Sapphire makes multi-monitor 3D gaming a reality with a single video card

Multi-monitor gaming is hardly uncommon these days, but 3D gaming on the PC is, well, decidedly less common. Perhaps it will be the merging of the two immersive approaches that finally gets 3D going on the PC, and Sapphire is showing that it's possible. A single ATI-based Sapphire graphics card with Eyefinity support powered these three Zalman Trimon 3D displays, which use simple (and cheap) polarized glasses to make those boomers in Left4Dead really pop. No word on the overall cost of the system, but we'd hazard a guess it wouldn't be significantly higher than a triple-monitor setup woefully stuck in just two dimensions.

[MEH Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:40PM]

This glasses 3D is old stuff, bring in the Glasses Free 3D displays please

[DefPoet Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:48PM]

@MEH
With that the price for a 24inch 1080p monitor woud cost more than a used car

[MattsZ Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:49PM]

If they were iGlasses, you'd swear by them. (see what I did there)

[bravokiloromeo Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:57PM]

@MEH
I would just prefer multi-monitor Nvidia 3D with the active shutter glasses.

[MEH Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:17PM]

@bravokiloromeo To be honest, I am no apple fanboy (I hate macs with a passion) I simply call BS and praise devices that are worthy of it.

[McKirf Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:24PM]

@MEH

I'll take a 3-Display system over a 3-Dimensional system ANY DAY!

[spikebrain Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:30PM]

@MEH
The glasses free stuff is still so sketch... You have to be positioned just right, and it's won't work for multiple viewers at once... I guess that's not as much of an issue with gaming, but making sure that you're head is in the sweet spot of all 3 monitors at once would be hard...

[WiredEarp Posted Jun 26th 2010 9:51PM]

@MEH Gawd, can we PLEASE have a moratorium on people saying 'I want it without glasses'.

Go out an invent it (cheaply) if you want it without glasses. Otherwise, just shut up and let the rest of us read about the glasses based tech you are not interested in anyway.

[cdf74dc9 Posted Jun 27th 2010 12:25AM]

@MEH

Buy a Nintendo 3DS. Now that's what I call 3D.

[garretthaynes Posted Jun 27th 2010 12:52AM]

@DefPoet

Dang

[sbvikings30 Posted Jun 27th 2010 10:37AM]

@MEH 3ds

[mbg19 Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:43PM]

I dont wanna look like a dumbass wearing glasses in my house...

[BSprague Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:45PM]

@mbg19
If you're in your house, why does it matter?

[DefPoet Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:47PM]

@mbg19
How would people see you in your house. O you have walls made of glass?

[frank da tank Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:14PM]

@mbg19
Yeah, stick to dumb ass comments posted on a blog seen the world round. Much better than the glasses....

[mbg19 Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:48PM]

@DefPoet

Too many hackers using chams man...

[Kithmal Posted Jun 26th 2010 11:19PM]

@DefPoet Don't be ridiculous dude, we all know that you don't make houses out of glass.

or phones.

[cdf74dc9 Posted Jun 27th 2010 12:29AM]

@Kithmal

Actually, there are some houses made of glass. But they're not easily shatter like some product we know.

[JONNNathannn Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:43PM]

But how good will this 3D look when placed under a microscope?

I heard that's how the cool kids use screens nowadays.

[Ninjakid4 Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:48PM]

My computer is in my room, not that anyone is watching me.
I've been looking for a new Ati card too.
Nice.

[TommyMosh Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:48PM]

@BSprague
I'm with you. You don't need to look good sat infront of your computer.

[mcryans Posted Jun 26th 2010 5:57PM]

When's the first 3D porn coming?

[Victor von Zeppelin Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:10PM]

@mcryans

The link's on that page...

[Professor Hubert J Farnsworth Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:13PM]

@mcryans
It's already here; we like to call it "sex".

[Dominic Ford Posted Jun 26th 2010 10:25PM]

@mcryans it's all ready here! (for 2 years in Full HD at dominicford.com)

[SBMfromLA Posted Jun 27th 2010 5:12PM]

@mcryans

Didn't you read about Hustler coming out with a 3D adult version of Avatar??

[Eternal Density Posted Jun 27th 2010 9:09PM]

@SBMfromLA
No one wrote the word 'furry', ergo that's irrelevant.

[OrsonX Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:01PM]

Do you have to buy a 3D game or does the PC convert a regular 2D shooter into 3D?

Anybody here actually ever played a video game in 3D? Seriously! What does it add? Is it better? How brain frazzling is it? I'm being serious, I saw Avatar3D, and, good as it was, I still wasn't compelled to rush out and buy a 3D TV.

My next PC purchase will be BF3 (should it ever materialise). I wonder if being p00ned in 3D is something worth considering???

[PathogenX Posted Jun 26th 2010 7:44PM]

@OrsonX The PC does the conversion there is no "3D" game on PC.

