It seems like every new movie that comes out is in 3D. That trend is now extending to 3D computer monitors. It’s easy to see why 3D is so popular. It makes whatever you’re watching so much more intense and real. It puts you right in the middle of the action! People want to be a part of that action, not only in the movie theater, but in their own homes, on their own computer. Imagine playing a game like Grand Theft Auto in 3D with the images jumping right out at you!
How does 3D computer technology work?
There are basically two approaches to gaming laptops. The passive system used by Acer’s Aspire 5738DG and the active system like Nvidia’s 3D Vision. The passive system is good because there is no wireless transmitter and the glasses are lighter and less expensive. The downside is it cuts the horizontal display resolution in half which is just not cool for serious gamers. The passive shutter glasses also need a display with a polarizing filter which is a lot more costly to build.
The active system needs bulkier active glasses and a wireless transmitter to control the glasses. This is usually bought separately. The monitor has to have a 120 Hz or faster display and a powerful video card like the GeForce GPU. The cost of the glasses is more, but the active system can display the full 1920 by 1080 display resolution and it will work with any 120Hz monitor.
The first 120Hz monitors put on the market last year were the Viewsonic FuHzion VX2265wm and the Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ. Both were 22 inches with 1680 by 1050 screen resolution. Not far behind them are the Acer GD245HQ, Dell’s Alienware OptX AW2310, LG Electronics’ W2363D, and ViewSonic’s V3D241wm-LED. Each of these are 23 inches or larger.
After investing in all this fancy hardware, are there even any games compatible with it? According to Nvidia there are over 400 games that already work with 3D Vision! Game makers are still learning how to shoot and edit content in 3D, but PC games are surprisingly easy to convert into 3D. So, once you have the equipment, you’re good to go!
