How cheap is 3D gaming\ media consumption in 2022?

[iSynthMan]

After going to the movie theater to see Avatar in glorious 3D for the first time ahead of the sequel's release, I decided to do what I never had the money to back in the day and build a 3D ready setup.

 

I even own the Avatar movie in the 3D bluray,as well as some other 3D discs that came in combos but never had the hardware to play those, but no more. I also want to be able to play games in 3D, so I'm trying to figure out how much I'm willing (and is reasonable) to spend to get this done. Any tips? I already found a nVidia 3D vision 2 kit for very cheap online.

 

I own a PS3 so I already have a gaming system\ bluray player, but I'm also weighing the possibility of making my PC 3D capable. The hardware checks out, I have a nvidia 1650 4gb that should be capable of 3D vision, but from my research I'd have to install an older version of windows 10 or roll back to 7, so I'm considering building a cheap used PC specifically for this purpose. 

 

Then there's the matter of the display, I'd have to buy a used TV or monitor that supports 3D. If I get a passive 3D ready TV set, will that work with nvidia 3D vision for PC gaming or just the ps3? I need some help with the technicalities here.

[ZetZet]

3D is completely dead so you have to go dumpster diving for it, cheapness is hard to quantify. Standards are also a mess since that particular format never took off. 

[iSynthMan]

1 minute ago, ZetZet said:

3D is completely dead so you have to go dumpster diving for it, cheapness is hard to quantify. Standards are also a mess since that particular format never took off. 

I don't mind "dumpster diving". Actually enjoy it a lot. Built all my PCs by scrambling together used components.

 

How much can I get for $500?

[jaslion]

41 minutes ago, iSynthMan said:

I don't mind "dumpster diving". Actually enjoy it a lot. Built all my PCs by scrambling together used components.

 

How much can I get for $500?

An oculus rift. No joke thats about as 3d as it gets

[iSynthMan]

Just now, jaslion said:

An oculus rift. No joke thats about as 3d as it gets

I don’t like VR, It makes me sick.

[Kilrah]

Yep, VR headset is the best way to get 3D at home now, way better than 3D TVs ever were. Quest 2's great.

 

53 minutes ago, iSynthMan said:

I don’t like VR, It makes me sick.

Watching a movie on a simulated cinema screen in a VR headset isn't the same at all as full motion VR.

[jaslion]

31 minutes ago, iSynthMan said:

I don’t like VR, It makes me sick.

This is sitting still in vr not doing any movements. Its ean entirely different thing from normal vr

[TetraSky]

1 hour ago, Kilrah said:

Watching a movie on a simulated cinema screen in a VR headset isn't the same at all as full motion VR.

This. I can watch a movie for more than an hour before needing to remove the headset, and it's not because I get "sick", but because it gets warm after a while of having that thing strapped to my face. Though I've recently got some cloth face mask for long sittings with VR and they work great for that

That said I can't actually "play" VR games for more than 15 minutes, I get sick as well so I get where OP is coming from. But yeah, watching a movie is not the same as playing a game in VR.

[SimplyChunk]

if you REALLY must do it on your PC without VR then grab yourself an old BenQ XL2420T, Z or TX or an XL2720T, Z or TX (these are lower res than the Asus equivalents but have better colour imo) and a pair of nVidia 3D Vision 2 glasses all from ebay well under your budget (if you get one of the non-TX monitors you'll need the transmitter with the glasses).  You need the drivers manually these days as they don't come packed in with the Graphics drivers anymore but you'll probably find that buried somewhere on the nVidia site.  That is of course IF you have an nvidia graphics card already

[LogicalDrm]

-> Moved to Home Theater Equipment

[iSynthMan]

3 hours ago, SimplyChunk said:

if you REALLY must do it on your PC without VR then grab yourself an old BenQ XL2420T, Z or TX or an XL2720T, Z or TX (these are lower res than the Asus equivalents but have better colour imo) and a pair of nVidia 3D Vision 2 glasses all from ebay well under your budget (if you get one of the non-TX monitors you'll need the transmitter with the glasses).  You need the drivers manually these days as they don't come packed in with the Graphics drivers anymore but you'll probably find that buried somewhere on the nVidia site.  That is of course IF you have an nvidia graphics card already

I do have an nvidia gpu, turing 16 series, I believe they only cut support in the 30 series so it's fine.

 

I'm considering just getting a TV too...then I'd be able to play PS3 games in 3D, but not PC games, right? Because PC requires the nvidia 3d vision certified monitor.

 

Very confusing.

 

 

[SimplyChunk]

5 minutes ago, iSynthMan said:

I do have an nvidia gpu, turing 16 series, I believe they only cut support in the 30 series so it's fine.

 

I'm considering just getting a TV too...then I'd be able to play PS3 games in 3D, but not PC games, right? Because PC requires the nvidia 3d vision certified monitor.

 

Very confusing.

