| Author | Message | ||
     dvdbunny1 Rating: N/A |
anyone that is using a Nvidia graphics card and the emagin z800 3d visor please post honest reviews. the Z800 has a native resolution of 800 x 600 so you will be all testing games at that resolution. But please state what level of anisotropic filtering (AF) and full scene anti aliasing (FSAA) you are using. Anyone with a Nvidia 7800GTX and a fast processor would be best to run all games in 800 X 600 8X FSAA 16X AF Stereo 3D using Nvidia stereovision forceware drivers. If you have two 6800 Ultra running in SLI then use the same specs as above. If you are using a 6600 GT then do the same but use 8x AF and 4X FSAA. With the AF and FSAA in games at 800 x 600 you will notice a huge improvement in graphical quality as everything will look very sharp, and walls and corners with have clean edges that really shine. coupled with stereo 3d and your visor will bring about a very immersive gaming experience. Please only post a review of some games if you have the visor. I don't want this thread crammed with crap, only reviews. Good games to test in stereo 3D is Far Cry, Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004, Doom 3, Painkiller, Half-Life 2 and America's Army, No limits roller coaster 3D, Disneys Ultimate ride, commanche 4 even though it's old it's still amazing. and many others. | ||
| dvdbunny1 Rating: N/A |
Sorry a little mistake on what i wrote about SLI and Stereo 3D. Nvidia are saying the follwoing on their websites download page of the stereo drivers. 'Currently SLI does not work when using 3D Stereo drivers.' Please some good reviews | ||
| Anonymous Rating: N/A |
Good to have this thread for reviews. But I would prefer reviews that focus on the Z800 itself and not on the games. That is, things like these: -Image resolution and sharpness, contrast and brightness, quality of blacks, color reproduction -Optical distortions and focus/bluriness. -Perceived difference of OLED with LCD. -Is the FOV acceptable? -Pixels too visible? -Is the frame-rate acceptable (30fps per eye in stereo)? -Image delay (does it react to your actions like shooting immediately?) -Stereo perception/immersion quality (having in mind this is not all responsibility of the Z800) -Tracker precision, update rate and lag Well, these things can be put in the context of a game, but we're more interested in the visor. | ||
| dvdbunny1 Rating: N/A |
Yes good point i think i was getting into writing my thread that i forgot to mention some of the more important factors than just the specs of games. Let the reviews come | ||
| David Goode Rating: N/A |
Did you guys receive a demo disc of any sort with your z800? can you watch stereo 3D movies? Dave | ||
| dvdbunny1 Rating: N/A |
only reviews in here please post those questions in this thread http://www.stereo3d.com/discus/messages/24/3352.html?1121787776 | ||
| Anonymous Rating: N/A |
The emagin HMD isn't even available as of yet???? | ||
| Anonymous Rating: N/A |
Take a look at this slide show from PC magazine. http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l=&s=25696&a=155812&po=9,00.asp | ||
| zsteve Rating: N/A |
Anyone experts here get one to review? | ||
| Fact Rating: N/A |
Yeah more stupid cross posting and self promoting from Stewart (dvdbunny1) at cybercrap. Not only do you cross post but you make up names and talk to yourself too. Get back on your meds. | ||
| dvdbunny1 Rating: N/A |
what are you talking about. Your crazy | ||
| Ray Price Rating: N/A |
Hi All, You can see my review here... http://raeldor.blogspot.com Please post any comments or questions, and I will do my best to update the review to answer as many as I can. Regards | ||
| albusD Rating: N/A |
Ray Price , Thanks - so you think the resolution is okay at SVGA? Did you have any trouble with peripheral clarity - like reading text say at the bottom of the screen or off to the sides - like cockpit controls etc? Do you have Painkilller - if so I'd like to hear your thoughts on that experience too. I can't wait to try the WOW experience you decribe. Another reviewer at Yahoo! claims that the unit does have a microphone built in and that he used it and it worked but he was told he sounded a bit tinny. Could you confirm this? Any trouble with comfort of the Visor? Stays on well? Is comfortable? Any eye fatigue? How long did you have it on at one time. Have you watched any 3D videos on it? Could you tell us your system specs too? Thanks again Ray Price. | ||
| John Andre Rating: N/A |
Interesting  Probably still a bit out of my pricerange, but interesting indeed. Have your tried using Naturalpoints solution with FS 2004? I guess that would work pretty well? | ||
