CES 2009: Hands On With the Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision

Anyone who can remember the Nintendo Virtual Boy--or as I call it, The Instant Migrane Inducer--knows that creating a functional 3-D gaming system can be very, very difficult.  At this year's CES, Nvidia demoed the new GeForce 3D Vision system and I got a chance to try it out.  Consisting of a specialized software package, display and pair of glasses, the system is designed to work on Microsoft Windows Vista machines equipped with a GeForce 8, 9, or GTX 200 series graphics card.  Right now, the 3D Vision system is compatible with about 350 games.

Guitar Hero and Mirror's Edge were on display, and I was honestly very impressed with how the system translated both games into 3-D.  The effects were quite believable, and there were several times when I half-expected game elements to pop out of the screen.  However, after wearing the glasses for a few minutes, I could tell that my eyes were getting a little fatigued.  They weren't exactly hurting, and it might just be an issue with acclimating to the glasses, but I don't think the 3D Vision system would be a good choice for marathon gaming sessions.  If you're looking for something to totally spice up your gaming experience, the GeForce 3D Vision Kit will get the job done.  It goes on sale next week, and the kit with glasses and compatible 22" Samsung monitor can be had for $598.
--Jon D.