Build Your Own: Wall-Sized 3D Gaming, Just Like Theaters Do It

Benchmark Results: Crysis

Crysis remains one of the most beautiful PC games ever made and experiencing it in 3D stereo promises the chance to get away to a virtual tropical island paradise (before it freezes over, that is). Of all the games to play in 3D, Crysis provides the richest experience. All of the foliage and details really pop out of the screen.

Game Settings:

We set the native projector resolution to 1920x1080 and the game's visual-detail settings to medium quality in DirectX 9 mode.

We chose to go past the projector's native resolution in Crysis because AA doesn't have an effect on the foliage. Downscaling the 1080p signal to a 720p projector delivers better quality than activating AA in the 720p native resolution in this title. We chose DirectX 9 mode, but those of you who have played Crysis in DirectX 9 and 10 will know that there is very little difference, so we won’t lose any noticeable visual fidelity.

Game Experience Using the TriDef Ignition Driver:

In regular mode, the TriDef driver seems to turn off shadows by default and suffers from some distracting sky texture issues where the left and right eye view does not match. This makes for some irritating exercises in trying to find a way to defeat this limitation. It turns out that the Virtual 3D option is key. Enabling this not only fixes all of the shadow and sky issues, but it provides a much-needed performance boost.

Unfortunately, other troubles emerge. The TriDef driver seems to interfere with the Crysis menu system somehow, providing long, unresponsive pauses and slowdowns when loading a game. In addition, the Virtual 3D mode causes many of the game's regular controls to inexplicably open the options menu. The TriDef driver renders the game unplayable, not because of any visual problems, but due to control glitches.

In the standard TriDef driver, shadows are removed and the cloud texture demonstrates a visual anomaly

Using the Virtual3D option instead, shadows are present and the cloud problem has disappeared

Another view of the standard driver

...and once again with the Virtual3D option and the improved shadow fidelity

The gun sight view is workable and the TriDef laser sight keeps the target clear

Game Experience Using the iZ3D Driver:

The iZ3D driver works well in Crysis and provides none of the control and menu issues we experienced with the TriDef driver. However, some shadows and reflections are strangely rendered differently for each eye, so it is necessary to play with the driver's convergence setting in order to get acceptable visuals. Things are not perfect, but we can tweak them to an acceptable state.

However, aside from the image-quality issues, there are no slowdowns or glitches and everything works as it should.

Unfortunately, the iZ3D driver doesn't correctly capture screenshots of Crysis, instead delivering blacked-out image files. We will try to remedy this omission in a follow-up review.

Crysis 3D Stereo Performance:

Once again, we are seeing a scenario in which the TriDef driver isn't playing nicely with the GeForce GTX 260 card until Virtual 3D is enabled. Otherwise, performance is fairly constant between the graphics cards (except for a Radeon performance boost when using the iZ3D driver). While we prefer the look of the TriDef output, control issues force us to play the game using the iZ3D driver, and in this case performance was a low 20-26 FPS. Perhaps we could lower the resolution to 1280x720 to actually use the game, but in our testing the low frame rate seems surprisingly playable.

  • MiamiU
    seems like being a hardcore gamer just keeps getting more and more expensive...
    Reply
  • Don't gives too big an image to try and see it 3d. A monitor can't handle: 800px × 248px!!!! That's just crazy big!!!
    Reply
  • Icehearted
    As for poor folk like me, we'll just settle for those still images where we cross our eyes, and cry because $2,565 is far away from "comfortable".
    Reply
  • winner4455
    I can see this becoming main stream and the next few years... In 3d too.
    Reply
  • tigerwraith
    2.6k now but you know things like this keep getting cheaper and cheaper. Maybe by this time next year, the 1080p 2600 lumens will drop to 500, and the drivers will better support dual projector setups.
    Reply
  • tigerwraith
    But I do have a question would of mattered if you used LCD projectors?
    Reply
  • gti88
    Great article! Thanx a lot.
    But as I can see, 3D stereo is not there yet.
    Almost no movies are available at 3DS, and game developers don't focus on stereo optimisation. Thus, we have some glitches and inconveniences.
    Reply
  • pojih
    ahh, something else to cost an arm and a leg...

    not saying that many people here don't want the fastest and most expensive....

    but it was clearly shown that many people looking at this site want something that performs for what it costs, as seen by the fermi release and the comments .....
    Reply
  • skora
    Whats the next price bracket up for a projector with higher res?

    I like the idea of dual projectors better than the alt-image standard, but they didn't ask me.

    Here's a wild thought, soon, everyone will have their own glasses that not only do the shutter for 3D, but will also be able to be personal monitors. Connect to any computer/phone/TV with your glasses. Displays might even become unnecessary. That will be the next wireless mainstream device. The iShades. Phone, mobile pc and display, earbud is right there. Have pants that have built in keyboard. We'll all just be sitting there with our shades on and never see the person next to us as we get lost in the cloud. And it all starts with 3D glasses. :P
    Reply
  • djab
    IceheartedAs for poor folk like me, we'll just settle for those still images where we cross our eyes, and cry because $2,565 is far away from "comfortable".
    No, you can at least use red/cyan paper glasses with iz3d drivers and a normal display.
    That is not that bad!
    Reply