NVIDIA 3D Vision w/ ASUS VG236HE 3D Display Review

First some explanation on what is expected in these numbers. Due to the way stereoscopic 3D works, it is expected to observe about the performance compared to the GPU running in non-stereoscopic mode. This is due to the fact that two separate and distinct images are being rendered frame by frame for 3D Vision gaming. This can vary in certain cases, but is a good reference point to start with.

We tested a range of games in stereoscopic 3D mode, some of which were not listed or not recommended by NVIDIA in this mode. This was done to get a full idea of different types of issues that are possible in 3D mode.

Total War: SHOGUN 2

Total War: Shogun 2 is a SEGA made DirectX 11 based strategy game that takes place in ancient Japan. Featuring campaigns that take place on both land and water this is a game that can really stretch the limits of your graphics card. For testing purposes we simply used the Steam Benchmark DX11 Graphics High 1080p as it gives a good testing setup for this setup.

Total War: SHOGUN 2 is listed by NVIDIA as Not Recommended in the stereoscopic 3D compatibility list.

This game performed almost exactly as expected with 3D Vision running just over 50% performance compared with it disabled. With these high settings and 3D Vision enabled the game was somewhat rough to play due to the lower framerate, however with lower settings this game plays pretty well despite the not recommended rating though some objects do render incorrectly.

Metro 2033

Metro 2033 is an action-oriented video game with a combination of survival horror, and first-person shooter elements. The game is based on the novel Metro 2033 by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. It was developed by 4A Games in the Ukraine. The game is played from the perspective of a character named Artyom. The story takes place in post-apocalyptic Moscow, mostly inside the metro station where the player’s character was raised (he was born before the war, in an unharmed city), but occasionally the player has to go above ground on certain missions and scavenge for valuables.

Metro 2033 is listed as 3D Vision Ready in the NVIDIA stereoscopic 3D compatibility list.

Again, this game performed exactly as expected with 3D Vision at around 50% performance compared to it disabled. There were however some areas that were affected by the lower framerate in a very noticeable way. Overall though this game plays rather well with no unexpected artifacts, blurring or lighting issues.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

The events of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat unfold shortly after the end of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl following the ending in which Strelok destroys the C-Consciousness. Having discovered the open path to the Zone’s center, the government decides to stage a large-scale operation to take control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat utilizes the XRAY 1.6 Engine, allowing advanced modern graphical features through the use of DirectX 11 to be fully integrated; one outstanding feature being the inclusion of real-time GPU tessellation. Regions and maps feature photo realistic scenes of the region it is made to represent. There is also extensive support for older versions of DirectX, meaning that Call of Pripyat is also compatible with older DirectX 8, 9, 10 and 10.1 graphics cards.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat is not listed at all in the stereoscopic 3D compatibility list.

The game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat has no internal benchmarking tools built into the game engine, but they do have a standalone benchmark available that we used for our testing purposes. The screen capture above shows the main window of the benchmark with our settings. Notice we are running Enhanced Full Dynamic Lighting “DX11” as our renderer.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat performed far worse than expected with performance hovering around 40%. The framerates alone would still be easily playable, however this game suffered from a horrible double vision effect when in 3D mode. This double vision was much more defined and clear than it would be without 3D Vision glasses on in stereoscopic 3D mode and you could see the depth, however this effect made the game completely unplayable. This is unfortunate as this is a game that I believe would look great in stereoscopic 3D.