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NVIDIA's 3D Vision gets a boost with some new products and tech

by: John -
More On: GeForce 3D Vision
While the opinions of 3D has been split, I love gaming with NVIDIA's 3D Vision. For some games, it adds that extra dimension (pun intended) that makes the games really immersive. I do have a few complaints about the glasses, but those might be addressed with the upcoming products that NVIDIA briefed me on. You can consider this the next generation of 3D Vision products from NVIDIA.

First up, a new set of glasses are going to be made available. The NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 Glasses have larger lenses, 20% to be exact, so you can get a wider viewing area. The area around the lenses hug your face a little more so that they do a better job at blocking out any external lighting. NVIDIA also went ahead to make the glasses out of a soft material and the arms are designed to be flat against your head so that they don't interfere with headphones. The glasses are also thinner and more flexible. For those that have the old emitter, the new glasses will be backwards compatible with them as well and you can expect similar battery life when compared to the old ones.

Along with the new glasses, a new display panel is being introduced from ASUS. The ASUS VG278H is a 27" LED monitor that will run at 1920x1080 and will have HDMI 1.4 allowing you to hook up a PlayStation 3 or Blu-ray player to watch 3D Blu-rays. The improved panel will reduce ghosting. The monitor will come with a pair of the new glasses and run $699.

Now if you use both of these items together, you're going to get a brighter picture. That's because there's a new technology called LightBoost that will hopefully make one of my big complaints about the 3D Vision setup moot. The way it works now, any dark game is going to be really dark and any bright game will have the colors a little muted due to how the glasses work currently. With LightBoost, NVIDIA's saying that you'll be getting a brighter, more vibrant 3D image, which I'm dying to see.

The glasses with IR emitter or sold stand alone for $99 will be out this month. The ASUS monitor will also be available in October and Acer and BenQ will be bringing out LightBoost capable monitors as well in the near future.

I'm anxious to check out both in conjunction to see if they really do bring a much brighter picture to the fold. The new design in glasses alone should make for a better experience. It's great to see improvements in the technology and even though some people might shy away from 3D because of the glasses, NVIDIA seems to be doing a good job to promote the technology and try to bring some quality products for gamers to use for those wanting that 3D experience.


NVIDIA 3D Vision Vaults to New Dimension with Next-Gen 3D Glasses and Monitors


New 3D Vision 2 Glasses, Brighter 3D LightBoost Monitor Technology

Immerse Gamers into Vivid 3D Worlds

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Oct. 14, 2011—The best 3D technology for the PC just got better with the introduction of new NVIDIA®3D Vision™ products, which deliver greater realism and immersion than ever for 3D games, movies and photos.

NVIDIA 3D Vision 2, the next generation of NVIDIA’s award-winning 3D technology, features sleek, newly-redesigned, gamer-inspired glasses. It also introduces NVIDIA 3D LightBoost™ technology, a unique new display technology that dramatically improves the 3D experience by delivering images that are up to twice as bright and colors that are far richer than those provided by other 3D display technologies.

These features give gamers the ultimate 3D platform for this fall’s hot new titles, including Batman: Arkham City, LA Noire and more. In addition, through the NVIDIA 3D Vision Ready ecosystem, NVIDIA is delivering the industry’s broadest selection of high-quality 3D content and supported displays.

“Gorgeous, bright, crystal-clear 3D worlds are created by NVIDIA’s 3D Vision 2 glasses with 3D LightBoost monitors and notebooks,” said Phil Eisler, general manager of 3D Vision at NVIDIA. “NVIDIA’s engineering team has made incredible enhancements in 3D on PCs, creating a breathtaking gaming experience that’s better than the best Hollywood 3D movie.”

“NVIDIA 3D LightBoost technology makes 3D games, movies and photos more stunning and life-like than ever before,” said David Wung, senior director of product management of Open Platform Business (OPBG) Group for ASUS Computer International. “With 3D LightBoost and our new full-HD monitors, colors are richer, textures and subtle image details virtually jump off the screen, and the overall quality of the experience is something to behold. We are thrilled to be the first desktop display manufacturer to bring this new level of 3D visual quality to our customers with the ASUS VG278H.”

NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 Glasses

NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 glasses were designed specifically for gamers and 3D enthusiasts. They provide deeper immersion in games through lenses that are 20 percent larger than those in first-generation glasses, resulting in a wider viewing area and increased external light blocking. In addition, NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 glasses are made of soft composite materials for a more comfortable fit with gaming headphones.

The glasses, which feature NVIDIA’s advanced active-shutter and IR wireless technologies, allow gamers and 3D enthusiasts to access the broadest selection of high-quality 3D content available today, including more than 550 full-HD 1080p 3D games, more than 100 Blu-ray 3D movies and thousands of 3D videos and photos from YouTube and 3DVisionLive.com. In addition, NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 glasses are fully backwards-compatible with all existing NVIDIA 3D Vision Ready content and supporting products, including more than 70 different 3D Vision monitors, notebooks and projectors, video applications, and cameras.

NVIDIA 3D LightBoost Technology

NVIDIA 3D LightBoost is a new NVIDIA display technology that delivers up to 2X brighter 3D images than existing 3D solutions and improved color quality. It also dramatically increases environmental lighting, making gaming keyboards and mice more visible, and reducing 3D ghosting.

The first NVIDIA 3D LightBoost-certified desktop display is the ASUS VG278H, a 27-inch LED full HD (1920x1080) monitor, featuring a 3D HDMI 1.4 input, as well as a Dual-link DVI input for full HD 1080p 3D gaming. ASUS’ exclusive Trace-Free II Technology features 120Hz refresh rates and 2ms response times, resulting in vivid, ultra-smooth visuals. Expected to be available by the end of October 2011, the ASUS VG278H includes NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 glasses and is priced at $699 (USD MSRP).

Additional NVIDIA 3D LightBoost-compatible displays from Acer and BenQ, are expected to ship in the coming months. NVIDIA 3D LightBoost compatible notebooks include several Toshiba models – Satellite P770/P775, Dynabook Satellite T572, Dynabook T572, and the Qosmio X770/X775 – with others expected in the coming months.

3D Vision 2 Pricing and Availability

The 3D Vision 2 glasses kit, which includes one pair of NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 glasses and a wireless USB IR emitter, will be available from the leading retailers/e-tailers worldwide in October for $149 (USD MSRP). It will also be available on the NVIDIA online store. Extra NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 glasses are available for $99 (USD MSRP). Visit www.nvidia.com/3dvision for more information.