By Ned Jordan
The Viewsonic V3D231 is a 23' LED 3D-ready monitor that's a good option for
gamers looking to add the third dimension to their gaming experience. The
monitor supports 1920x1080 resolution and, quite importantly when it comes to
gaming, a 2ms response rate. Add a 20,000,000:1 contrast ratio and you have a
monitor that looks great even when you're using it with the Windows desktop. The
picture is sharp, the colors vibrant, and the monitor is quite bright ' which is
great if you're using it in a well-lit or bright room, although you may need to
tone down the brightness if you like to game in the dark. The available inputs
include VGA, DVI-D, and HDMI 1.4a ports, but since they are flush with the back
of the monitor and not angled downward this is a monitor strictly for desktop
use and not wall-mounting. While on the topic of the desktop, I should mention
that the monitor's stand leaves a lot to be desired. There seems to be a trend
these days in monitor stands to make them less and less adjustable. The V3D231's
stand is not height adjustable at all; you can only pivot the angle of the
display. It sits quite a bit lower than I am used to using, and I had to tilt it
upwards at an angle to view it comfortably. I use a dual-monitor setup and this
tilt made it impossible for me to align the edges of my two monitors flush with
each other. It took me a few days to get used to this setup, but after that I
got used to the arrangement and no longer noticed the difference in angles
between the monitors. The monitor also includes built-in speakers, but as is
usually the case with monitor speakers they're only really useful if you're
using them to regain desktop space taken up by small speakers. The small size of
the built-in speakers makes them sound a bit tinny when compared to better
quality computer speaker systems.
While that's all well and good, you're probably not reading this review
because you're just looking for a desktop monitor replacement, so let's get to
the 3D. The monitor includes a pair of passive 3D glasses, which means that
they're like the ones handed out in movie theaters and don't require power. The
quality is about that of the theater glasses, too, but nonetheless I found them
to be pretty comfortable to the point that while I was gaming I didn't really
notice them and I could wear them for extended gaming sessions without feeling
any discomfort from pressure points. For those of you who wear glasses, there is
also a clip-on version included for you to attach to the front of your glasses.
The V3D231 has a definite 'sweet spot' when it comes to viewing 3D content.
If the viewing angle or distance isn't within this sweet spot, then each eye
will pick up a little bit of the picture intended for the other eye, resulting
in some ghosting on the image. I found that I had to sit back a bit farther when
playing a game in 3D than I normally do, but not so much so that it made it
difficult or uncomfortable for me to control the game. The sweet spot gives you
a little leeway with viewing distance, but if you have a cramped workstation
there's a chance that you may be forced to be too close to your monitor for the
3D picture to fully snap into place. This is something to be mindful of if
you're looking to use this monitor with your PlayStation 3 for gaming. It's
better suited to single player play at a desk than it is for multiplayer play in
a living room.
The next question on your mind is probably whether or not you have to invest
in a 3D video card in order to play games in 3D. The answer is no, because the
V3D231 comes bundled with TriDef 3D software. However, the software seems to
have been bundled with the monitor more as an afterthought than anything else.
The barebones documentation that comes with the monitor doesn't provide any
information on installing the TriDef software or how to use it. I can image that
those who aren't too technically savvy will be left wondering why their games
aren't appearing in 3D after they've hooked up the monitor. You need to install
the TriDef software separately from the regular monitor software install, and
then run the TriDef software before starting your game or trying to view other
3D content. The first time you run the software it will scan your drive for
games and create a folder with shortcuts for the 3D profiles for the games that
it found. When launching a game, you'll need to launch it through its TriDef
profile rather than with the shortcut for the game itself. The TriDef software
found some but not all of the games on my PC, and didn't seem able to locate any
of the games that were downloaded through Steam.
The TriDef software has an extensive set of game profiles, but it doesn't
have one for every game out there. It's not too hard to clone the profile of one
game to another, so, for example, I was able to use the StarCraft II profile
with Diablo III. It's important to note that these profile take games 2D modes
and apply a 3D effect to them, so you're never going to see as good of an
overall effect and experience as you would playing a game designed for 3D
running on a 3D graphics card. That being said, some games do manage to come out
looking pretty good with the TriDef software and the V3D231. StarCraft II for
instance. Flying units actually soar above the battlefield, Thors tower above
smaller units, and structures rise above the map. It's almost like playing the
game with animated tabletop miniatures. The StarCraft II profile also works with
Diablo III, and the 3D adds a lot to the game. Small details like the grass
blowing in the wind suddenly look very real, while on a larger scale the vista
of Caldeum from the Hidden Camp is breathtaking.
Not every game benefits as much from the 3D treatment, though. World of
Warcraft has a built-in profile, but the 3D primarily makes the UI float above
the action as if you're watching the game through a window with the control
icons painted on it and with only a minor depth of field effect for the game
world.
If you don't get lucky with a pre-existing profile working on a game without
a profile, you can still launch the game through the TriDef software and then
try to adjust the parameters on the fly in-game using a pop-up control panel
accessed by pressing the '0' key on the number pad. Most of the options will
probably only make sense to a video card engineer, but some random twiddling of
settings may eventually get you to a 3D picture. Using this method I was finally
able to play Saints Row: The Third in 3D. The depth of field was surprisingly
good, especially when looking down the long streets of Steelport. However, when
things started to move quickly, like during high speed car chases, the visuals
started to get a bit blurry. For those of you who'd rather not leave each game
to an exercise in trial and error, the TriDef support site has an active forum
community that can provide you with help with some of the more popular games
that are missing preconfigured profiles.
On the whole, if you don't have a 3D video card to play games designed for
3D, the Viewsonic V3D231 with the TriDef software is a relatively inexpensive
way to enjoy some 3D gaming. It's not a perfect solution, though, and some games
certainly look better than others. The TriDef software is supposed to support 3D
movies as well, but if you select that option you're directed to their website
to pony up another $5 to enable the feature. The software also allows you to
view photos in 3D, but this feature doesn't work all that well. Photos look like
they're pasted onto a bumpy surface more than they do 3D scenes.
The Viewsonic V3D231 makes for a pretty good desktop monitor, and for an
inexpensive option for 3D gaming. For serious 3D gaming and movie watching,
though, you may want to invest in a more complete and dedicated solution.
Final Rating:
