The
Complete Everlore Review By Skvorkian
Introduction:
I recently received a pair of the wireless eDimensional
3-D, or as they refer to them, E-D glasses to take for a
spin. I was a little skeptical at first, but as you will
see, I was very pleasantly surprised.
I'm not going to pretend to
know all of the technical information about how they
function, so I think it is best explained on the
eDimensional web site:
"Stereovision is
actually the normal way almost everyone sees in the real
world. We all have two eyes and perceive depth by a mental
interpretation of the world we view through those two
eyes. Each eye gives a slightly different perspective on
the objects viewed and this slight difference provides
depth cues to our brain. Objects that are relatively close
will shift a larger distance horizontally when viewed from
one eye and then switching eyes. Objects that are
relatively far away shift a smaller amount. The E-D
software and drivers automatically convert the images on
your monitor into a left and right perspective. Each image
flickers back and forth so fast on your monitor that it is
not noticeable to the human eye. Working synergistically
with our advanced active glasses, the flickering of each
image is precisely timed with flickering of the left and
right lens of the glasses, again faster than can be
perceived. Thus, stereovision as it pertains to viewing a
virtual world means that you have the capability to
produce two separate images and that each eye sees only
one of the two images. If this is done correctly, your
mind will combine the two images in such a way that you
actually have the perception of being "in" the
virtual world rather than just viewing a picture of the
virtual world. This adds a level of realism and immersion
to games and images that is otherwise unattainable. In
addition to perceiving depth "into" the monitor
it is also possible to make objects appear to come
"out of" the monitor. Almost all fairly recent
computers and games come pre-equipped with the necessary
tools for proper viewing."
Setup: First, you will need a
monitor running at a refresh rate above 85 Hz in order to
reduce the 'flicker', which is used to create the 3D
Effects. You can check your monitor specifications with
the manual, and if you have lost the manual, then you can
normally look it up at the manufacturers website.
The hardware took just a few
seconds to hook up. Basically all that is required is for
the dongle (this is just an adapter that controls the
synchronization with the glasses) to be connected to your
graphics port at the rear of the computer, and then for
the glasses and monitor cable to be connected to that.
The glasses themselves come
with two sets of temples (a large and a short pair), which
can easily be adjusted/replaced for your individual
requirements. It should also be noted that the
eDimensional glasses fit comfortably over any prescription
glasses, so there should be no need to remove them while
using the 3D glasses themselves. They are light and
comfortable so it's easy to forget you're even wearing
them.
Next is the software
installation. We're using a PNY GeForce 3 TI. First make
sure you have the latest drivers for your video card,
which were the Nvidia 28.32 drivers for us. All of the
latest drivers come on the eDimensional CD included with
the glasses. Next install the Stereo drivers from the CD
(we used the 26.50 and they worked perfectly) and off we
go into the world of EQ.
Gameplay:
When I first started the game
I was awestruck. The glasses really accentuate the entire
world in which you play EQ and other games, bringing
characters and monsters to life in front of your eyes. I
just run up to creatures and look at them because of the
wonderful depth they have. The 3d environment can really
be appreciated from the very beginning and it's if you can
see so much that you wouldn't otherwise see without the 3d
glasses. I found myself bobbing my head to look over a
rock until I realized what I was doing;) I personally felt
that they seemed to work a little better in a dark room
than in a brightly lit one.
The only slight detraction we
noticed in EverQuest when we originally had it working was
that it looks like people are flying above the ground a
little due to the increased depth of vision the glasses
give you. However by placing the UseUmbra=false line in
your eqclient.ini file this can be fixed. The
manufacturers technical support was very responsive and
helpful with any questions I had. They gave me some great
tips for fine-tuning of the 3D effects in game (maybe I
should have read the instructions more carefully!) Through
the use of hotkeys you can adjust on the fly the depth of
vision and degree of separation. We used CTRL + F3 through
F6 for tweaking the image. Basically this means you can
adjust the glasses to give you the best effects possible
without having to quit the game you are in.
Conclusion: Overall, I have
never felt so immersed and "part" of the game
that I've been playing before wearing these glasses. The
great thing is, they don't just work in EQ, but virtually
all other games extremely well with just a little bit of
tweaking required the get the best experience in each
game. I don't think that I will be able to go back to
playing games without these glasses in the future, simply
because the sense of "being there" is lost
without them.
It's a shame it is impossible
to show you what games look like when wearing the glasses.
You just have to experience it for yourself, and at a
price of just $69.95 for the wired version, and $99.95 for
the wireless version these glasses represent excellent
value for money.
I highly recommend that you
get yourselves a pair of these just to experience the
unparalled immersion that they give in your other favorite
games and I am confident that you would never want to go
back to gaming without them.
You can visit the
eDimensional website at http://www.edimensional.com