| Ray Price Rating: N/A |
Hi albusD, Resolution looks great I think. The benefit of larger resolution would be in a wider FOV rather than more pixels per inch. When the visor is in place correctly the text at the outside is ok for reading, but I wouldn't want to read text with this for extended periods, I think they are much better suited to gaming as reading text on a screen that big means a lot of eye movement which will become strenuous. That's interesting about the microphone, I will try it out when I get a chance. Visors stays good. It's pretty comfortable, the straps are adjustable but you definitely know you have it on. I haven't noticed much eye fatigue, in fact I was just mentioning to someone yesterday how I thought the 3D effect was much less strenuous on the eyes than shutter glasses. I haven't watched any 3D videos. Not really my thing, but I can try it if you have a link to a 3d player and some media. My system specs are... Pentium 4 3.4Ghz 1GB RAM GeForce 6800GT Audigy Soundcard Regards | ||
| Noel Rating: N/A |
So it is not good enough for text based applications? More of a simple gaming device? | ||
| Ray Price Rating: N/A |
I think a monitor is still the preferable display method for text based applications. The exception to use is if you are dealing with sensitive materials and don't want people reading over your shoulder (airplane). A monitor is higher resolution, and is clearer since you are not looking through a magnifying lense to view it (no matter how good the lense is, it's never going to be as clear as looking directly at an LCD screen). I wouldn't undermine it as a 'simple gaming device'. Use of this headset with simulator applications such as flight an driving are extremely realistic compared with viewing on a monitor and it could easily be used as part of a training setup for such. | ||
| Michael B Rating: N/A |
Excellent finally someone has recieved a unit.. cool and thanx for the feedback.. your Blog is awesome, I'm sure you'll recieve loads of hits overthe next few days Now onto one important issue. I'd like to know if at all the z800 would be benificial when using 3d design Applications such as Maya or 3d Studio Max ? If there is anyone out there with a z800 and has Max or Maya could you please give it a run and let us know how well itperforms and what sort of advantage if any does the head tracker and the use of a hmd contributee when desinging 3D scenes ?? Michael | ||
| Glen Murphy Rating: N/A |
You mention the i-glasses in your review - how does it compare? I own the i-glasses SVGA 3D and found them pretty lacklustre. | ||
| Ray Price Rating: N/A |
I haven't tried the i-Glasses 3D personally, but judging by the specs the image size should be larger (i-Glasses is 27 degrees, Z800 is 40 degres). I have tried the Sony PLM, the Cy-Visor and the Olympus Eye-Trek and can say that this unit is definitely superior in image quality, color and sharpness to all three. | ||
| zsteve Rating: N/A |
I have a Z800 and can't imagine working or playing with a fov that's 30% less. Fourty degrees should be the minimum starting point with 60 or 80 degree being optimum. | ||
| Andy W Rating: N/A |
Ray, you mentioned that you had to move the optics closer to your eyes to get a view that wasn't distorted around the edges. Given this, do you think it would be easy to wear spectacles (eyeglasses) under the Z800? | ||
| Ray Price Rating: N/A |
Hard for me to comment on spectacles, as I don't wear them. I think it should be ok, but it may mean getting the distance between the two eye pieces pretty precise. I would try it out first. In respect to field of view, I have posted some comparisons between the major headsets at... http://raeldor.blogspot.com I have calculated the virtual screen size at the same distances using the FOV, as it's hard to compare the models normally since every manufacturer uses different distances. I would agree though that a 40 degree FOV would be minimum. I like the Z800, but couldn't imagine using anything with a smaller FOV and enjoying it as much. Obviously this is the first consumer product, but if it sells well I don't see why they wouldn't do a higher rez/fov version at a later date with newer technology as they develop it. We are probably at least a couple of years away from that yet though. | ||
| Walter Marton Rating: N/A |
Ray, thank you very much for your review! Can you please tell me, which are the SVGA-refresh rates the Z800 can cope with? Which is the minimum to get satisfactory moving picture? If the manual/spec is a pdf, could you please post it to me? thanks! | ||
