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

So is gaming in 3D worth it? Had you asked me before I would have said no, however after reviewing NVIDIAs 3D Vision I have to say it truly is. It adds an entirely new level of immersion to your gaming experience that is remarkable. Setting up 3D Vision was incredibly simple, the game profiles cover a positively huge number of games and the added utility of being able to watch 3D movies alone is a huge bonus.

While NVIDIA currently lists the wireless 3D Vision kit on their website for $149 it can be found for around $130 shipped elsewhere. Another option NVIDIA offers is the wired 3D Vision kit on their website for $99 making for an even more cost effective solution and breaking the $100 price barrier. By bringing 3D Vision to the mainstream PC gaming market NVIDIA has brought a truly innovative technology within reach of most gamers.

The only complaint I had with this setup was the glossy monitor. While it looked great and colors really came out, using it during the day or in a well lit room proved aggravating at times. Getting glare during a dark suspenseful scene of a game or movie is distracting and pulls you out of it. I do need to mention again that this is not a fault of the 3D Vision setup at all, but glossy monitors in general. If you tend to play and watch movies in a dimly lit room, this is an absolutely wonderful monitor for around $320.

Remember though, 3D goodness does come with a fairly steep technical price. To retain good framerates you will need a fairly decent machine as each scene is rendered twice (once per eye). A pretty good way to estimate your performance in any given game is to take your current framerate and decrease it by 50%. Some titles will require you to turn down settings that you may not be accustomed to having to decrease just to avoid some stuttering during the more busy scenes. I will concede that 50% is a steep hit to take but the end result is absolutely worth it.

NVIDIAs 3D Vision is really a sight to behold. While other 3D technologies have given me some eye strain, at times triggering a bad headache, I had no such problems using this setup. One marathon gaming session lasted several hours with only one very short break and was followed an hour or two later by a 3D movie with absolutely no problems. The wireless glasses do hold an excellent charge and as I found when first taking them out of the box, will work when plugged in via USB in case you forget to plug them in for several days. They are light and comfortable and besides the issue of the lenses blocking some light are very clear.

Legit Bottom Line: NVIDIAs stereoscopic 3D Vision is an amazing technology you must see to believe. The utility of the setup along with the constantly increasing number of supported titles makes this a killer and fairly affordable setup!