3D sunglasses

At the recent GeForce LAN 6 event, NVIDIA announced 3D Vision 2, the next iteration of its 3D Vision product line. NVIDIA claims that the technology will offer twice the brightness with a more comfortable fit.
For those of you unfamiliar with 3D Vision, the technology combines a ‘3D Vision Ready’ monitor, an infrared emitter and a pair of active-shutter glasses to produce a stereoscopic 3D experience.


　　Image credited to 3d-vision-blog
3D Vision 2 offers refined 3D glasses that are designed for a more comfortable fit than their predecessors, thanks to the use of a flexible material and ergonomic structure. NVIDIA claim that this design also makes the wearing of a gaming headset less of a challenge. These new glasses provide 20% larger lenses for improved peripheral vision and a reduction in ambient light interference thanks to a deep rim around each lens.


　　Image credited to NVIDIA.
3DVision 2 owes most of its improvements to advancements in LED backlighting technology and relies on this technology in new ‘NVIDIA 3D LightBoost’-enabled 3D monitors, such as the new Asus VG278H. The fast switching times and incredible brightness of LED backlights allow for twice the light to be emitted by the LightBoost monitors; the new glasses are able to take advantage of the shorter switching times by leaving their shutters open for longer, providing not only an overall brighter experience but also with less dimming when looking away from the screen, which this writer has always found a little disorientating.
Early adopters may be a little upset, as to receive the full benefit of this new technology a new monitor and a new pair of glasses are required - not a cheap thought. The good news is that the new glasses will work with existing set-ups and so it’s possible to upgrade incrementally. As an early adopter myself, this writer can certainly appreciate that NVIDIA has attempted to tackle many of the major flaws inherent in the original design; a dim viewing experience, feeling of tunnel vision, ambient glare, uncomfortable glasses and a feeling of wearing sunglasses indoors. This is certainly a strong step in the right direction for PC 3D technology and great news for potential adopters out there, though I suspect the thought of buying all-new equipment for existing adopters is still a disheartening one.