3D Gaming

Sorry for the long delay between entries, I've been mostly finishing my game room setup and not actually playing games.  I've used 2 PC's for the past 3 years, one for my racing chair and the other for my TV and I was finally able to configure my setup so that I could use one PC for both locations.  I was worried about lag since I'm using some pretty long HDMI and USB cables but I haven't noticed any so far.  Also with buying a new monitor I had to set up my system so that I could easily switch between the 3D and my Ultra wide monitor and that took about 3 or 4 different arrangements before I finally found one that I liked.  I spent most of Friday night and Saturday morning rearranging all of my equipment under the stairs so that I'm hiding most of the wires.  I kind of enjoy that stuff but it isn't that fun but it does feel good once you have everything setup properly. 

VG278HE and Nvidia 3D Vision

I dabbled playing games in 3D a couple of years ago and used the Nvidia 3DTV Play program that allowed me to play 3D PC games on my 3DTV and it was really cool, but there was a major issue. HDMI 1.4 and below only supports 3D at 1080P/24fps or 720P/60fps and you really can't play games at 24 fps so I was stuck playing in 720P which isn't too bad but not optimal on a large screen.  I thought I'd try a 3D PC monitor with the 3D vision and was a little worried about the smaller screen but playing games in 3D at 1080P is breathtaking even on a 27" monitor. 

3D movies are awesome but gaming is on a whole other level, there are times I just sit back and just stare at my screen.  3D vision has one setting called convergence that really defines the experience.  It's a little hard to explain, but when you increase convergence it feels like it shrinks the game world down and makes you feel like you are in the world.  You can see every little detail of every object in the game, just walking around a table in Skyrim and looking at the different objects is mesmerizing.  It really needs to be seen and experienced. 

Support for 3D games is dwindling, however, Nvidia hasn't been pushing it much recently, but there is a site called Helixmod that has fixes for a ton of games that make them work much better in 3D. I've been playing mostly older titles since Direcx9 has the best implementation, but there is 3D support in some newer games and I am excited to try Alien Isolation, the atmosphere of that game is already amazing. If you are a gamer then you really need to try 3D, you do have to wear glasses but they are comfortable and I get so lost in the game that I don't even notice them after a few minutes. It's such a cool experience that it really is worth the investment. I have so many games to try and I've only sampled a few and below are impressions. 

• Bulletstorm - An amazing game anyway but in 3D it really shines.  The world is full of large vistas and the added depth really makes it look great.
• Tomb Raider - I played this on my TV and it was good, but at 1080P it really shines and I don't see any ghosting like I did on my TV.
• Dirt 3 - Racing games are amazing in 3D the added depth once again makes everything feel realistic. 
• Rayman Legends - Even though it's kind of a a 2D platformer each level has a ton of layers so the depth really stands out. 
• Dead Space 3 -  The opening chapter is really cool especially when you are descending down the mountain and the plane is crashing down around you. 
• Skyrim - My favorite game in 3D and this one truly shines. I actually feel like I'm inside the world and the combat is so much more intense as I can really tell the spacing needed during melee combat.  It was easy for me to get lost in the game and thought I'd played around 30 minutes, but 3 hours had passed.

The monitor itself is 144hz which is my first monitor that supports more that 60fps and I could easily see and feel the difference.  In fps games aiming seemed much easier and even moving around in in Windows felt better.  Of course you need a good video card so you can even get 144 fps, but even in games that I can barely get 60 or above I can turn off V-sync and I don't see any screen tears which is a great win for me.  The ultimate would be my ultra wide monitor with 3D and G-sync support, that will probably come out next year. 

Sale

Galaxy Nvidia Geforce 780 HOF edition  - $350

New Releases - New releases are back with a vengeance at least on the PC.  Saints Row 4 DLC and Resident Evil HD Remake are the big hitters this week.

PC

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)  -  $5 at Gamestop for the digital download.
Resident Evil HD (download - $20) - First game I bought when I got my Playstation and it was awesome although I've never beaten the game.  Pre-loaded and ready to go.
Citizens of Earth (download - $15)
Grey Goo (download)
Blackguards 2 (download) -  Interested, the first game was decent, depends on how the reviews go.
Combat Monsters (download)
Deity Monsters (download)
HuniePop (download)
Human Extinction Simulator (download)
Mahjong Pretty Girls Battle (download)
Among Ripples (download)
TorqueL (download)
Roche Fusion (download)
Pahelika: Secret Legends (download)

PlayStation 4

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)
Resident Evil HD (download - $20)
Citizens of Earth (download - $15)
Motorcycle Club (download)
Splice (download)

Xbox One

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)
Resident Evil HD (download - $20)

Xbox 360

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)
Resident Evil HD (download - $20)

PlayStation 3

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)
Resident Evil HD (download - $20)
Motorcycle Club (download)
Splice (download)
Best of Arcade Games (download)

Wii U

Citizens of Earth (download - $15)
Punch-Out!! (download - Wii U Virtual Console)  - $10, going to purchase. 

Vita

Citizens of Earth (download - $15)
Best of Arcade Games (download)

Nintendo 3DS

Citizens of Earth (download - $15)