| zsteve Rating: N/A |
It's 60Hz I believe but since it is rapid fire OLED using non field sequential color and they store under each individual pixel the color data there is nothing like it. You have to see it for yourself. No flicker or smear. | ||
| Noel Rating: N/A |
I tried one and the view did smear when I turned my head. | ||
| bigpat Rating: N/A |
Andy W, I tried the z800 with my glasses on and there was no distortion and the Z fit easily over my glasses. I wear contacts most of the time, so I just wore the Z for a few minutes with my glasses on to try it out. Mostly I was curious to see how the image would look without my glasses. It is so counter intuitive, but if you are nearsighted everything looks burry even though the screen is just a couple inches from your eye. So you need corrective lenses as if the image was real and coming from far away. Several friends also tried my z800 on with their glasses and didn't mention any distortions or discomfort either (and they have some pretty thick glasses). bigpat | ||
| Andy W Rating: N/A |
Thanks Ray and Bigpat. I knew I'd have to wear my specs, so this is a big deal for me. | ||
| Mick Rating: N/A |
so does it smear or doesn't it smear ? Seems to be 2 conflicting stories ... | ||
| Ben Rating: N/A |
Well, I've just got mine tonight! and I have no idea what he means by smear? seems perfect to me! I'll have to have a proper play with them when I have time tomorrow. Ben | ||
| Ray Price Rating: N/A |
I don't think it smears. Obviously if you are using the mouse to move and the scene travels past your eye quickly it will appear to blur because your eye can't track that fast. When you use head tracking I don't see any visible smear. | ||
| Andy W Rating: N/A |
I think Mick was referring to the distortion away from the centre that you, Ray, mentioned in your review ("What I mean by this is that the clarity in the centre of the optics is very good, but even just a little from the centre there is some distortion of the image. Adjusting the inter-pupilary distance (which is done by just moving each eye’s display individually) helped a lot with this, as did moving the displays physically closer to my eye."), and which bigpat and Ben didn't see. So I think his question was meant to be "Does it distort or doesn't it?" Please correct me if I'm wrong, Mick. | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
Ray, how are you doing with the Z800? Any problems yet? After you told us about FS2004 only having the 2 DOF's I ordered the TrackIR 3 Pro with the vector expansion clip. The trackIR gets delivered on Monday but who knows how long it will be before the Z800 arrives. Somewhere, somehow I read that the head tracking required the Z800 by plugged in to a USB port. They have a connector for external power and I was wondering if anyone knew if I used the external power and not the USB, would this way stop the head tracking when I'm using the TrackIR? boB | ||
| Ray Price Rating: N/A |
Haven't had as much chance to play with it as I would have liked, for personal reasons. It's not that it has 2DOF, I believe the headtracker has 3DOF, but the software only does mouse emulation, and FS2004 doesn't allow mouse look. It needs a joystick emulator in the software drivers. I don't know how TrackIR works, but the Z800 can be plugged into the USB and the tracking enabled and disabled by the installed software, so it shouldn't interfere with other drivers. Just make sure TrackIR has joystick emulation driver. | ||
| GianCarlo Rating: N/A |
I just read here that the microdisplays in the Z800 are really 852x600, SVGA+ as opposed to just SVGA. http://www.emagin.com/WFO5.htm This should boost the FOV from 40 to 42 degrees. Can anyone with a Z800 try creating a custom res of 852x600 for their game and seeing if that boosts the FOV? You can also create a custom res for your desktop using the nVidia drivers but it will have to be 848x600 since nVidia requires it to be a multiple of 8. I'm excited to hear the results! | ||
| GianCarlo Rating: N/A |
Ok, maybe I'm wrong, perhaps eMagin put regular SVGA microdisplays in the Z800, but it still might be worth a shot... | ||
| Ben Rating: N/A |
I've found with mine there are a number of dead pixels. I counted 11 on the left side and a few on the right. The pixels are so small that they're not noticeable though, like the size of a small pin prick. It doesn't bother me however, and I'm quite picky. Ben | ||
| Ray Price Rating: N/A |
I tried the 848x600 and it didn't display on the Z800. Could be the video processor doesn't support that resolution? | ||
