Foreword
E-Dimensional's 3d
Glasses are supplied with Nvidia and ATi drivers, in order
to fully
test performance, we have reviews for both sets of drivers.
You can read Rocky's review for the Nvidia driven 3d Glasses
by clicking here.
Introduction
So I ordered these new E-Dimensional 3D
Glasses I've been hearing about. Couldn't wait for UPS to
arrive so I could tear open the package and immerse myself
in my own virtual world. I was really curious how gaming
would look.
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Upon
first inspection, I noticed the quality packing job
by E-Dimensional. Nothing was broken or missing. Hmm,
what goodies do we have here?
- E-D Glasses System Users Guide
- CD-ROM Version 2.0 with updated
drivers
- VGA Dongle
- Wired Stereoscopic glasses
Also packed were some nice games:
- Star Trek Bridge Commander
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
- Nascar HEAT
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Installation
(NOTE: Be sure your
computer and monitor are completely powered off before
proceeding.)
Hardware setup is pretty easy:
- Attach the VGA Dongle input into your
video card VGA output
- Insert your monitor cable into the Dongle
- Then, plug in the 1/8th" jack
from the glasses into the Dongle
That's it. Hardware
setup is done!
ATI Card
Although users previously had to
e-mail E-Dimensional support for drivers for ATI cards, the
drivers are now shipped
with the glasses, in the box.
Once you're in-game, press Scroll Lock
to enable the 3D hotkeys, and press F5 to enable 3D for DirectX
-based games. Tweak away to your liking. Once finished,
just press F5 to toggle
off the 3D effect, and press Scroll Lock to
disable the hotkeys. I have tested the updated drivers
with ATI's new Catalyst 3.7. Overall 3D performance seems
to be significantly
better
than the 3.6s. Initially, I had used the 3.5s for testing, but I was curious
about the newly-released 3.7s. I suggest you
give them a try.
I do not notice much difference with graphic quality, compared with the earlier
E-Dimesional driver package, but the setup and initialization is much more
efficient. Hot-Key Functions
Time to fire up Ghost Recon. Now, I wrote
down the hot-key commands to make it easier to change settings
in the heat of action.
Here are the Hot-Key Functions for DirectX-based
games:
- F5 Stereo 3D ON
- F5 Stereo 3D OFF
- F7 Increase Degree of Stereo
- Shift-F7 Reduce Degree of Stereo
- F6 Increase Depth Position
of Screen
- Shift-F6 Reduce Depth Position of Screen
- Ctrl-F7 Reverse
Stereo
- F8 Increase Vertical Gap (Sync Doubler)
- Shift-F8 Decrease Vertical Gap (Sync Doubler)
Since Ghost Recon is a DirectX-based game,
I have selected F5 to toggle Stereo on. Now, the Stereo Gap
should be adjusted without wearing the glasses, just to align
the two separate views. I used the Character and Weapon Boxes
at the lower left and right of the screen for this adjustment.
I found it provides a better focusing image than trees or
rocks.
At this point, it really depends on your
own variables, such as you physical eye separation, monitor
size, and personal preference. The higher you place the values,
the more it will increase the perceived distance between
near and far objects. E-Dimensional suggests that nearly
all objects in most games should appear behind the screen.
Testing It Out
After finally tweaking it to my liking,
I decided to go play around with trees and guns. I had taken
a sniper along for this test, so I approached him and sat
down at his twelve, basically looking right down his rifle.
The first thing I noticed is how the non-3D objects interact
with the 3D objects. For instance, the Reticule, Character
and Weapon Boxes, and any mission messages thrown up are
all flat, in contrast to the geometry behind it. It was almost
like I could reach around behind and touch the back of the
Reticule or the little boxes. These were really layers! Trees
might seem cool enough in 2D, but I actually found myself
moving my head sometimes to avoid branches.
Weaponry was another very interesting bit.
