Oldschool 3D Relevators; still useful?

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FrozenLiquidity

[H]ard|Gawd
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Aug 28, 2007
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Ok, so here's the deal...

Back in about 1999 or 2000, I picked myself up a pair of Elsa 3D Relevator glasses(old page, don't trust all of the info) along with my GeForce2 GTS 64MB, which was just screaming back then. I had an absolute blast playing games with them, and did not suffer from the headaches and other problems that other people complained about, so don't go trying to talk me out of this. ;)

Anyway, I still have my old glasses, as far as I know they still work. I still have the old cable. Hell, I still have the GeForce2 that I bought way back when. The thing is I don't want to use my GeForce2, I want to try some of the more recent games. I still have a fast CRT monitor that can pump out the refresh rates needed, but what I am missing seems to be a video card cut out for this task.

I guess I am just not as familiar with how this signal is sent by the card. So I want to know a few things...

Since these used a D-SUB (analog) signal, I expect that a DVI to VGA adapter which most cards use to connect to sources with analog input, would not work for these glasses. Is that a false assumption? I mean, if it does work then all I have to do is grab the DVI-VGA adapter, and plug my computer into an old CRT to start pumping out the 3D again. I have a feeling it's not that simple, but I am not sure, so I want to hear it from the experts who may know more about this than I do.

In the case that it doesn't work, and you need a card with a VGA D-SUB connector to do this, is it possible for cards like this (just an example, am not going to blow $300 just to play on an old CRT) to be used with the old 3D glasses because it does have that connector?
- If so, I suppose it's a matter as simple as finding a cheap and fast nVidia card that has the D-SUB style connector, and just using that. If not, then Plan C...

If neither of the solutions presented above are viable, then what is the best way to get these glasses back into action? What's the best card I can possibly use that is still compatible with these old glasses and can provide? I know it differs from the current system which is a dual-link card to a special dual-input screen capable of refresh rate of 120Hz. But if you're familiar with the old system or maybe have some experience with them working on more recent hardware, care to throw me a bone?

Thanks! :cool: <- Me with my old glasses on.
 
It sounds like a driver mess, but

the DVI-D pinout saves 9 pin for an anolog connection, all those DVI to VGA adapters do is allign the pins correctly.
 
i know my 3d glasses work with a dvi - vga adapter.

Edit: also my sapphire 4890 vapor-x had a d-sub connection, and that wasnt expensive.
 
The answer is yes, and no. Let me explain. Technically the glasses will still work with somewhat newer cards and DVI is not a problem if you use a DVI-VGA adapter. However when it comes to driver support (needed to actually run the games in 3D) that becomes a problem. To make a long story short Nvidia decided in '07 to drop support for standard stereo 3d hardware (shutter glasses, HMDs, etc.) and instead force buyers to purchase their proprietary 3D Vision glasses. The old drivers will still work (with video cards up to 7900) but really nothing much newer than that. A few people managed to get 3D working on the 8800 GTX with some hacking but other 8 series cards do not work. Anything newer and you have to purchase the 3D Vision 120Hz monitor bundle. So if you can find a cheap used 7800 or similar, are running WindowsXP and have a CRT monitor than you can run the legacy drivers (but of course with hardware like that the newest games you can run is probably HL2, etc.).

The other option would be to upgrade to a modern 3D solution. I am currently using a Zalman Trimon 22" 3D LCD monitor and the quality is pretty nice. It has some issues due to the way it works, but once you configure it correctly its pretty impressive. You can get one for under $300 (glasses included) and it will work with just about any game you can think of. There is also the IZ3D monitor, which is also $300, and the 3D Vision of course which is a bit more expensive.
 
cybereality said:
The answer is yes, and no. Let me explain. Technically the glasses will still work with somewhat newer cards and DVI is not a problem if you use a DVI-VGA adapter. However when it comes to driver support (needed to actually run the games in 3D) that becomes a problem. To make a long story short Nvidia decided in '07 to drop support for standard stereo 3d hardware (shutter glasses, HMDs, etc.) and instead force buyers to purchase their proprietary 3D Vision glasses. The old drivers will still work (with video cards up to 7900) but really nothing much newer than that. A few people managed to get 3D working on the 8800 GTX with some hacking but other 8 series cards do not work. Anything newer and you have to purchase the 3D Vision 120Hz monitor bundle. So if you can find a cheap used 7800 or similar, are running WindowsXP and have a CRT monitor than you can run the legacy drivers (but of course with hardware like that the newest games you can run is probably HL2, etc.).

The other option would be to upgrade to a modern 3D solution. I am currently using a Zalman Trimon 22" 3D LCD monitor and the quality is pretty nice. It has some issues due to the way it works, but once you configure it correctly its pretty impressive. You can get one for under $300 (glasses included) and it will work with just about any game you can think of. There is also the IZ3D monitor, which is also $300, and the 3D Vision of course which is a bit more expensive.
Click to expand...

Hmm, thanks for taking the time to write all this. Kind of a mixed response, very interesting. I am glad to see I was wrong on some accounts, yet they seem to have gone the opposite direction than I expected them to in others.

I'll take a look at the options you've suggested and wee what works best. I wasn't aware of some of them, so it looks like I have some investigating to do. :cool:
 
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