Darkworks shows off TriOviz for Games 2D-to-3D SDK, we get a good look
By Darren Murph 
posted March 12th 2010 2:11AM
posted March 12th 2010 2:11AM
We could very clearly see the 3D effect, and even though it was subtle, it definitely enhanced our experience. We noticed a minor bit of blurring and ghosting during just a few scenes, but when you consider that this doesn't actually change the underlying code in existing 2D games (that's the cue for developers to breathe a sigh of relief), we didn't feel that these minor quirks were unreasonable. The other interesting aspect is just how clear the image remained for onlookers that didn't have 3D glasses on; we noticed slight image doubling at specific points, but it's not something we simply couldn't look at without acquiring a headache.
More after the break...
We dug in with a few questions, and we were told that this technology could be applied to actual 3D HDTVs (requiring 120Hz or more) with just a small software tweak, and existing titles could be "upgraded" to 3D by giving users a simple update via DLC portals. We also found that the 3D effect could be toggled on and off in the settings menu of games, and while Darkworks wasn't able to spill details on upcoming titles that would support this stuff, we definitely got the idea that more than a few announcements were imminent.
We also noticed that the effect was most significant in games with high polygon counts (yet another reason the Wii is being overlooked here), and thanks to the low barrier to entry from a consumer standpoint, we're guessing that these guys will be getting lots of attention from developers. We know -- it's easy to pass stuff like this off as yet another gimmick, but we're all for improvements where no additional hardware purchases are required, and we can't help but think that this would be a nice option to have on some of the more visually complex titles hitting the market. Here's hoping we'll hear more on that in the not-too-distant future.
im not gunna lie, i dont care what anyone says, 3D gaming is going to be mind blowingly great eye candy, and now a days, that's what people push their games, and movies for that matter, to be eye candy.
@AlexSanchez yeah im not going to lie either. what the heck is going on with the pink and green glasses? these belong in the thrift store in the retro-geek section. hardly stylish.
@emopoops
You are so ungrateful. If you really want stylish glasses then buy the HD Visual Ultra. they help you see the world in HD and with style.
@theshadow27
He's ungrateful? That's a weird criticism.
this article really didn't explain much, it just seems like anaglyph to me
@JeremyBenthem It is, in a sense, but it's super easy to add to existing games and costs next to nothing for gamers to experience. The ease and cheapness of it all makes it interesting, and the quality is fairly decent to boot.
@DarrenMurph: So the "innovation" is merely the software that allows easy conversion of 2D games into 3D, but the display technology is plain ol' anaglyph?
@JeremyBenthem
Not also that, but your current PC can run games in anaglyph already. For Free. Just grab the iZ3D drivers, a pair of anaglyph glasses (red/cyan, yellow/blue, green/pink... iZ3D supports them all). Load up your favourite games, press Numpad * and you're go!
All this does is apply the same process to console games. but anaglyph 3D is available for free for just about every 3D game.
nVidia also offers free anaglyph - but only on nvidia cards and its restricted to red/cyan. I also get lower FPS with nVidia over iZ3D.
WoW and TrackMania are both retail games that support 3D output without additional drivers. Both Red/Cyan only unless you use iZ3D.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Carpet_%28video_game%29
Sly Cooper 3 also did anaglyph 3D.
I can't wait for Crysis 2 in 3D!
So ... I have a pair of green and magenta 3D glasses lying around here. Is that all I need? Is this just going to be an automatic update to the software? Is it going to cost extra $$ as if this were an add-on?
Does this change the colors of the games?
I'm wondering how they are gonna make money on this.
Oh, and the Wii should be overlooked for all game enhancements until they release an HD version.
@Meekermoloko Agreed on the Wii Front. I assume that they'll make money by licensing it to developers/selling those funky looking glasses.
@Meekermoloko
*sigh* Try this on for size: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/johnny_lee_demos_wii_remote_hacks.html
@Meekermoloko
Observe: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/johnny_lee_demos_wii_remote_hacks.html
Filmed: February 2008.
So what's the difference between this and iz3d
This is nothing more than anaglyph with magenta green glasses. It is the same as iZ3d using the free anaglyph drivers.
video or is not exist!
@mex We, nor any other press, were allowed to take video. Also, a video of 3D looks like complete crap, unfortunately.
@DarrenMurph
so 3d can not be filmed by engadget? 3d does not exists! :D
@DarrenMurph
so does the screen look green/magenta or does it appear in the same colors as it would without the glasses???
i mean is this like the old red/blue 3d glasses where everything looked red/blue???
Must have this for HALO 3, ODST, & HALO REACH!
@abedinthehouse
You should try some other games too!
The article states that they are passive glasses like NVIDIA's active shutter ones. I thought active shutter and passive glasses (that filter the image) were two different things?
The article then states that these glasses could be paper framed, unlike NVIDIAs battery powered glasses?
@thunderbollock Meant "un"like -- fixed, thanks!
P.S. - These are passive and use no batteries, whereas NVIDIA's glasses do use batteries and are "active-shutter."
This could prove very interesting. Even though consumer 3D is not as new as everyone appears to think it is (i've owned a pair of glasses since 2001 and played WoW with it) I think it's the 1st time game devs have the possibility of getting on the 3D bandwagon for such a small investment and eventually small cost for the customers
@airbag888
but anaglyph stink!.
you don't want to play a whole game with it.
@magallanes
I know, I'm worried about colors and what not. But we'll see, engadget didnt say anything about these
What's you problem? I'd just stick with NVIDIA 3D vision.
I know and I've played with an anaglyph 3D game, Call of Duty 4 and it's REALLY bad. Yeah, i mean the game's good, but when you wear those funky glasses, the color fades away and you sometimes see random weird colors.
I'm not usually a grammar Nazi but I'm curious, does this qualify as a triple negative?
"...it's not something we simply couldn't look at without acquiring a headache."
It may be because it is morning but that sentence took me a lot longer to figure out than it should have. :D
Does this do anything to address the standard Anaglyph problem of colors looking like crap?
Granted, maybe I'm behind the times - the last time I tried Anaglyph it was 3d-esque, but it also destroyed the colors and made everything look crappy. Granted that was 3D World Runner on the NES, but I'm of the belief that if Anaglyph didn't work well for NES games, it certainly won't work well in high def...
I didn't buy a 50" plasma so that I could play all my games with muddy colors. Does TriOviz look any better than old fashioned red/green Anaglyph, or does it still mangle colors?