One thing about Flight Simulator & computer/digital entertainment in general is that it is evolving, constantly & quickly! In 1999 I posted our 1st page about the site & where it is going & in this page I quoted :

"..... We see Simviation working it's way towards a full Aviation Entertainment center. 24 hour video. Fly direct on line rather than use your own computer. 3D vision eye wear will allow unbelievable virtual reality. The merging of the PC & the TV bringing ultra wide band connections will mean you will no longer have to download a file...... "

So when eDimensional approached me asking if we could review their latest 3d eyewear - I had to think for a minute who I should ask to do this - then - I though.... Me. Partly out of greed but mainly total curiosity & eagerness. I have been waiting for something like this for years. These are the 1st in what will be an evolving series of enabling devices to allow us to view virtual entertainment in 3d depth. So. How did they match my expectations?

There are 3 main issues to be considered.

1. Existing Hardware(Your computer/graphics card) : The ability of the computer & card to deliver suitable 2 & 3d imaging.
2. Software (Flight Simulator in this case) : How suitable is the software program to be converted to 3d compatible graphics.
3. 3d imaging device (3d glasses in this case) : It may be early days but how good are these & are they worth buying?

The glasses come in a suitable ridged box & come in 2 varieties, wired or wireless. I received the wired version & so can only comment on these. The glasses themselves are high quality plastic & you get the impression a lot of development has gone into their design & manufacture. The set comes with various adapters, plug ins & instructions & assembly is easy & straightforward.

It is important to note that systems with nVidia cards require the installation of drivers & stereo drivers available from the eDimensional site. I had to un-install my existing drivers, install the new drivers & stereo drivers & I also had to un-install FS2002 then Reinstall. Not all this was evident in the initial instructions & required telephone support. However eDimension have assured me this issue is being added to their instruction sheet. Once you do this there should be no problem. Owners of different cards may not experience this initial proceedure. Further modification must be made within the Control Panel/Display/Settings/Advanced/ but this is straightforward & easy provided you follow the instructions.

Once working the demo is stunning & the images seem to be jumping out from your computer screen & sinking back about 2 feet into it!

In FS2002 the graphics are stunning! I can honestly say that in some situations you feel like you are looking out of a window into a complete 3d virtual world. The 3d software splits the on-screen image into 'stereo' & works with the glasses with alternating graphics at a rate our eyes cannot detect. Clever stuff! It is obviously & unfortunately impossible to present a screenshot!

Trees, buildings & landscapes all appear at different depths of your screen. Flying over tall buildings is nearly scary as you look 'down'! Mountain regions come into their own with deep, beautiful, landscapes. The runway stretches into a virtual distance! It's brilliant!

You can toggle the stereo effect on & off with the simple 'Ctrl T' command. (although this is already assigned to FS2002 you can easily change that in 'Setting's in FS2002.) The visuals require tweaking to enable optimum 3d effect & eye relaxation but this is easy through simple keyboard commands that are listed in the instruction sheet.

I can, with my hand held to my heart, recommend these to any FS2002 user. They add so much to the experience of virtual flying & help to edge it on in the direction of virtual reality! &..... they are not just for FS2002! The glasses are also compatible with FS2000, Combat Flight Simulator & Combat Flight Simulator 2 as well as most modern computer games.

I can honestly say that I predict 3d visual devices such as these eDimensional glasses will be as popular as joysticks in a period of time - unless of course - our monitors/screens develop accordingly - which most likely will happen! But that is the future, these are NOW!

Visit the eDimensional site now to find out more.

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