“I’ll be back”…Look like a Terminator while gaming.

Earlier this month at CES I had the opportunity to check out active 3D glasses for gaming, and let me tell you I was skeptical. I said to myself “blue lens, red lens, so 70’s…” but I went to see them with an open mind. Funny thing, on my way I ran into Ryan Shrout and he was cool enough to check them out with me!

Ryan and I playing Left 4 Dead on a 73″ Mitsubishi HDTV

So here is the basic concept: You go buy a $300+ 120Hz monitor, a $199 pair of funky glasses with a transceiver, once you have this, you will be able to experience active 3D gaming (provided you have the right graphics card, driver and the game is supported).

I have to say, playing Left 4 Dead on a 73″ HDTV is an awesome experience, no 3D glasses required for a great gaming gorging.

On to donning the glasses and entering the 3D ZONE:

My initial thoughts were that this technology would make most people’s stomachs very queasy. Not the case for Ryan and I and he did some testing at a local Best Buy and it didn’t seem to be the case for most people either.

First issue – Non issue.

My second concern was that it would destroy the game play. Well, I honestly can’t say this was the case either, while the experience didn’t knock me off my feet and make me want to go buy a pair, I was impressed with the gore and guts flying past my head in Left 4 Dead.

Second issue – Not sold yet, but not a show stopper.

The third concern I had was with pricing, is the experience really worth an upfront investment of $450+?

Well, read Ryan’s story for more background and you be the judge.

I do still feel that this technology (while exhibited all over CES09) is still not ready for primetime, but I want to know your opinions too.

Is this 3D Gaming technology ready for the consumers living room and does it have enough wind in its sails to be successful in a down economy? I for one don’t think so, but you be the judge. What are your thoughts?

EDIT: If you read Italian, you might enjoy this detailed review from Hardware Upgrade…or skip to the end and see the results on frame rates.

Cheers!

Ian “Cabrtosr” McNaughton

Ian McNaughton is senior manager of advanced marketing at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.