ViewSonic V3D245 review

A simple way to enjoy your games in the third dimension

TechRadar Verdict

Takes the hassle away from setting up 3D, and chucks in a good quality screen to sweeten the deal.

Pros

  • +

    Built-in IR emitter

  • +

    3D Vision glasses included

  • +

    Good colour quality for a TN screen

Cons

  • -

    Still miles short of an IPS

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Oh, hello 3D. Back again, are we? Yes, it's a rather reserved welcome that we offer the ViewSonic V3D245 3D gaming monitor, having not always seen eye to eye with Nvidia's 3D Vision and its associated headaches of both a logistical and very physical variety.

We want 3D to work. Really.

We want to experience another of those life-changing moments akin to our first peek at Doom, when suddenly everything changes and our eyes are left struggling to believe that what they're seeing isn't a terrifying three-dimensional reality.

The problem for current 3D tech, such as 3D Vision, is that every single game since 1981's Monster Maze has been trying to create the illusion of multiple dimensions and depth of field through rendering techniques.

From vertex shaders to ambient occlusion, it's all designed to trick your eyes.

So when you don the 3D Vision glasses included with this V3D245 and play modern games in true 3D, you get a headache, because all the graphical rendering techniques are pulling in one direction, and Nvidia's stereoscopic vision is pulling in the other.

Of course, it doesn't help that the glasses themselves are no more comfortable than sitting a furious scorpion across your eyes.

Phil Iwaniuk
Contributor

Ad creative by day, wandering mystic of 90s gaming folklore by moonlight, freelance contributor Phil started writing about games during the late Byzantine Empire era. Since then he’s picked up bylines for The Guardian, Rolling Stone, IGN, USA Today, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, VG247, Edge, Gazetta Dello Sport, Computerbild, Rock Paper Shotgun, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Xbox Magaine, CVG, Games Master, TrustedReviews, Green Man Gaming, and a few others but he doesn’t want to bore you with too many. Won a GMA once.