LCDs that were driven from the VGA port had a screen refresh. However, not all of these did that as there was circuits built in to convert the signal. However DVI connected screens do not refresh it is the video card as you say that refreshes the image.

Well, they do kind of. What happens is the Pixels stay in the state they are in until told to change. So, most of the screen on each card refresh does stay the same, only elements that need to display something different change.

Just to chime in.

I've had a 3D Vision setup since pretty much the day it came out, and it's an amazing tech. Those who seems to be against it are usually the ones that haven't tried it. Everyone I've shown it to has been impressed and wanted a setup of their own.

Nvidia wrote their driver to basically support a lot of games right out of the box without the games actually having to do anything to support 3D vision. There are things games can do to support it and make the effect look better; and sometimes games just don't work correctly at all, usually because of an issue with how the shadows, lights, reflection are rendered.


As to eye strain and headache, I can say that I don't have any issue. I have on many occasions put in an eight hour game session with Fallout 3.
People might have issue with it at first when they try to adjust the 3D depth higher than they should. There's actually some training that you need to do in order to be comfortable playing a game in stereoscopic 3D. When I first got my 3D vision I couldn't play with the depth setting to max, the image wouldn't converge (and I have to turn down the depth setting when I show it to other people); but after a week or so of playing I could easy crank up the depth setting. It's just a matter of your eyes/brain getting use to the effect.

Regarding stuff flying out of the screen, and the gimmicky 3D of yesteryear. 3D gaming isn't about stuff popping out of the screen, it's actually stuff popping into the screen, and giving depth to images. Have any of you seen Avatar in 3D? 3D vision offers an effect more like that, where the image goes into the screen, and not cheap 3D effect with stuff popping out.
The effect really isn't a gimmick, but more of an evolution in the gaming experience. Think of it like going from mono to stereo sound, it's not needed but it does add to the experience.

I have to say that stereoscopic 3D adds a ton of immersion to gaming. I play Fallout 3 pretty much exclusively with 3D vision because the game looks so flat and lifeless without it.

Anyways, don't be so negative about it. If you don't want to play in stereoscopic 3D no will force you to. It's an enhancement that some people will enjoy and others won't care for.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's cool. I'm just really sensitive to the flicker and it bothers me enough to relegate it to a novelty for me. When they come up with a technology that's cost-effective and doesn't involve flicker I'm in.

The last 3-D glasses I had came with a GeForce3 card I had years ago:
http://www.dansdata.com/v8200d.htm

I don't notice any flickering at all. Nvidia's 3D Vision requires a 120hz screen, so you're getting 60hz per eye. I'd be fairly impressed if you were able to noticed any flickering.
That being said, Nvidia's 3D vision does have other problems with ghosting, but that might just be the monitor I have.

There are non-shutter glasses options out there. There is a company called iZ3d which I think uses a polarized screen and glasses for 3D. I can't say how well it works as I never researched into it.

Maybe at some point we'll start seeing 3D computer screens that don't need glasses. If I recall correctly, they use lenticular lenses to provided two different views for each eye. The problem with this tech is that there is a "sweet spot" where you have to have your head in order to see the 3D image correctly. I think this is the technology that Nintendo's 3DS will be using.

In any case there are a few options out there for 3D stereoscopic gaming. I just like Nvidia's 3D Vision because it seems like it works well, and is getting supported. That's really the biggest issue with 3D gaming, you need it to be supported by as many games as possible. Since Nvidia has access to all the data at the driver level, they can have 3D Vision support a lot of games without the games having to special code to support it.

Whether you notice it consciously or not, it's there. CRT monitors with 120Hz refresh rates are harder on your eyes than LCD monitors. You don't actually notice any flicker, but your eyes do, and it makes them work harder even if you aren't aware of any difference.

I've seen the polarized screens. It's a cool idea, but it's a lot of extra hardware just to achieve the 3-D effect. Like I said, the shutter glasses just aren't for me...hopefully there will be more cost effective alternatives in the future.

I got 3D Vision right when it released. It's fun for a while and with certain games (Like source games), but after a while it just becomes annoying to put the glasses on. Buying a 120Hz Monitor though is well worth it.