Just Cause 2: 3D Nvidia Interview

05 Mar 2010 at 15:32:02 by Bill Vaughan

Nvidia Comms Manager Bea Longworth took some time out to speak to IncGamers about Nvidia 3D graphics, and how it works with the action game Just Cause 2.

Tell us a bit about the new Nvidia graphics card range and how it works with Just Cause 2.

Our 3D vision technology is actually compatible with all of our graphics cards from the 8 series and above, so that's been out for a little while now, but for a cutting edge game like Just Cause 2 it's probably a good idea to have one of our newer cards so you've got enough grunt to give you a really nice, smooth experience. The way that 3D Vision works is that the graphics card renders each frame of the game twice – once for each eye – so for the 3D technology to work, essentially, you need several components. You need the 3D Vision Active Shutter Glasses, you need a small infra-red emitter which connects the glasses to the computer, and then obviously, you need a graphics card in your computer that's capable of 3D Vision. You also need a panel – a monitor – which is at least 120hz, because what the 3D Vision technology does is it splits the picture into 60hz per eye, so you need to have that 120hz monitor for a really nice, smooth picture. Once you've got all those components, you're ready to go!

I wanted to talk to you about how it works with other games. Obviously, Just Cause 2 is an example, but I understand that this technology can be applied to every game and any game. Is that going to impact the power of the machine, or is it all done on the graphics card, and how far back can you go?

At the moment, 3D Vision is backwards compatible with around 400 games that are already available. The way the technology works, the workload is actually done by our drivers – that's where the clever stuff is. Our drivers can recognise games that are compatible with 3D Vision, and it automatically puts them into 3D. For game developers, it's a dream come true because there's very little for them to do! We do work with developers creating new games, like Square Enix with Just Cause 2, and that's fantastic because it means that they can build the 3D experiences right into the game, and make them very integral to the game itself. When you see Just Cause 2, it looks absolutely beautiful and 3D Vision really lends itself to the open vistas and open gameplay world that you've got going on.

In terms of performance and the way that 3D affects the graphics card performance, there is a performance hit there because the graphics card is effectively doing twice the work. It's not quite the halving of performance, if you like, but there is an impact, so it's important to be aware of that if you're putting together a rig and you want to use 3D Vision.

Is there any way you can avoid that – can you upgrade other components to help it, or...?

It is purely the graphics card, and having enough grunt in there. 3D Vision in that respect is maybe slightly more specialist, but it is a very accessible technology. It's really easy to get into, and it's very easy to get up and running. As I said, there are these 400 games which are playable with 3D Vision straight out of the box.

Say you took a game, an earlier one of the 400 lot. Does it still apply the same mechanics, the same principles; does it still generate the two images, does it do it at different angles as the eye would see it...?

It uses the same kind of mechanics, and it's exactly the same process. It renders the frame twice, once for each eye, and then offsets the images slightly so you get the 3D effect. For newer games like Just Cause 2, which have been specifically developed with 3D Vision in mind, you will get that enhanced experience because the game has been created specifically to be enjoyed in 3D. But for older titles – they look fantastic. My personal favourite is Street Fighter from Capcom, which looks really, really cool in 3D Vision! We actually showed it to the guys at Capcom when we were talking to them about Resident Evil 5, and they were blown away by how fantastic an older game that wasn't developed when 3D Vision was around looked. It just makes it really fun, and it's a nice way of bringing new life back to old favourite titles.