3D Vision 2 brings a new level of immersion to Batman: Arkham City and Trine 2
3D Vision 2 Conclusion
We have been evaluating the entire 3D Vision 2 experience as compared to our original one. We have been using the LightBoost enabled ASUS VG278 27″ 120Hz 3D Vision 2 ready display and the included 3D Vision 2 Glasses kit and it is time for our conclusion.
The Good
- 3D Vision 2 is a solid improvement over the original and the same can be said for both – when it works well it is spectacular for some games, far exceeding the experience of the same game in 2D.
- 3D Vision 2 aids in immersion by making the action and the scene much more intimate; you are more easily drawn into the game world in a good game that makes intelligent use of S3D.
- 3D Vision 2 is brighter than the original – both the screen and the environment.
- The ASUS VG278 display/3D Vision 2 glasses exhibit less ghosting and thus less fatigue in playing extended gaming sessions in 3D. It is the ideal display for 3D Vision 2 and it is this editor’s first choice for playing 3D games.
- 3D Vision is Plug and Play. It is so simple to set up and adjust and there is only one set of GeForce drivers to ever deal with.
- The ASUS 27″ display is big and beautiful – the larger size aids in immersion. 27″ is probably the largest size that will work really well at 1080p resolution.
- The ASUS VG278 display’s matte screen is worlds better than the glossy screen of the smaller ASUS VG236 display.
- 3D Vision 2 glasses are more comfortable and can be work for extended gaming sessions without issues. They are 20% larger, block more ambient light, and allow the user to see his keyboard better while gaming in 3D.
The Bad
- The cost of entry is still high. $700 is a lot to pay for a premium 1080p 27″ display even though Nvidia’s new 3D Vision 2 glasses are included. The 3D Vision 2 glasses together with an emitter are $150 or $119 just for a spare pare; compared to Samsung’s where you can buy almost 2 pairs for that price. However, there are advantages to buying a quality 120Hz display for gaming besides for 3D and adding the glasses to play in S3D is then no longer a big investment.
The Ugly
- There is nothing ugly about 3D Vision 2 unless you are shooting at demons and monsters in S3D. It is unfortunate that there is no OpenGL support at this time.
The Verdict
3D Vision 2 using the new active shutter glasses and the ASUS VG278 display gives a better visual experience over playing with the original 3D Vision. This time, especially with Batman: Arkham City, the added illusion of 3D “depth” helps with the gliding and aiming. The performance hit is not that severe that someone with a midrange card like a GTX 560 Ti would really enjoy playing in 2D over 3D as few setting compromises need to be made.
The good news is that as graphics processors get faster, you will be able to revisit current games in the future playing them with 3D Vision just as your revisit your older games today. And Trine 2 looked simply stunning with 3D Vision compared to playing on the same screen in 2D. The lack of fatigue in extended gaming sessions with 3D Vision 2 compared to the original is alone worth the upgrade costs.
In this reviewer’s opinion, 3D Vision 2 is phenomenal and S3D gaming will eventually become mainstream and a standard optional feature for the majority of future PC games and console titles. 3D Vision 2 works well out of the box with zero fuss, and it is a great step in the right direction toward even more immersion and realism in gaming. The main issue is cost. However, playing in 3D is addictive and once you try it, it is hard to go back to “ordinary” 2D gaming.
Gamers don’t have to wait for 3D content with 3D Vision as many hundreds of older games work well with it. We only covered the PC gaming aspect of it. There is a huge online resource and community that Nvidia sponsors for their 3D Vision users to upload 3D images, photos and videos and you can also use 3D Vision to watch S3D movies and other content on a big screen HDTV that supports S3D..
There is only one ABT award that fits 3D Vision 2 as it also fit the original 3D Vision. 3D Vision 2 with the new LightBoost ASUS VG278 display and improved active shutter glasses are solid, innovative and well-thought out second-generation technology products that do much for increasing immersion in PC gaming and it deserves our highest award – Kick Ass!
3D Vision 2 is highly recommended! We will continue to feature 3D Vision reviews and performance evaluations along with our regular hardware reviews for the PC gamer. We are going to next review a Thermaltake Chaser MK II full-tower case followed by a CPU cooler face-off. Then we will prepare to bring you coverage of CES 2012 followed by a review of the passive 3D ViewSonic V3D231 23″ 120hz display.
Viewsonic has just introduced their new VD231 3D 23″ 120Hz 1080p display with 2ms response time that bundles TriDef 3D software (with support for over 500 games) as well as two pairs of passive polarized glasses – one regular and one is “clip-on” – for only $349, a much less expensive solution than comparable Nvidia’s 3D Vision bundles. Stay tuned for a face off with 3D Vision later on this month!
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