| Ray Price Rating: N/A |
Actually, looking at their website, it says they make... SVGA+ and SVGA 3D Microdisplays So the 3D version is not SVGA+? | ||
| GianCarlo Rating: N/A |
Apparently the Z800 is not SVGA+. Pity they couldn't figure out a way to put their other microdisplay in it  . | ||
| zsteve Rating: N/A |
they use the svga+ version for running video at VGA resolution in 16:9 widescreen format | ||
| bigpat Rating: N/A |
"What I mean by this is that the clarity in the centre of the optics is very good, but even just a little from the centre there is some distortion of the image. Adjusting the inter-pupilary distance (which is done by just moving each eye’s display individually) helped a lot with this, as did moving the displays physically closer to my eye."), and which bigpat and Ben didn't see. I saw what he was talking about, when you first put on the z800 the edges look distorted, but you just move the display closer to your face until the distortion goes away. The "sweet spot" for me was very close to my face with each of the displays two clicks off center. Now that Ben mentions it, I am able to see what appear to be dead pixels (or partial pixels) on each of the displays. More easily visible on a white background with one eye closed. About the same as Ben's 11 on the left side and 8 on the right, but aren't really noticible during normal use. bigpat | ||
| BigV Rating: N/A |
I am very confused. emagin is now selling these??? | ||
| AlbusD Rating: N/A |
eMagin is the manufacturer , and as far as I know - the only seller of the Z800 visor. What are you confused about bigV? Ray Price - have you had any chance to test out the built in microphone yet? Thanks you. | ||
| Andy W Rating: N/A |
Does anybody know (for certain) what emagin's warranty policy is as regards dead pixels? | ||
| Acidtech Rating: N/A |
According to the faq they have a satisfaction gaurantee. You can return the visor(paying a restocking fee and shipping within 30? days. Its on the faq on the 3dvisor website. Nothing specifically about dead pixels though. | ||
| EnricoFermi Rating: N/A |
Contact techsupport@emagin.com with any questions. Also visit their warranty page for more details. | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
So can the Z800 take a Rez. higher than it's native Rez. of 800*600 like 1024*768 or higher and auto scale it down to it's native rez. of 800*600 ? I think the I-glasses could do that, can the Z800 ? | ||
| zsteve Rating: N/A |
Yes, I'm typing this right now while wearing my Z800 and the PC display resolution is set for 1024X768 so it downscales. But when running a game in stereo the PC display settings have to be set at 800x600. | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Thank's for the reply zsteve. Let me ask all you that have the Z800 a question. If you could only buy one of the following for gaming,which would it be. A. BIG LCD MONITOR 20'-24" or bigger B. DLP or LCD PROJECTOR or C. Z800 HMD So for gaming which one of these three would it be ? | ||
| dvdbunny1 Rating: N/A |
hi zsteve, can you tell me, do i have to have pc settings set to 800x600 cant i leave my pc settings at 1600x1200 but in my chosenh game have the settings set to 800x600? | ||
| Mick Rating: N/A |
Well I guess being in a z800 thread you'll be getting a unamimous vote for Z800 but in reality I guess most users would definately say they really miss their viewmasters especially with the complimentary herbie goes bananas discs.(they rock) Oh God.. I'm slowly going insane having to save every penny to finally buy a z800 visor Aaahhhh ! Hhmmm.. be patient young Jedi, your time will come.. soon within your reach, the z800 surely be it will .. | ||
| Mick Rating: N/A |
So zsteve, how's it going ? is it really a big leap forward in regards to VR technology targetting the comsumer market? How do you feel in there, if at all you feel "in there" or is more like a large screen. Has anyone tried playing with blinkers attached to the sides to shut out the peripherial side light ?? or is that out of the question ... | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Yes mike I see your point. Bad wording on my part. so I guess what I should ask, is this . Now that you people have the X800 and had some time to use it, do you still think it's better than buying a Real BIG LCD monitor or a projector setup ? | ||
| zsteve Rating: N/A |
