NVIDIA GeForce Vision Technology

NVIDIA GEFORCE VISION TECHNOLOGY

Technology to extract a three-dimensional image from a two-dimensional projection is by no means new, and it hasn't exactly had an easy time gaining widespread acceptance. NVIDIA's approach to rendering a stereoscopic 3D scene in real-time, however, is a fairly novel application of the existing technology. We can't say for sure whether GeForce Vision will have much staying power as a product -- the need for special glasses has often been a turn-off for entertainment consumers -- but when it comes to achieving more impactful, realistic effects from 3D games, NVIDIA will have been there first. We'll have our own in-depth review of the GeForce Vision system ready soon, once Rob and Greg have a chance to decompress from CES, so check back in about a week to see how well GeForce Vision lives up to its hype.

This LCD Monitor again is for gaming purpose as it renderes the texture, and everything that the game has in order to view a realistic game for gamers.

NVIDIA's approach uses the improved 120Hz refresh rate of the newest LCD monitors in tandem with a special type of 3D-resolving eyewear using active LCD shutter technology to display images for your right eye and left eye, rapid-fire, at viewing rates that produce seamless motion. The actual execution of this rendering technique is simple - each frame is simply rendered twice, with the camera's location shifted a few degrees to the right or left for each eye's view, and then the two scenes are displayed one right after the other.

At the same time that alternating frames of the stereoscopic image are being displayed, the corresponding lens of the LCD glasses becomes transparent, alternating with the other lens 120 times per second. The glasses are synchronized with the PC's display using an IR transmitter, to ensure that the images for the left and right eyes don't get mixed up. NVIDIA states that the glasses, which contain active electronics, are rechargeable and can be used continuously for over 40 hours on a single charge.

Now, this isn't exactly new technology, but it's the first time that something like this has been applied on the PC. And the glasses? They aren't half bad, if you like the sunglasses that Rick Astley wore in the music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up", but they could be far worse. They have the look of very thick-rimmed sunglasses with narrow lenses, but they admittedly do a better job of hiding their electronic innards than one might expect. Three interchangeable nosepieces are provided for a comfortable fit, no matter how prodigious your schnoz.

The GeForce Vision package includes a pair of the active LCD shades, an IR transmitter module with a pushbutton for enabling GeForce Vision, and cables for connnecting your PC to a HDTV for large-screen 3D viewing -- the software even includes an optimized mode for LCD TVs. The glasses themselves charge via a Mini USB cable hat's supplied with the GeForce Vision kit. The IR emitter also connects to your PC by a supplied USB cable, which could prove to be an annoyance if your USB ports are already getting fairly crowded. A curious 3-pin stereo cable is also provided to control DLP HDTVs, so if you have a DLP TV, it'll need to be GeForce Vision compatible.