Arena... the page doesn't mention OpenGL support anywhere, but does say

"Play the latest Microsoft DirectX® games and see characters and environments come to life for truly realistic gaming.
...
Supported DirectX 9 or 10 game."

http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d_stereo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.nvidia.com/object/GeForce_3D ... Games.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also from this article:

"Nvidia claims to have implemented support for a library of over 350 existing DirectX 8, 9, and 10 titles, although OpenGL games like Quake 4 and Prey aren't supported yet."

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/15533" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That was from last year, which was the last I'd checked into it. At the time there were the usual "We're working on it" promises, which I've grown pretty indifferent to. It looks like my suspicions were correct, nVidia is far to busy cozying up to Microsoft to bother with a competitor like OpenGL.

And the way they're forcing Vista down our throats is pretty shameless.

I'll stick with my old XP-OpenGL-CRT-7950GT rig for now. Although I admit I am glad to see that stereo hasn't died and I have something to look forward to in a couple of years. Hopefully by then they won't try to lock us into the latest Microsoft products.

Post by **mkultra333** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:48 am

Thought I should include some background as to why lack of OpenGL is so irritating to me.

First up, just because my favourite games are OpenGL.

But more importantly it's from the point of view of being an independent game developer. With OpenGL I have a lot of good open source engines to uses as a starting point. I can get open sourced versions of Quake2, Quake3 and (at a later stage) Doom 3. And this includes versions with per-pixel-lighting engines for the Q2/Q3 engines.

And those same engines have a tonne of additional developer tools, such as modellers, BSP compilers, AI compilers. All battle tested, open source and virtually ready to go.

Contrast that with DirectX. I have to recode everything from scratch. Which is virtually impossible, both from a time POV and a skill POV. If I have to use DirectX, I may as well give up now.

The only other option, and the one I'm considering, is trying to shoehorn one of these PPL open source OpenGL engines onto a DirectX Graphics framework. Again, time-consuming, and perhaps even beyond my skills.

So for me, as a developer, dropping OpenGL support really sucks.

Post by **Tril** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:31 am

As a developer, you can code the stereo 3D into your engine and totally bypass the stereo drivers of NVIDIA/iZ3D/Vuzix.

Post by **mkultra333** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:48 am

Tril wrote:As a developer, you can code the stereo 3D into your engine and totally bypass the stereo drivers of NVIDIA/iZ3D/Vuzix.

It isn't quite that simple, at least not for non-genius programmers such as myself. Rendering the scene twice from two different viewpoints is a piece of cake. Getting a graphics card to output that image in a manner that works with the the nVidia glasses, without using DirectX, is another matter.

If you know for a fact that there's an SDK from nVidia for doing this, then cool, but if so I wonder why the main site only talks about DirectX?

Specifications

* Microsoft Windows Vista 32-bit
* NVIDIA GeForce 6 series or higher configured in single GPU or SLI® mode
* NVIDIA GeForce driver
* NVIDIA GeForce 3D Stereo technology driver
* Compatible GeForce 3D Stereo displays
* Supported DirectX 9 or 10 game

Post by **Tril** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:01 am

You are right. That would not work with the new NVIDIA glasses. Only NVIDIA can control them, I guess. Maybe they'll add an SDK for the glasses in the future, if developers ask for it because they want to bypass the NVIDIA driver, move the viewpoint themselves and use the glasses.

I was thinking more along the lines of the DLP checkerboard, interlaced, dual projector and iZ3D modes. They all don't require special timing or the NVIDIA glasses so they can be implemented by anyone.

Post by **andrepstein** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:22 am

Does anyone know when the glasses will be available to european (in my case german) customers?
I currently own the e-dimensional glasses - will they work with the new drivers as well and if yes will they be available on the nvidia site for free download. All I can see there currently are old drivers from 2008...

Cheers, André

Post by **yuriythebest** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:30 am

andrepstein wrote:Does anyone know when the glasses will be available to european (in my case german) customers?
I currently own the e-dimensional glasses - will they work with the new drivers as well and if yes will they be available on the nvidia site for free download. All I can see there currently are old drivers from 2008...

