3D Gaming Reborn

Later this year Sony will release an update for the Playstation 3 that will add the ability to play supported games in 3D as well as support for 3D Blu-ray films. With the first 3D TVs being released in the coming months, 2010 is set to be the year 3D is reborn. But 3D gaming doesn’t require an expensive TV, snazzy glasses or a PS3, and it most certainly doesn’t require a wait.

Firstly, it’s rather unknown that you can in fact use both your PS3 controller and your Xbox 360 controller on your PC and, if your computer has Bluetooth, you can even use your PS3 controller wirelessly. This is accomplished by using a simple program called MotioninJoy which, although far from polished, does the job well. There are a few downsides to this software though; when starting your computer it’s necessary to start it in a mode that allows the use of unsigned drivers, this must be done on every reboot, in addition to the program itself being generally rather buggy. Obviously Sony didn’t want to have their controllers used for PC games, so made it as difficult as possible! Other than that, it’s as simple as plugging the controller in via a USB port and pressing the PS button, after which it’ll act as a normal gamepad in every game, even with joystick and vibration support. What with PC games being much cheaper than their console variants, now might be a good time to dust off that desktop and give it a go!

So what about 3D? Last year NVIDIA released a driver update enabling NVDIA 3D Vision which allowed the owners of expensive, high refresh rate monitors and delightful pairs of active shutter glasses to play games in 3D. They’ve also recently announced 3D Vision Surround, enabling there newest line of graphics cards to render three 3D displays at once, filling the user’s vision with 3D goodness. But that is for the mega rich! What many didn’t realise was that the original driver update came with the 3D Vision Discover mode, a much more accessible addition requiring only a normal monitor, some cheap anaglyph glasses (£5) and a compatible NVIDIA graphics card. When enabled this feature turns over 350 games into 3D, with many more to come in the future. A good example of this is in _Need for Speed: Shift_; here, the cockpit takes on a 3D appearance with the steering wheel appearing closer than the track. This adds an additional level of immersion not present in the usual 2D version and simply puts you closer to the action. A list of 3D compatible games is available on the NVIDIA website along with how well the 3D effect works. Games such as _Batman: Arkham Asylum_ and _Resident Evil 5_ are both rated NVIDIA 3D Vision ready (the highest rating) and while excellent in their own right, without playing them in 3D you’re just missing out on that extra something.

The effect works by producing two images on the screen which the glasses filter out differently for each eye; tricking them into thinking the screen has depth. This method does have its issues; colours seem drained with reds and blues particularly poor and, more importantly, the effect can result in eye strain leading to headaches. Lucky NVIDIA has added the option to reduce the depth of the 3D effect and it is recommended that you start on low depth settings to allow your eyes to adjust. In my case I found that short sessions of around an hour were fine but any longer and I started to notice it. 3D Vision Discover also seems to reduce a game’s framerate, meaning that on a number of occassions it was necessary to reduce the graphical settings in order to keep the game running smoothly.

Given that this feature is provided free, you can’t really complain about the little things. Overall it does exactly what it boasts; it lets you discover the world of 3D with no additional expenditure. It does this nicely and unobtrusively, bringing an extra dimension to a huge array of already available games. And, while the active shutter system and those offered at cinemas do provide a better experience, 3D Vision Discover breathes new life into all those dusty games sitting on your shelf; it’s worth playing them one extra time, just to see what they’re like in 3D. Having said this, don’t expect miracles as older machines will struggle with the additional processing required and games rated below good on NVIDIA’s site aren’t worth bothering with. With 3D coming whether you like it or not, this is the perfect way to get on the band wagon, try it out before everyone else and with a minimal barrier of entry. And hey let’s face it, you know you’ll look super cool in them glasses!