-Water1 It depends you know. If the game works well in stereo and you enjoy gaming with a hmd then it works well. I'm finding with a new game I'll use the direct view monitor for a while until I build up speed and am comfortable with the controls before switching over. I don't view the HMD as a replacement for a monitor, that's me. -dvdbunny Yes, that's exactly what I am doing. It seems do downscale in non-stereo nicely but needs to be set at 800x600 in the game setting or in the nvidia control panel for stereo. -Mick It reminds me of sitting in a theater maybe 20th row. It's a big screen and you can see the sides of the hall. I wouldn't call it immersive but it gets close if you turn out the lights and crank up the volume when viewing, sometimes content can also add more to immersion than blocking out stimuli. I will try to fashion some blinders on the sides to check out. Overall I like the z800. I haven't seen any motion blur or flicker. The optics could be improved but maybe that's a function of cost. Ultimately I'd like to see an even larger FOV,SXGA and a HT for under $1000. | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Thank's for the reply zsteve. I can see how the HMD would be better for some Games then others and not for all the computer work someone would have to do in a day. I Still bet when that special game or games call for your new HMD your having a blast with it. So let me ask you guys to try some games out and tell us what you think. I bet Deus Ex(The first one)and Thief (The new one or any of them) whould be cool as h*ll on the new HMD. Try some differant games out and tell us about the ones you like and don't like playing on the HMD...Thanks | ||
| Ben Rating: N/A |
My Nvidia card decided to fry itself 2 days after I got my Z800! talk about timing.. Hopefully I'll be able to give some feedback when I get my card returned. Ben | ||
| Concerned Buyer Rating: N/A |
Dear Readers and 3d visor fans, I have aquired a Z800 and I must advise you all that it is not quite the product I expected it to be. It suffers from proto-typis. A disease where the first incarnation of a product has notable deficiencies. Shareholders be warned. The Good points. Packaging and presentation is quality. The OLED display screen is first class (optics are another matter). Gamers with fast moving game images should be 'in the game' and not be too distracted by some of the static visual deficiencies. The Bad points Very difficult if not impossible to see each display clearly in its entirety. Part of each screen image can be made to focus extremely well but the other part is blurry. I blame the optical design for the distorted images. This makes focussing uncomfortable and annoying. There is no sweet spot. Forget a larger field of view version with the current optical design. Ideally, quality optics should have been made with glass not plastic. The oled screen is mounted close to something on the right of each panel and it is obvious that some kind of ledge is reflecting light - adding a little bit of glare. The general optical focus of each screen is definitely NOT 12 feet. I would say it is 12 inches without exaggeration. It is difficult to maintain such a close in focus without eyes blurring in a minute or two. The focal depth needs to be about 3 feet at least. The lenses are horizontally adjustible for eye separation. The lenses ratchet in fixed increments for eye separation adjustment. The problem exists with the sensitivity of the lens optics and the centreing with the eyes. If you are half a notch out, you will notice it. Blame the optics yet again. A major annoyance is the pinching at the base of the nose with the corners of the lens units. Emagin says the visor is not to rest on the nose, yet the lenses should be as close to the eye as possible. A clear problem here. The visor does require blinkers because ambient light comes streaming through the sides, and fades the contrast (way down from the quoted 200 to 1 ratio). It is also distracting from the visual content. Another bummer is the need for the screen to switch off every five or so minutes to prevent 'burn-in' of static images. Surely a screen saver could be implemented, or even a gradual fade in or out so you dont think the sudden blackness is an electrical fault or cable coming loose. The supplied video cable from the computer to the box need to be much longer. I dont like reaching way across my desk to touch the nearly indistinguishable black buttons on the front. I use the emagin junction box in tower mode. It would be good to stick the box on the side of the computer and not have the USB cable coming out from the high side of the box as well. In other words put the heavy stuff and connectors to one side and the loose bits on the other - doh. In summary, my emagin unit is still grounded as the install software doesnt seem to be quite right. I have not speculated on performance aspects of the unit till I get it running and tuned in. However I must say I am very disappointed about some significant shortcomings in the hardware. Not good enough Emagin. | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Are the optics a (one-piece-hunk-O-plastic)that can't be removed, or does it look like people might be able to find a way to put better optics in the unit somehow ? | ||
