NVIDIA shows 3D tech at EG Expo

By Oli Welsh Published 31 October, 2009

"Gaming is where 3D will become popular."

NVIDIA used the London leg of the Eurogamer Expo to show off its 3D technology, available now for PCs, in a series of packed sessions. Batman: Arkham Asylum and Need for Speed: SHIFT running in big-screen 3D took centre stage, but there was also an amazing demonstration of 3D photography using a new Fuji camera.

Although 3D is the latest fad in cinemas, NVIDIA representative Ben predicted that gaming PCs would be the real beachhead for 3D entertainment. "Gaming is where 3D will become very popular first," he said, but admitted that in order to do that, it would need one thing above all others: game support.

To that end, NVIDIA has ensured back-compatibility with some 400 titles, including mega-hits World of Warcraft and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. But it was newer games made specifically for 3D vision, with extra effects, that the company wanted to highlight at the Expo.

NVIDIA mentioned that full 3D support has now been patched into Burnout Paradise, while Capcom's Resident Evil 5 has the honour of being the very first made-for-3D PC game. In fact, the Japanese company is a particular fan of the technology, and its forthcoming jetpack shooter Dark Void has been picked as an ideal candidate for 3D support.

EA has committed to full 3D in all its menus, never mind the games - as was apparent from the typically swish front-end for SHIFT. Racing games are a natural candidate for 3D, of course, and SHIFT's dramatic in-car view was even more powerful in 3D, the dash in the foreground accentuating the depth effects on the track and rival cars.

The Scarecrow boss battle in Batman: Arkham Asylum, meanwhile, threw around dozens of scraps of paper and even the game's impressive volumetric fog effects in full 3D. "This kind of business on the screen simply is not possible on consoles," Ben NVIDIA said. "You just don't have the power."

That said, he was keen to point out that any reasonably well-specified current gaming PC - GeForce 8800 series graphics cards and above - should be capable of running 3D vision. Beyond that, you'd need a compatible 120Hz monitor and NVIDIA's powered, active 3D glasses (which are said to provide a more comfortable long-term viewing experience and more precise image than the inactive plastic glasses used in cinemas and for the presentation).

NVIDIA also stressed that 3D games would run in full HD at high frame-rates. "It was really important that we didn't take anything away," Ben NVIDIA said. "I'm sure you've seen some recent cinema releases in 3D where you see some blurriness at the edges - that's because the resolution is halved." If you had a 120Hz monitor and NVIDIA's glasses, that wouldn't happen, he said.

Other applications for a 3D-capable PC include film - NVIDIA showed some amazing 3D motor racing footage shot at the Nurburgring - and photography. The latter is possible via a just-announced compact digital camera from Fuji with two lenses, spaced like human eyes. A shot of the Expo crowd queuing by the Thames was shown, with impressive depth effects on the crowd and the bridges on the distance.

As for the future of 3D vision, it will be supported by NVIDIA's new chip architecture, due next year, which has 3 billion transistors ("it's really complicated to make") and supports DirectX 11, PhysX and 3D out of the box.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (26) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DDevil #1 2 years ago

    I've got a GeForce GTX 275 - which is billed as being specifically made to support 3D vision. Shame I can't make use of it since I don't have the (expensive) glasses, Windows Vista/7 or a 120MHz monitor!

  • davisorle #2 2 years ago

    Oli, everything you just analysed ( even just a bit ) are known for a couple of months the least now and 3D Vision is supprted also for months now. The new chips are codenamed "Fermi" from Nvidia and are many times more powerful from the current ones. ( just saying really quick for the ones interested to the bits I would be ) and is from the only new gen GPUs worth upgrading to. Big performance impact. Its amazing really. If you had started by telling us about it cal;led Fermi and what they said more specifically about it I would be happier. The rest i know and very detailed about them :S

    thnx though

  • Ged42 #3 2 years ago

    The whole 3D thing at the expo was more impressive on NFS Shift than on Avatar. I think because a lot of Avatar's scenery is organic and the pop-up book look of the 3D effect was more noticable than on the artificial straight lines of a BMW.

  • Skire #4 2 years ago

    I have a bad feeling about this. Does nobody else feel it? I'm afraid that this will fail incredibly hard. No way the main audience will get into this.

  • dubdivision #5 2 years ago

    I was playing tomb raider in 3d (with special nvidia specs) on an pc system 10 years ago. It was cool but you couldn't play for too long before feeling dizzy.

  • seasidebaz #6 2 years ago

    It's all good fun til someone gets simulation sickness...

  • Chufty #7 2 years ago

    Seriously, this new 3D kit is awesome. All the old school methods of getting 3D on your PC were just not good enough. The motion sickness and headaches you get from the low refresh rate and framerates, the blurry images and the big bulky glasses - they're all a thing of the past. This is 60hz, 60fps full resolution gaming, and the glasses are comfortable to wear for long periods.

    In NFS, the 3D was a nice novelty but as you spend most the time looking at the road rather than the scenery, you quickly forget about it. But playing Arkham Asylum in 3D was utterly incredible. This sort of game is where the 3D vision will excel, I feel.

    Trust me, the next generation of consoles will be all about 3D.

  • Tyranix #8 2 years ago

    Does no one else see this for the gimmick that it is?

    I'm a HUGE fan of 3D but now just isn't the time for the breakthrough that's needed to bring it to the forefront of the gaming scene. Still, I commend Nvidia for trying.

  • IneptPercy #9 2 years ago

    Is it just me thinking that to get a 60fps look you will need to run at 120fps?

    As great as my PC is... its not that good.

