3D Gaming

So on an impulse buy, I bought a 1080p 24" Playstation 3D Active Display that I intend to use as a monitor for my PC. I picked it up from neweggflash refurbished for $119. $20 for glasses, and $20 for 2 year replacement warranty and I am set. From what I understand, Nvidia won't support it's 3D out of the box, but Tridef does in side by side mode. There is an adapter you can buy for like 80 bucks that will trick your video card into thinking the display is another 3d one and actually using it properly through nvidia. Dumb I know, but whatever, that's last resort for me. Also I have 30 days to send the thing back if it sucks.

I am wondering if other people here game on PC with 3D monitors, and what kind of impact it has on performance, if they enjoy it, etc. I have seen a few games in 3D in the past in the old red/green glasses, and it was pretty cool having that depth in MMO's and FPS's, and actually having 3d aim down sites, etc, but the red/blue color thing sucked. I am optimistic though with this, and the thought of playing Diablo 3, Wildstar, Battlefield 4, Titanfall, AC4, etc, in 3D just sounds awesome. I am hoping it really immerses me into the games more without killing my FPS (or making me go blind or crosseyed).

Anyways, I just want to hear others experiences with 3D gaming on PC.

I never even thought about racing games. That's gonna be sweet. Some Dirt cockpit mode and stuff. Also some horror games like Outlast and such could be fun in the dark with headphones and 3d. I know maybe some consider 3D a gimmick but I am really optimistic for it. So is there a reason you only use it once in a while? Eye strain, glasses annoying, etc?

velk_sl said:

I consider the 3dvision set to possibly be the biggest waste of money I have ever spent on hardware.

The effect can be kind of immersive, but the drawbacks are just too frustrating - second monitors are a huge problem, room lighting is a huge problem, the glasses are uncomfortable and headache inducing over long periods, the framerate drop is frustrating, sun glare is a huge problem, game compatibility with menu depth in particular is a huge problem.

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That's what I was wondering. Obviously if 3d monitors were the next big evolution in PC gaming, it would have taken off a lot more. The fact that I got a 24 inch 1080p display that's supposedly is very beautiful even in 2d, for 119 bucks is worth it alone, so I don't consider it a waste even if the 3D does suck, and is returnable if I really hate it, but I am still remaining optimistic. Monday I should have it. I did receive the glasses today as I had to order them separate for 18 bucks, and they don't seem annoying, seem pretty comfortable so that's a plus, but again, we will see.

Tecknoe, if you have a Nvidia 3d vision ready monitor, it means it is compatible with the Nvidia 3d Kit. It's 150 bucks from newegg. I think it's mainly because your monitor has the high refresh rate which makes it 3d capable, but itself it is not a 3D monitor as it is not useable without the nvidia kit.

NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 ??" Full HD Stereoscopic 3D glasses for your PC
NVIDIA NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 Wireless Glasses Kit Model 942-11431-0007-001 - Newegg.com

Just to give an update/review on this, it was definitely worth the price. I do find myself just using the monitor without glasses a majority of the time but part of that is I have only really been playing Wildstar lately and haven't been gaming much. It is a beautiy in 2d as well as 3d, and the screen reflectiveness doesn't bother me at all because I don't get much glare where I play. Anyways, the 3d is much more immerse than I thought it would be, but the shutter effect is noticeable and a little annoying. I have only gotten a headache once but that was watching some youtube videos with mega convergence that damn near made me go cross-eyed while wearing the glasses. Trine 2 is amazing in 3d, as is Giana Sisters, Need for Speed, and many other games I have tried it out in. I do find myself using 2d on BF4 and other shooters though, because my eyes are trained to watch for movement to find enemies, and in 3d it is just so much harder to detect that movement. The immersiveness is there, but it makes a huge handicap and I don't want to take the time to try to relearn.

I do have to use Tridef, but the Side by Side mode works very well and actually doesn't hit the FPS too hard at all. You do lose 1/2 your horizontal resolution so it comes out to be 960x1080 but honestly you don't really notice because the added depth draws you in to look past the resolution. I would say the shutter effect is worse than the resolution loss. There are some games I am sure I will play through with 3D on, like half my steam backlog that aren't super demanding titles, but I'll stick to 2D on the newer AAA games like Watchdogs which run like shit to begin with, let alone in 2x rendering. I can't wait to try an oculus though, or the PS4 one coming out. The thought of 3D without the shutter effect or the barely noticeable cross-talk along with head tracking is going to be sweet.