Just like how Nvidia 3D Vision it converts regular games into 3D

[WiredEarp Posted Jun 26th 2010 9:57PM]

@OrsonX 3D gaming is really nice, but its more of an immersion thing. After playing a game in 3D for an hour or so, it appears just 'normal'. Its only when you go back to 2D, you realise your missing the sense of 'being there'.

Its more for single player games in a dark room by yourself, than multiplayer shooters online - the 3d distracts from fragging, but adds immersion.

[r3loaded Posted Jun 27th 2010 3:10AM]

@OrsonX The games themselves are actually 3D in data, in normal usage the graphics card does the job of rendering the data as a 2D image with the illusion of depth for a monitor. Hence, the process of displaying games in 3D works much better than converting a 2D film to 3D.

[Kev007 Posted Jun 27th 2010 3:34AM]

@OrsonX
i find that nvidia's solution as excellent, some games are released to specifications set by nvidia (like Batman: Arkham Aslyum) while others are just converted from 2d to 3d but work just as well!

[OrsonX Posted Jun 27th 2010 12:24PM]

@PathogenX
@WiredEarp
@r3loaded
@Kev007

thanks guys, interesting! I might have to start saving for a 3D moitor (or three).

[Shalabi Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:06PM]

Can this gimmick die already?

[AkashiyaMoka Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:26PM]

@Shalabi
especially the Eyefinity crap. I don't want to game on monitors with big bars seperating them.

[WiredEarp Posted Jun 26th 2010 9:59PM]

@AkashiyaMoka Maybe you should just, i dont know, not buy Eyefinity?

In the meantime, while your all busy not buying eyefinity, how about letting the rest of us enjoy our multimonitor setups (with bezels) in peace.

[cdf74dc9 Posted Jun 27th 2010 12:38AM]

@AkashiyaMoka

Yea, It's hard enough for me to game on a 27" LCD @ 2048x1152 yet alone dual or triple. It just really hard to scan through so much space. It took alot of time adjusting to such a wide space. On the other hand, dual/triple or whatever monitor provide great work spaces for other type of program beside game. It get so much thing done at the same time.

[just4chan2day Posted Jun 27th 2010 6:34PM]

@cdf74dc9 You don't use much peripheral vision in the real world, do you? If one large monitor is too much real-estate for you to game on, please never drive near me in a convertible.

[cdf74dc9 Posted Jun 27th 2010 11:47PM]

@just4chan2day

If your talking about TV set then that's a different thing. But multi PC monitor gaming from 4 feet away isn't such a good ideas. You have to turn your head 90 degrees to see a d@m. I bet I can drop you first before you ever see me.

[edoles Posted Jun 26th 2010 6:50PM]

So... is this 9D or 3D^3?

[charlietheunicorn Posted Jun 26th 2010 7:14PM]

@edoles
ooh.. my brain hurts :(

[BLEH is my middle name Posted Jun 27th 2010 8:05PM]

@edoles Hmm... 3D^3= 27DDD... 3*3D= 9D... I'm going to go with a total of 3^9D so that's a total of 19683 Dimensions all for the low price of two arms!

[BrianH Posted Jun 26th 2010 7:18PM]

i still don't like the glasses, even if it is in my own room, they feel terrible over prescription eye wear.

[pintonion Posted Jun 26th 2010 7:40PM]

Yeah, everyone says 3D sucks right now. As well as touch computers.

But as soon as Apple releases a 3D display or a touch computer, it will be the greatest innovation in the world.

It's so sad too...

phones with forward facing cameras before iphone 4 : what do we need that for? I rather call or text the person than have a video call.

after iphone 4 : omg we need cameras in the front! i cannot live without being able to video call (on wifi) on my iphone!

Gimmicks. Just like Wii and their motion controllers. 3 years ago it was garbage and Sony and Microsoft said it was going no where. Now there's Kinect and Sony Move.

It just takes the right kind of company to show the gimmick in a different light and since in everyones eyes Apple does everything right, when they do 3D and/or touchscreen, everyone will say they need everything to be in 3D touchscreen environment.

[PathogenX Posted Jun 26th 2010 7:46PM]

@pintonion
I have to agree with you here.

Apple makes it seem as they invented the FFC. When FFC's have been around way before.

[cRodz42 Posted Jun 26th 2010 9:26PM]

@pintonion Apple INNOVASSHUN is bad innovation

[EzB Posted Jun 26th 2010 10:06PM]

@pintonion

Couldn't agree more with you. I am just blessed not to be dumb enough to follow the hypes, and I have my own mind and opinion and so far it has lead me to some excellent products BESIDES Apple

[PLDM Posted Jun 26th 2010 8:41PM]

Wow, first she gets a cult film based on one of her books, and now this? That Saphire's a busy lady!

[tonyprince Posted Jun 26th 2010 10:25PM]

realistic gaming has reached its peak. the industry are now focusing on 3D then from here we're going to evolve to holographic gaming and then virtual reality.

[iamjeffhong Posted Jun 27th 2010 3:21AM]

If they made one thing to impress me. It would be 3D contacts.
like the 3d glasses lens is built into the contact