  • onyxbox #10 2 years ago

    I saw the Avatar 3D demo and I was very pressed with the effect and I can see me getting into the 3d ness of it all but not if it costs too much. The JVC TV they were using was about 3 grands worth.

    The nVidia glasses all (but one) had flat batteries when I went to have a look :-/ ah well there's always next year.

    :-)

  • Stepharneo #11 2 years ago

    Somehow missed the Batman 3d demo, which is a shame. I thought that the 3d vision in shift felt pretty throw away and the glasses did make me a little head achey, but those head phones were immense. I preferred the look of Avatar, however watching people play it on normal screens it was apparent that the the 3D was the only thing going for that game, till movie game 'tis to be expected.
    As for the Forza three screen set up ( I know it wasn't using any fancy glasses, but the desired effect of immersion was the same idea) I found I rarely looked at the side monitors while playing, quite fun though.

  • bad09 #12 2 years ago

    Shift was amazing! The 3D seemed a big hit with many people at the Expo actually. I need to wait until it's all a bit cheaper but I'm in at some point!

  • FenderMaster #13 2 years ago

    like ronan craword, i don't have full stereoscopic vision

    i have one long sighted eye, and one short sighted eye

    the short sighted eye is mainly central vision, while the other eye is kind of zoned out, like peripheral vision.... traditional red/green 3d glasses dont work for me, but the new ones found in cinemas do have some effect... i wonder will I be able to experience this kind of 3D?

    tbh though, i'm fine with 2D so its not an issue until it becomes standard

  • Caimbeul #14 2 years ago

    who (who doesnt still have a crt) has a 120hz monitor???

  • Moz #15 2 years ago

    Oh looks Nvidia shunning consoles would that be because they've been shuned by everyone for the next gen consoles.

  • Digital_Forge #16 2 years ago

    Was impressed the 3D glasses actually worked rather well over the top of my regular glasses (which was my main worry really - no point playing if I'm more or less limited to a blur).

    Batman was great with it, however the NFS demo left me wondering how they'd work after extended periods of play when a heavy interface is in place, after just three minutes of play the interface (lap number etc) started to look rather out of place and blurry, that might have been me though, had been a long day.

  • Chufty #17 2 years ago

    Caimbeul: There are only two compatable 120hz monitors on the market, by Samsung and someone else (ViewSonic I think). The other big players are getting involved very soon though, and 120Hz TVs especially will be commonplace next year.

    The ensuing price war will make this tech a little more affordable (£360 for a 22" monitor is a bit much right now).

    Those who think it's a gimmick need to try it, but that's the problem Nvidia are going to have in getting it off the ground.

  • mull #18 2 years ago

    I was really impressed by the 3D demos at the expo - the Avatar one was bloody cool in particular. I didn't think NFS:Shift really benefitted that much, but it was cool seeing the HUD being flat and detached from the road.

    Standardisation across TV, film and games is needed for 3D to really push ahead - all the active/passive glasses and different screen types is just leading to confusion.

    Also, as others have said, this 3D kit has been out for months - when is the next round released? I mean, when can we get 120Hz 1920x1200/1080 monitors? The current ones are 22" and only 1680x1050.

  • smoothn00dle #19 2 years ago

    I can't help to feel this is following Sony's 3D tech announced last year and it was demo on stage for private group. PC use to have all this new things first but now is other ways around.

  • bad09 #20 2 years ago

    I'm with Chufty. Before trying the 3D I dismissed it. I'm an old fart so remember the first round of 3D, that was a gimmick. Trying Shift though felt amazing and it really worked, I came out thinking "imagine that with head tracking!".

    Nvidia and anyone using the tech do have a job on their hands, it's REALLY expensive for now.

  • Fleisch #21 2 years ago

    Tried the 3D gaming at the expo on the weekend, entirely unimpressive, very blurry image and poorly polarised

  • makeamazing #22 2 years ago

    I tried this way back in January, but personally wasnt that impressed with it (I was recovering from virtigo at the time, which certainly didnt help when playing a 3D FPS game..lol).... I cant help thinking this is technology for technologies sake... I just cant see it being something that will be picked up by the masses. But never say never :)

  • butler` #23 2 years ago

    i just don't get why this would appeal to anyone gaming wise

  • Underdoseuk #24 2 years ago

    I remember seeing this technology over 15 years ago at Granada studios and I was blown away then I can only e
    imagine how far it has come now.

  • BadBoyBonner #25 2 years ago

    What most people do/did not realise is that the infrared sender for the glasses has depth control (looks like a mouse scroll wheel) on it.

    This can drastically affect image quality against sense of depth. The best way to line it up is to set it to minimum, then focus on something in the distance (like the edges of a door in Batman at the end of a long corridor) then ramp up the depth until the point just before the door starts to loose focus.

    The 3D effect is nothing short of amazing - spent about 60 seconds just rotating the camera around the Batman avatar.

    IneptPercy - you are right about the 120 fps required for 60 fps gaming (obviously 60 fps could provide 30 fps for each eye).

    That said batman looks amazing as it uses the UE3 engine which most graphics cards can churn out at ridiculous framrates likewise with Burnout.

    I played on it for over half an hour and you get used to it so quickly that when I first started looking at other screens you think that they are broken then realise, ah, thats what all screen look like apart from the 3d ones.

    There are also several projectors that support the glasses (cheapest only at 1024 x 768). This may not be such a bad thing as at that res, and with antialaising cranked up to x4 or above, will probably be the sweet spot to try hit the magical 120fps more consistantly in other games too.

    I know whats on my Xmas list to Santa now anyway! lol

  • teabagger #26 2 years ago

    I'm properly excited about this, though will have to wait until next generation of consoles as I don't have the room/money/sympathetic wife to go for the PC option. Bah!