NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Lets You See Double

— -- If NVIDIA claimed a pair of funky specs would let you "see" in true 3D, would you buy it? That's precisely what PC gaming's GPU-kingpin is claiming, and if you're thinking "red-and-blue cellophane" or "barf bag on standby," think again.

For $200, GeForce 3D Vision comes with a pair of shades that look a bit like Ali G's yellow-tinted scan-ware, only thicker round the rims and arms and more angular in the corners. They charge off a USB port but sync wirelessly (via infrared) with your PC, which at least spares you the indignity of running cable ties down the back of your shirt and out the tail end of your desk chair.

Did I say two-hundred bucks? Excuse me, I meant $500-$600. Yep, you'll need a special TV (e.g. Samsung's $400 2233Hz desktop LCD) to get the 120hz frequency split-trick NVIDIA's goggles require to output separate 60hz signals to each eyeball. Nothing mind-blowing, just the old stereoscopic "two slightly offset images" fake-out, sort of like Fisher Price's View-Master with a GPU crunching the visuals in lieu of your finger.

NVIDIA's branding should help this iteration of the tech secure a toehold, but the full-package price tag may inhibit even enthusiast adoption until the economy turns around.