Trying to jumpstart a new market, Nvidia is introducing a pair of wired stereoscopic 3D glasses today for $99.
The company charges $199 for the wireless version of its 3D Vision glasses, which allow users to view computer games and movies in stereoscopic 3D. At $99, the wired version is aimed at making 3D more affordable for mass market gamers.
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based graphics chip maker introduced the new wired model at the Computex 2011 trade show in Taipei. The glasses use Nvidia’s active-shutter technology, which offers higher quality 3D than ordinary 3D glasses, allowing users to watch in 1080p, or high-definition. But the wireless glasses need to be charged and the wired version can be produced more cheaply. So the wired version may help the technology take off better.
Today, there are 525 full-HD 3D games that use Nvidia’s technology. Users can also watch Blu-ray 3D movies and view streaming 3D video from YouTube and 3DVisionLive.com with the glasses. The wired glasses support 65 different 3D Vision computers. Phil Eisler, general manager of 3D Vision at Nvidia, said the company has built the largest ecosystem of 3D products around 3D Vision.
Users connect the glasses to a PC via a 10-foot-long universal serial bus 2.0 cable. The wired glasses are expected to be available in late June from the Nvidia store, retailers, and web sites.