Cheers, André

nope edimensional glasses will not work with the new driver because nvidia wants to sell their own 199$ glasses

Post by **Tril** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:43 am

yuriythebest wrote:
andrepstein wrote:Does anyone know when the glasses will be available to european (in my case german) customers?
I currently own the e-dimensional glasses - will they work with the new drivers as well and if yes will they be available on the nvidia site for free download. All I can see there currently are old drivers from 2008...

Cheers, André

nope edimensional glasses will not work with the new driver because nvidia wants to sell their own 199$ glasses

I think they would work but only if you use the 3D Vision glasses at the same time.

Post by **yuriythebest** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 8:23 am

Tril wrote:
yuriythebest wrote:
andrepstein wrote:Does anyone know when the glasses will be available to european (in my case german) customers?
I currently own the e-dimensional glasses - will they work with the new drivers as well and if yes will they be available on the nvidia site for free download. All I can see there currently are old drivers from 2008...

Cheers, André

nope edimensional glasses will not work with the new driver because nvidia wants to sell their own 199$ glasses
I think they would work but only if you use the 3D Vision glasses at the same time.

bottom line is no NV glasses = no NV driver

best (only) solution atm is the iz3d driver (costs 50$) but it has some issues with synchronization on CRT so look into that.

Post by **mkultra333** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:10 am

I'll be interested to know if they've improved the ghosting problem. I've used Asus, eDimensional and Another Eye shutterglasses. I'd say they were all pretty much the same as far as ghosting goes.

The selling point nvidia is going for seems to be the faster refresh rate. I play at 85hz and it doesn't bother me, so 120hz isn't a big attraction. But if they've managed to cut the ghosting, I might be interested.

Plus, despite my annoyance at the lack of OpenGL, I am glad to see nvidia taking S3D seriously again. I was a bit afraid it might die out or be pushed so far out of the mainstream that no games supported it. I suppose the plus side of focusing on Microsoft and DirectX is that large developers know what is expected of them, so hopefully broken shaders and glitchy displays will be a thing of the past (he says with possibly excessive optimism.)

Post by **yuriythebest** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:42 pm

yay a REAL review.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2009/0 ... n-review/1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

reading now....

EDIT: read it, the review was very in depth and long, and the person making it seemed quite informed and pro-3d, however I noticed a very conspicuous absence of any refrence to iz3d even though he kept comparing it to the zalman solution. I posted in their forums:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.p ... 717&page=3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **snaileri** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:31 pm

When do the glasses land on european market?

Post by **cmdskp** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:59 pm

The glasses cost the same as a 9800GTX+, for just the infrared wireless shutterglasses alone. Then you likely have to buy a new (particular) monitor limited in size & resolution when most people have just moved to a new LCD.

IMHO, I can't see any chance for the NVidia glasses selling well, or the technology becoming mainstream. Too expensive; too exclusive and too much new hardware required. The only likely buyers are people who get a hands-on try or already have an old 3D solution - and it's only going to be a small proportion of them!

Still, it raises the market interest and provides incentive for other future offerings. But in trying to corner the market, NVidia seems to have shot themselves in the foot. A better market ploy would have been bundling even wired shutter glasses with new graphics cards, a few years ago, while CRT was still popular - moot point now though. Maybe in 5 to 10 years when most people have upgraded to a better display technology than their current LCD's and these glasses are $50. I can't see how the technology (or drivers) are worth the $199 price to the average consumer.

Post by **cybereality** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 4:56 pm

cmdskp wrote:IMHO, I can't see any chance for the NVidia glasses selling well, or the technology becoming mainstream. Too expensive; too exclusive and too much new hardware required. The only likely buyers are people who get a hands-on try or already have an old 3D solution - and it's only going to be a small proportion of them!

I'd have to agree. If the glasses could be used on any screen it might be a different story, but as it stands its too exclusive as you say. I still enjoy the press and publicity nvidia is drumming up for stereo3d. That alone should net some biters. But ultimately I don't see this as a turning point. At the end of the day this solution cost just as much or more than current iz3d/zalman monitors so its not a game-changer. Not yet at least.