The depth of the scope with regard to barrel of the rifle
is actually realistic. The stationary .50s seems real enough
to actually reach out and grab a hold of. I may seem a bit
excited here, but this effect is one you just have to see
to believe. It cannot be duplicated in a 2D world. I also
tried out a few weapon mods. It's incredible how much effort
these modders put into their work, and in this 3D world,
it really shows! Earl's
weaponry mod was one I was really impressed with.
Using the Reticule is worth mentioning
too. I actually found it more difficult, with the 3D effect
enabled, to acquire and eliminate tangos. Remember, your
Ret is a 2D image, so you actually have to look through it
just before you click that trigger. It definitely takes away
some of the ability to place perfect sniper shots at 300
yards, but it does present a nice challenge.
Night-Vision is a unique experience, too.
I'm not too fond of the game's default Night-Vision capabilities,
albiet perfect. In the real world, you can't see objects
at that optimal resolution. I usually run a NV mod to diminish
the effects a bit, and this 3D effect certainly helps make
it a much more realistic experience . Objects seem more pixelized,
and definatly alot more difficult to pick out - visual quality
rolls off
with increasing distance.
Framerates - there is a hit, but unless
you are running GR on a system near required specs, there
shouldn't be too much of an issue. For optimal performance,
I'd recommend you have a decent framerate, as a high framerates
are required to properly sync the images.
Conclusion
If you have the money to spend on a gadget
like this, and the patience to get it working properly, you'll
be quite impressed. Again, this technology will work on many
games available.
Here's what I recommend to start with,
you folks with ATI cards:
- Catalyst 3.5 Drivers
- Refresh rate at 75Hz
- 1024x768 in-game resolution
Fan Feedback
If anyone reading this would like
a second opinion, here are some quotes from Ghost
Recon fans, and reviews from other sites. Enjoy.
"Your review persuaded
me to buy the glasses , and I'm grateful for that." malvarez
"Woowww I made them work.
Really great effects." foxhound
"I have an ATI 9800Pro and
the glasses work very good... The glasses are great.
It's amazing the effect. It's really 3D, the bags go
OUT off the monitor, and the guns too. Now, i can´t
play a game without the glasses." Pierre30
(Portugal)
"I turned up the 3D all
the way, OMG ahaha i was just looking at the Sniper for
about 5min" whoa
"...these glasses definitely
have a large potential cool factor. After tuning, the
images are 3D . The bushes and other soldiers stand out
and I wish I had more time to play." Ripple
"After going through about 20
different games, my feelings ... have not changed. Racing
games look impressive, and flight simulator 2002 looked
incredible. These glasses make PC games fun again and
... It takes a lot to impress me, and this product really
did." From Techspot.
"I’d say if you want 3D,
then these glasses are the best thing on the market,
hands down"
"Ghost Recon comes
alive with the eDimensional glasses. The characters become
amazingly real, as if you could reach out and touch them,
and the way their eyes actually blink and move around
makes it even more spine tingling. This is a sight to
see, no doubt. Out of all of the games that I tried with
the 3D glasses, Ghost Recon was the most impressive." From
Elited
"If you think Morrowind is realistic
looking now, wait until you have seen it with the 3D
glasses. It appears as if you could actually touch the
roughness of the trees, run your hand through the cool
water" From Elited
"I am truly amazed at not only
the quality of the glasses, but the 3D virtual world
they have created on my monitor. Gaming has never looked
so good." From Elited
"I can honestly say that I've
never seen anything like it; it's simply amazing" simracingworld
"The game is literally transformed" simracingworld
"I have never felt so immersed
and "part" of the game that I've been playing
before wearing these glasses" simracingworld
"I was instantly amazed" overclockersclub
Test System Platform:
- OS 2000 Professional SP4
- AMD Athlon 2.08GHz
- 1024MB RAM
- ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB (Catalyst Version 3.5)
Ghost Recon Version 1.4 w/MP1 and MP2
Mods used:
Availability
eDimensional 3D glasses, and a selection
of other gamer gadgets are available online at eDimensional.com.
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