3D Vision Blog

Minoru (meaning Reality in Japanese) is an interesting product in the form of a web camera that uses two lenses and two CMOS sensors in order to be able to take Stereoscopic 3D pictures and videos. The camera is not much expensive than a good normal webcam and even looks cute and a bit strange especially while sitting on top of your monitor, but that makes it even nicer…

The camera is supposedly very easy to setup and use in both normal 2D mode (just like a normal webcam) and in 3D mode, where it can output and record not only in the most commonly used Anaglyph mode, but also Side by Side and Row Interlaced mode. This means that you can produce S3D images and videos for easy viewing with anaglyph glasses or with other more expensive and providing better results products and technologies such as Nvidia’s 3D Vision or IZ3D’s Monitors. When taking video you can use up to 1280×480 resolution (Side by Side for 640×480 in stereo 3D mode) with 15/30fps, but for achieving good results at 30 frames per second you’ll need good lighting around you. The software is Windows only (seems to be frequently updated), but there is something going on for Linux support too. The recommended price of the Minoru 3D Webcam is $89, 50 pounds or 80 euro, depending on where i the world you live, which is pretty affordable, so I’m going to order one of these and try it out pretty soon. With the camera you also get a 5 pairs of anaglyph glasses, bit I’m actually more interested in producing videos for viewing on the 3D Vision… ;)

- To get the Minoru 3D Webcam if you don’t have it yet…
- To view some anaglyph demo videos taken with the Minoru webcam…

Some time ago I’ve written about a few interesting and upcoming games with Stereoscopic 3D support and Invincible Tiger was among them and now the game is already available, unfortunately only for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Still the good thing about it is that it not only comes with anaglyph mode, but also with shutter and polarized glasses support and not only that, but the official website does come with a lot of information on the topic. Besides an S3D trailer in anaglyph mode and game some screenshots, also in anaglyph you can find a support page with a lot of information on S3D support in the game and even what monitors and TVs work with which version of the game. The page even mentions 3D Vision, but then again it is not very clear of and how the game supports that with a compatible TV, because the 120Hz Samsung and Viewsonic monitors are marked as not compatible. We can just hope that in the near future more game developers will not only add S3D support int heir games, but will also offer enough information along with it… and that they will push it not only for console, but also for PC gamers. If you purchase the game for Xbox 360 or PS3 you can also fill a form on the game website and get 2 free pairs of anaglyph glasses as a bonus, so even if you don’t have a 3D compatible TV you’ll still be able to enjoy the game in S3D analyph on a normal TV, which, although has some drawbacks is still fun. ;)

- To visit the S3D page of the game Invisible Tiger…
- To visit the Invincible Tiger 3D TV Support page with a lot of info…

It seems that the era of 3D in gaming and in movies is coming back again, but then again it never ended… just that it was a bit forgotten and now as the interest is back, only good things should come (probably). There are some good news especially for gamers having 3D Vision or still using anaglyph 3D glasses as new games with official 3D support are coming very soon, so here is some brief information about 4 new titles…

G-Force

The game G-Force is based on the 2009 action comedy film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer for Walt Disney Pictures in Disney Digital 3-D. The film revolves around a team of trained secret agent animals: guinea pigs Darwin, Juarez, Blaster, mole Speckles, and fly Mooch. The team takes on a mission for the US government to stop evil billionaire Leonard Saber, who plans to destroy the world with household appliances and the game seems to follow the same story. The game G-Force has a 3D option and will come with red and blue (anaglyph) glasses, but if you are not using the built-in 3D mode it should also work with GeForce 3D Vision.

- For more information about the game G-Force…

Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao

Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao is a hand-to-hand action video game being developed by Blitz Arcade and published by Namco Bandai Games. The game tells the story of Han Tao, aka General of a Thousand Victories, who attempts to rescue the Star of Destiny from the foul clutches of the Evil Overlord. As Han Tao, players must fight their way through the Evil Overlord’s throngs, using a number of hyperbolic hand-to-hand combat techniques, ancient weapons, and Zen-powered attacks. The game is expected to be released this summer and it suggests that it will be playable in 3D, with anaglyph and probably shutter glasses like GeForce 3D Vision.

- For more information about the game nvincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao…

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game is an upcoming video game adaptation of James Cameron’s film of the same name (it is not related to Avatar: The Last Airbender!). The title is being developed by Ubisoft and is expected to be available by the end of the year. It was announced by Ubisoft that it will be using the same technology as the film to be displayed in 3D. It seems the game will work very well with GeForce 3D Vision, but there is still not much information available, even the official website is pretty empty.

- For more information about the game James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game…

Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, where you take control of Chris Redfield and/or Sheva Alomar in a similar fashion to Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil 4, with the same over-the-shoulder perspective. The game begins as Chris Redfield is deployed to Kijuju, Africa, to join Sheva Alomar and apprehend Ricardo Irving, who is attempting to sell a bio-organic weapon on the black market. Along the way, they witness a local being fed a parasite, which quickly takes control of his body, turning him into a Majini. From here on, almost all Kijuju locals seen by Chris and Sheva have been turned into Majini… The good thing about Resident Evil 5 is that its Windows version expected later this year (console versions of the game are already out) should be specially optimized for use with GeForce 3D Vision and thus should be able to provide really great 3D effect.

- For more information about the game Resident Evil 5…