| zsteve Rating: N/A |
I don't want to mess with the 90 day warranty so I haven't taken the casing off over the optics to have a look around. On their website they say that the display can be sealed to the optic. Not sure if they mean permanently or is it just some tiny screws that can be loosened. The .pdf that they have available there's a picture of the optic alone and what looks like a screw hole so it probably can be separated but don't know for sure. http://www.emagin.com/docs/WFO5.pdf | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
I still think for the money the Z800 sounds like a good deal. Before the Z800 you would have to buy a pair of I-glasses-3D and a head tracker, if you got a good tracker like the InterTrax 2 you would be close to $1,900 for Glasses and tracker. Also one reviewer said the tracker on the Z800 is close to as good as an InterTrax 2. We could go back to the days of a VFX3d for $1,800. So people with the Z800 keep posting your thoughts on it please....Thanks | ||
| AlbusD Rating: N/A |
Well well well... I have seen almost all positive reviews of this thing from people who actually own one, and I think that's good. So I was a little bit surprised when I started reading Mr. Concerned Consumer's review. I thought maybe I missed something , or could offer a helping hand. I thought it was odd that he would have trouble with the auto-refresh or lens adjustment since their covered thoroughly in manual, and the latter - to just about everone else's satisfaction it seems. I guess some people have odd shaped head/brows. Oh well. And the cable not being long enough , while true , hardly seesm like a big deal to mention in the review since you can buy one pretty much at the local 7-11 for a couple of dollars. Then I saw the pinch-nose comment and reread the post where he starts out "shareholders be warned!". That cleared it right up . Take your ulterior motives and go back to the Yahoo! Penny stock message board buddy. What a joke. | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
I thought that "Concerned Buyer"'s review was a little one sided. Is that a long time PISSY POSTER writing a review ? Wonder if it's a real review or not ? I just want some good "real" information on the Z800, I'm thinking of buying a pair if I hear good thing's about them... | ||
| AlbusD Rating: N/A |
Then my advice is to wait for a major CE periodical or site to do a proper review water. You'd think that would be happening soon , but no onw has seen one as far as I know. | ||
| Andy W Rating: N/A |
The fact that Emagin didn't make sure they had review units out to magazines and reputable websites well before they started shipping does seem a little... odd. Were they afraid that there would be such demand that they couldn't keep up? Hmmm. Somehow I doubt it. Still, it's possible, I suppose. I'm certainly going to wait for a more authoritative review before I even consider buying - which, given that reviewers don't tend to buy the kit to review, and Emagin don't seem to be loaning the kit out, could take quite a while. | ||
| stereoboy Rating: N/A |
with no reputable reviews and it not being on the shevels of Best Buy or gamer stores the z800 is not worth the price. save your money for the next wave of low priced high rez autostereoscopic LCDs comming in early 2006. | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
I think Ray Price gave a good review. Seem's like he gave a fair take on the Z800. | ||
| EnricoFermi Rating: N/A |
As a general rule LCD obsessed posters, "not at Best Buy", "this thing pinches the nose", and "it will not sell", are EMA stock obsessed bashers. There are also some other EMA investors here exaggerating their beliefs about how good this thing is, although I believe that is not quite as frequent. This isn't an extension of a stock message board. It is a stereovision review site for people who care about virtual reality, not investing. Concerned Buyer and stereoboy (at least this recent incarnation) are obviously most concerned about seeing this thing doesn't sell. It is pathetic. I appreciate the reviews, and have not yet purchased a Z800. I will continue to look for the legitimate posts. Overall, this device looks pretty good. | ||
