3D Glasses Comparison

Last Updated: Wednesday, June 05, 2002

Over the last month I have been testing 5 of the hottest 3D Glasses packages on the Net and this comparison is to help wrap up my findings.  I will update this list and my recommendations as other products come to market and we get a chance to evaluate them.  If you are a manufacturer or distributor and your product was not listed here and you would like to be please send me an email. 

The following paragraphs and tables will summarize each of the packages that I have tested and are intended to give you a quick side by side comparison of each. I believe I have covered everything that needs to be considered however I may have missed some things due to that fact that I only evaluated them as gaming glasses or a gaming gender I hadn't tested with. If you feel I have overlooked a feature please feel free to post a message on our message board and I will try to answer your question quickly and if it is important enough to warrant an update to this page I will do so.

Features
All of the packages tested worked with every driver available to me with the exception of the VRJoy2000 packages controller which wasn't compatible with the eyeSCREAM driver. Though not the end of the world due to the included VRCaddyME driver which is quite a capable driver on its own and shows great promise for the future.  On the other hand it would be nice to have the peace of mind that the other drivers are always an option.

All of the glasses tested were comfortable enough to use for long periods of time however the inclusion of head bands with both the Eye3D PCI and Premium gave them a slight advantage.  Both packages also had the largest lens size which I felt made them a bit more comfortable as well. Also all but the VRJoy2000 fit comfortably over prescription eye glasses as well so if you already wear corrective glasses I would recommend you consider one of the other packages.

Seeing as most of the packages controllers go on the desk or monitor the cable length of the controller and glasses weren't a problem.  However, cables on the glasses included in the Eye3D PCI and E-D Wired which both plug in behind the PC do seem too short when using a tower that is beside or below your desk.  In that case you might want to consider using a 3- 5 foot stereo head phone extension cable to give you a bit more room to work with.

Most of the packages come bundled only with the driver with a few exceptions. The Eye3D Premium comes bundled with VR Show which you can use to create stereoscopic pictures, slideshows, and movies and 3D Power DVD which besides the 2nd pair of glasses explains the major difference in price of the other packages.  The VRJoy2000 is the only bundle to include your choice of one of three games or for an extra $10 you can include all three

Driver Compatibility
With all the various driver options driver compatibility is an important factor to consider when picking a 3D Glasses package. Most of the glasses I tested supported all of the drivers available other than the VRJoy2000 which I had no luck getting to work with the eyeSCREAM driver.  There were however some problems with some drivers not activating or deactivating each controller automatically therefore requiring you to manually activate via the hardware button on controllers that had them and software on the ones which did not.

* - Must be manually activated
? - Not Tested

Bottom Line
Here are my recommendation for glasses ordered from cheapest to most expensive:

If you are just interested in gaming and 3D internet images aren't going to interest you and you have a free PCI slot for a no mess installation then the Eye3D PCI at $59.95 is the best choice for you.

Skip over the Eye3D Force because it lacks the line blanker and costs just dollars less then the next best solution.

If you want 4in1 action and wired glasses at the best price available then get the E-D Wired from eDimensional for $70.

If you want maximum compatibility and comfort and support for 3 pair of glasses at once, Wireless glasses and an extra pair of wired glasses, and you are one of those people that just has to have the best then the slightly steep $199 Eye3D Premium is just up your ally.

Hopefully you will have found the following reviews helpful in choosing your 3D Glasses path. I will be adding new reviews to our lineup as newer products are released.  We will also keep adding to our list of games that work with 3d glasses so if you have any questions please feel free to post on our 3D Glasses Forums.

Article by: William Gall
Date: April 29, 2001

Index:

• 3D Glasses How they Work
• Stereo Drivers
• Eye3D PCI 3in1 Wired Glasses
• E-D Wired Glasses Review
• VRJoy 2000 Review
• Eye3D Premium Review
• Roundup Conclusion
• Installing and using the Generic ELSA REVELATOR
• Setting Maximum Refresh Rates
• 3D Glasses Forum

Other Stereoscopic sites of interest

• Stereo3D - Lots of Stereoscopic information, news and discussion
• Stereovision - Another site wtih some good Stereo info and discussion
• 3-Cubed - 3D Stereo Products and Accessories
• eDimensional - 3D Stereo Products and Accessories
• VR Standard Corp - 3D Stereo Products and Accessories
• VRCAddyME - Stereo 3D Wrapper
• Win3D - Stereo 3D drivers and tools