NVIDIA 3D Vision in Windows 7

Since Avatar (Avatar Theme) there is quite a hype about everything 3D. The latest NVIDIA drivers for Windows 7 include 3D Vision and the most popular MMO World of Warcraft supports 3D Vision since patch 3.08! This is a detailed guide that will show you what equipment you need for 3D Vision and how you can watch 3D movies and images on your PC without expensive 3D glasses.

New NVIDIA cards support 3D Vision and 3D Vision Discover.
You don’t need much equipment to try out 3D Vision Discover, you only need some equipment if you are going for the high-end solution 3D Vision.

NVIDIA 3D Vision vs. 3D Vision Discover

If you don’t want to spend $199 on a 3D Vision Kit, you can simply get one of the normal 3D glasses that you know from the cinema theaters (red/cyan anaglyph). You probably have one at home, they are often included in magazines. NVIDIA recommends their specialized NVIDIA 3D glasses (they are bundled with specific NVIDIA graphic cards and you can also get them on NVIDIA events), but that’s just a trick to get more sales.

With some glasses and a new graphic card you can get a feel for 3D gaming. If you like it, you can then decide if 3D Vision is something for you or not. After all $199 is a lot of money for the 3D Vision Kit and if you are not into 3D as much as you thought you were, you wasted a lot money.

According to NVIDIA their glasses are custom-designed, specialized anaglyph (red/cyan) glasses, but it works with a normal one as well.

3D Vision System Requirements

Let’s go through the checklist and find what you need for 3D Vision:

• NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit (Optional, for true 3D Vision)
• 3D Vision-Ready Display (Optional, for true 3D Vision)
• Compatible NVIDIA Graphics Card
• PC With Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7

3D Vision Ready Display

In order to enjoy 3D vision, you will need a 3D Vision-ready display. There aren’t that many 120 Hz displays on the market, but you can also use your HDTV for this.

120 Hz displays:

1920×1080 Desktop Displays

• ACER GD245HQ 120 Hz LCD display
• ACER GD235HZ 120 Hz LCD display

1680×1050 Desktop Displays

• Samsung® SyncMaster 2233RZ 120 Hz LCD display
• ViewSonic® FuHzion™ VX2265wm 120 Hz LCD display

One of the best displays is the Samsung Syncmaster 2233RZ 22″ 3D Gaming LCD Monitor

Samsung Syncmaster 2233RZ 22

For a complete list of 3D Vision displays, check out the official 3D vision requirements site:
List of 3D Vision Displays

3D Vision Ready Gaming Graphic Cards

You will also need a graphic card that supports 3D Vision gaming:

3D Vision Gaming

GeForce GTX 295 GeForce GTX 285 GeForce GTX 280 GeForce GTX 275 GeForce GTX 260 GeForce GTS 250 GeForce GTS 240 GeForce GT 140

GeForce 9800 GX2 GeForce 9800 GTX+ GeForce 9800 GTX GeForce 9800 GT GeForce 9600 GT

GeForce 8800 Ultra GeForce 8800 GTX GeForce 8800 GTS GeForce 8800 GT

Sidenote: This table only lists graphic cards that are needed for 3D gaming, you can view 3D images or 3D movies with other cards as well.

For a complete list of graphic cards that support 3D Vision (Discover):
List of 3D Vision Graphic Cards

NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit (Optional)

You will also need the 3D Vision Kit in order to fully enjoy 3D gaming, but read more below for possible alternatives.

Buy nVidia GeForce 3D Vision Kit

Enable 3D Vision Discover

After installing the latest drivers (you will need v186.18 or higher for 3D Vision Discover), a shortcut will appear on your Start menu that allows you to disable/enable 3DVision Discover, but of course you can also access it via “C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\3D Vision”

Experience 3D Vision Discover

You got an anaglyph (red/cyan glasses) and want to try out NVIDIA 3D Vision Discover? This is a gallery of 3D pictures of games that support 3D Vision. If you installed the latest drivers, enabled 3D Vision Discover and put on your 3D glasses, you can finally experience 3D yourself!

Yes, I know that’s not very spectacular, because they are not moving. But you know what? Open up the NVIDIA control panel (right-click on desktop-> NVIDIA Control Panel) and click on “Set up stereoscopic 3D”. At the bottom click on a “Test stereoscopic 3D” and then on “Launch Test Application” to launch a 3D demo that is pretty amazing.

Enable 3D Vision in World of Warcraft

If you want to play WoW in 3D, you have to enable stereo video mode in World of Warcraft. Stereo = Stereoscopic 3D