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looks like this guy is going to get you

The Haven recently had the pleasure of reviewing iZ3D’s H220Z1 3D/2D Switchable LCD Monitor.

First let’s provide some product spec’s and info on this interesting monitor:

Product Overview Features

3D / 2D Keyboard Switchable
Stacked Dual Panel Technology
Full 3D resolution to both eyes
Wide 3D viewing angle for multiple viewers/players
Passive 3D technology eliminating headaches, fatigue, and eyestrain
Full user control of 3D camera separation and convergence
Bright display for ambient light
Complete 3D display bundle: monitor, drivers, glasses, cables3D Software Drivers (included)
iZ3D 3D Output Driver
Anaglyph 3D Output Driver3D Glasses (3pair included)
Linear polarized passive lenses

System Requirements
Dual output graphics cardOS and API Support
Windows®Vista or Vista64
Windows® XP or XP64
Microsoft DirectX®8, 9, or 10
OpenGL®Quad BufferiZ3D Warranty and Support
1 year limited product repair / replacement warranty
Direct toll free phone and email access to dedicated monitor technical support team
Accessory parts replacement

The Test System used:

Athlon 62 X2 3800+ (yeah I know I need to upgrade)
2GB Ram
eVGA Nvidia 7600GT video card
O/S: Windows Vista SP1 32-Bit

Packaging and Setup:

Setup was a snap! The monitor and accessories were all neatly packed and organized in the box.  Simply snap on the base of the monitor, put it in the spot where you want it, plug both DVI cables into the back and also into your dual video card which thankfully the 7600GT was (I know I need to upgrade this as well but at least you know you can still use this monitor with an older non high end card). Flip on the power and then install the drivers which took about 2 minutes.  We used the latest 1.09 drivers at the time of testing.

Games Tested (note: these games weren’t listed on the iZ3D tested / supported list, but we wanted to see how it would work) :

Command and Conquer : Red Alert 3 Uprising (http://www.commandandconquer.com/portal/site/cnc/cncra3_uprising/)

Battleforge (http://www.battleforge.com/)

Atlantica Online (http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/)

Dual output graphics cardOS and API Support
Windows®Vista or Vista64
Windows® XP or XP64
Microsoft DirectX®8

Red Alert 3 Uprising:

Booted up this fine RTS (real-time strategy) without a problem.  Hit the hotkey for firing up the 3d-ness (default is *) and experienced the initial trippiness of 3D gaming (this was a first for for us).  Had to spend a few minutes adjusting the image (the convergence and divergence are adjusted by using the default keys shift and +/-).  Once we got it going, 3 of us had the iZ3D glasses on and were watching Soviet bears frolicking in 3D.  Had to admit that was pretty cool.  Most noticeable for this game in 3D was the palm trees they just seem like they’re popping off the screen and I was startled and screamed a bit when some V6 missles were launched at me.   It appeared like the missle came from my direction and onto the screen right infront of me – Wow!  One thing that I found a little bit difficult to get used to was seeing the right side in-game console with the 3D settings on, they seem more fuzzy then 3D.  But I guess 3D is more for the action oriented not for reading info stats!

Overall it was a good experience using the iZ3D monitor with Uprising.

Battleforge:

This is a fairly recent online RTS from EA.  At the time of the review we could not get the 3D settings to work with this game, the colours looked all washed out grey and the game crashed a few times.  This may have been a problem with our test machine but we were unable to get to the bottom  of it.

Atlantica Online:

This game is a free-2-play MMORPG played in the 3rd person view.  Again, this game was not on the supported list but we wanted to see if it’d work anyway.  We got the game loaded alright but spent a lot of time trying to adjust the 3D settings.  In the end, we could only get the character avatar looking slightly 3D, it was more like the character was just doubled up and beside each other than 3D though.  Anyway, this is just for you Atlantica Online fans out there that are thinking of trying this game in 3D.

Normal 2D use:

Using the iZ3D monitor for everyday tasks like web browsing and document processing was good.  The monitor is good quality and we noticed no issues or problems with these uses.

Overall:

Our time with the iZ3D H220Z1 was fairly positive.  3D gaming may not be new but definitely not mainstream yet.  After spending time playing in 3D we’re hoping that it does go mainstream soon and all games become 3D supported.  As shown during our review it’s not quite there yet, but when it is like in the case of Red Alert 3 Uprising, the experience is surreal, new and exciting.

We give the iZ3D H220Z1:   8.5/10!! and we look forward to future models and advances in the field of 3D gaming!