 

 

Yeah the nVidia method uses 'Active Shutter Glasses' and the TV method can use Active Shutter OR Passive Polarized Lenses.

 

Don't know if you've seen this vid yet but it's got some good info on the PS3 implementation of 3D

 

[iSynthMan]

On 9/24/2022 at 7:09 PM, SimplyChunk said:

Yeah the nVidia method uses 'Active Shutter Glasses' and the TV method can use Active Shutter OR Passive Polarized Lenses.

 

Don't know if you've seen this vid yet but it's got some good info on the PS3 implementation of 3D

 

I did watch it. The only thing I didn't totally understand is, the PS3 works with both active and passive displays, but does it work with a PC monitor that supports nvidia 3d vision? I assume not, since it needs the nvidia glasses and pc receiver thingy?

[SimplyChunk]

4 hours ago, iSynthMan said:

I did watch it. The only thing I didn't totally understand is, the PS3 works with both active and passive displays, but does it work with a PC monitor that supports nvidia 3d vision? I assume not, since it needs the nvidia glasses and pc receiver thingy?

No i don't think it does (don't quote me though) Which is daft when you think about it cause the PS3s GPU was developed by nVidia

[dalekphalm]

Looks like you're well on your way with good advice here - but something to keep in mind:

 

You'll be buying this hardware for older movies only. 3D Movies for home release are dead. So don't expect to pickup Avatar 2 in 3D Blu-Ray. 3D gaming is also dead.

 

Basically anything involving home 3D is dead, unless you get into VR.

 

So as a fun hobby, sure? But keep in mind, everything you're buying already has a limited lifespan and limited usefulness that will only get worse over time.

[iSynthMan]

On 10/13/2022 at 2:58 PM, dalekphalm said:

So don't expect to pickup Avatar 2 in 3D Blu-Ray. 3D gaming is also dead.

Not a chance? I mean, there were a couple 3D bd releases this year still. This movie will be big on 3D so maybe they'll do it? Is the format THAT dead now?

 

That's a little disheartening. I might reconsider everything if it's really that bad 

[dalekphalm]

11 hours ago, iSynthMan said:

Not a chance? I mean, there were a couple 3D bd releases this year still. This movie will be big on 3D so maybe they'll do it? Is the format THAT dead now?

Not a chance? I wouldn't go that far - Cameron might go out of his way to ensure Avatar 2 gets a home 3D release on Blu-Ray, but the amount of 2022 3D releases is extremely tiny compared to total releases. Every year the amount of 3D releases is decreasing. I would guess that in the next 5+ years, 3D releases may drop to zero.

11 hours ago, iSynthMan said:

That's a little disheartening. I might reconsider everything if it's really that bad 

It's something to consider. 3D at home just never caught on, because it wasn't all that good, and to get a good home experience meant buying a very expensive TV and active glasses (each of which could potentially be hundreds of dollars at the time).

 

As long as you go into it as more of a "retro collector" mindset, knock yourself out. Just understand that this hobby has a finite lifespan in terms of new releases and new hardware.

[sonnumber5]

On 10/13/2022 at 10:58 AM, dalekphalm said:

Looks like you're well on your way with good advice here - but something to keep in mind:

 

You'll be buying this hardware for older movies only. 3D Movies for home release are dead. So don't expect to pickup Avatar 2 in 3D Blu-Ray. 3D gaming is also dead.

 

Basically anything involving home 3D is dead, unless you get into VR.

 

So as a fun hobby, sure? But keep in mind, everything you're buying already has a limited lifespan and limited usefulness that will only get worse over time.

Going to have to disagree with you here, no we don’t have a glut of new 3D blu-rays coming out all the time, but some of the bigger sci-fi of the last few years have released 3D versions that are fantastic. Specifically thinking of Alita: Battle Angel, Blade Runner 2049, Godzilla vs Kong, and Dune (2021). It’s also not hard to get a hold of lot of modern Marvel movies in 3D if you’re willing to import overseas releases. 3D at home is firmly in the niche-but-fine category for me despite being decried as a “dead format” for the last decade. As was alluded to above, I absolutely expect Avatar 2 to have a 3D home release since Cameron’s one of the biggest proponents of the format in the film industry.

 

That said, the best way to experience 3D at home is still a fairly high barrier of entry. Personally I’d recommend looking into a short-throw 3D-capable 1080p DLP projector like the BenQ HT2050a and an inexpensive 90-110” screen over a small display format every day. Decent active glasses for those projectors can be had for $30-40 a pair.

[Commodus]

I must admit I wouldn't invest anything in 3D movies at home, but then I'm also one of those people who can't usually see stereoscopic content properly. If I go to a 3D showing at the theatre, the glasses just "fix" the 2D image so I'm not seeing double. That's probably part of why 3D movies fizzled out — it's a tough sell when a significant portion of your potential audience (about 5 percent, from what I understand) can't even consider it.