HEADACHE INDUCIN' FUN!
A Review of 3-D Spex
by Mark W. Frantz
Movies like The Lawnmower Man and the holodecks of Star Trek: The Next Generation has brought the thinking of the world toward total immersion in simulated environment. In other words, virtual reality. And VR technologies, though in their infant stages, are available to the public. But up until now, these VR devices have run anywhere from $800 to $2000, out of the range of the average game player. But Nuvision Technologies, while not offering full-blown VR, takes the middle road between the computer screen and the VR Headset, with their affordable 3-D Stereoscopic SPEX.
The SPEX is a pair of glasses that plug into you parallel port, and contain two liquid crystal lenses. The SPEX are comfortable to wear, and are designed to rest comfortably on your face or over your existing glasses. No expansion cards are necessary, and other than the minor inconvenience (at that I experienced) of having to unplug your printer to use the SPEX, they are remarkably simple to use. It takes about five minutes of setup time before you're playing.
The SPEX works by using stereoscopics. The way that it works is the same way the human eyes give the perception of depth. When one lens is clear, the other becomes opaque. Then they switch. This happens so fast that it is imperceptible to the user that it is happening, and gives the impression of depth, somewhat effectively. The games that support the SPEX, without the glasses on, look like the game programmer had too much caffeine that night. It's blurry, and headache inducing. It is not recommended that one try to play these games without the SPEX on. Ouch.
How effective is the SPEX in providing 3D? It does a reasonable job, certainly better than any other efforts without the use of some peripheral device. Some of the games show a marked difference with the SPEX, others only marginal. But always perceptible, even if only a little. If I try to duck out of the way of something being fired at me, I take that as a good indicator of three dimensionality.
There are some drawbacks to the stereoscopic system. If your monitor and video card can't achieve fast refresh rates, you'll get an annoying flicker when you use the glasses. And let me tell you, until I figured out how to up that refresh rate, I had migraines after using these things. But once my refresh rates were pumped up, things improved, and I was able to use them without the headaches. Unfortunately, some older video cards won't be able to get a good enough refresh rate, so be sure to check your highest rate. (75 MHz or above recommended)
The SPEX comes bundled with three games, Slipstream 5000, a futuristic racing game, Whiplash, a present day car racing game, and Descent II: Destination Quartzon, a first person search and destroy game. Of the three, DII:DQ is the best of the bunch in terms of playing and provides the best example of 3D SPEX's capabilities. I found myself ducking from laser shots by a rival opponent, because the laser shot seemed to be coming off the screen and at me. Quite impressive. Slipstream 5000 and Whiplash are both solid games themselves, although the 3D effect is somewhat less.
The only major drawback to the SPEX is that it's headache inducing. Using the SPEX for more than an hour at a time will leave you with nasty headaches. And there is a large warning section in the manual outlining the dangers of prolonged use, and the risk of seizures and epilepsy in rare cases. But these are extreme effects, and the average user should not consider these truly worthy of their attention.
So, the SPEX are an affordable alternative to the expensive headsets. And although they aren't VR, they do provide a solid 3D effect in the games it supports. For the ambitious gamer without an extravagant budget, the 3D SPEX may be the answer for your 3D ambitions. But keep the Tylenol handy, just in case.
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: |
3-D Spex |
| Company: |
Nuvision Technologies
|
| Cost: |
$100 |
System Requirements:
486/66 or better
DOS 5.0 or higher or Windows95
8 MB RAM
2x CD-ROM drive
VGA Card or better
30 MB Free Hard drive space
Parallel Printer Port
Electrical Outlet
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 4
Graphics 4
Sound 4
Interface 4
Replayability 4
Overall Score:
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