| az Rating: N/A |
As far as I am aware (NVidia messageboard) the Nvidia 7800GTX does not have stereo drivers enabled yet so you need to use 6800 or 6600 series (or lower) instead. Could someone verify that? Either way I ordered the Z800, I hope it will arrive soon! | ||
| az Rating: N/A |
Fyi the link that I read this in is here: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=6076 | ||
| AlbusD Rating: N/A |
az, I was told the same thing by a nVidia representative on the phone about 2 weeks ago. He could not tell me when drivers for that card would be enabled. He could not tell me how long it usually takes or how long it has taken with previous newcard downloads. He would not 'guess' if we were talking days weeks or months. I asked. He was very polite though. nVidia is a sore spot with me just in case you couldn't tell. Maybe someone else had better information. | ||
| bigpat Rating: N/A |
Seems like "Concerned Buyer" comments are just an embelleshment of some of the real annoyances taken from other posts including mine and put together in one post. But a real buyer would spend the time to configure and read the manual for something they have just spent $900 on before posting a review on a web site. I really can't believe that anyone could be that picky and incapable of installing a software utility, a driver (for nvidia) and making a few adjustments. Funniest thing was the part about the z800 going to sleep every 5 minutes, which is a half truth and somewhat annoying but it only happens if you aren't running the emagin software which I had no trouble installing. I have left mine on for hours both on my head and on my desk with no problems. The optics are more than fine. The lense is plastic but it does the job well. The notches on the IP adjustment are close enough together that you will be able to find the focus and you shouldn't have to bring the lenses so far towards your face that it touches your nose. Though if you have a particularly big nose, and I mean big, perhaps you could use some padding or emagin could round those edges a bit more. My only concern about the lenses being plastic is scratch resistance. It would also be good to get more information from emagin to find out what type of plastic they are made from to get a better idea of how long they should last and if there would be any degradation from long term direct exposure to sunlight and/or heat. But as I am pretty abusive and have dropped them a few times already without any damage, so I can tell you the whole unit is very durable. The optical quality of the lenses themselves is good and clearly the shape is the result of much refinement. If you can't get a good focused non distorted image a few minutes after openning the box and plugging it in, then you are missing something. bigpat | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
bigpat, how do you like the head tracker ? Someone else thought it was as good as an InterTrax 2. What do you think of it? Have you used it in many games yet ? | ||
| Andy W Rating: N/A |
water1 wrote: "I think Ray Price gave a good review. Seems like he gave a fair take on the Z800." Yes, this is true. And bigpat's comments also seem knowledgeable and balanced. The trouble is that I don't know them personally, and their reputations or incomes don't depend on the quality of their reviews. I accept that you can get duff reviews from any reviewer, and some are worse than others. But I'm afraid that I'll always give more credence to a review in a commercially published magazine (or on a large website with a good reputation) than to a review on a bulletin board. | ||
| jad_333 Rating: N/A |
As I am an eMagin investor and not at all tech savy or a gamer, I read the comments here but don't post. I agree this is not the place to air investment issues. I just want to say that I was pleasantly suprised to see how quickly you smoked "Concerned Consumer" as a basher. He is most likely from the eMagin Yahoo message board. He is careful not to post his claims there, as to do so would expose him to legal action. This board does not require regiatration whereas Yahoo does. | ||
| bigpat Rating: N/A |
water1, No drift and no noticable lag. The mouse emulation works as advertised with the emagin utility program. I didn't try the InterTrax 2 so I can't compare, but I can't see how it could be appreciably any more responsive. I still haven't gotten a chance to set myself up for playing from a standing position, so I haven't been doing much full 360 degree turning yet. But I did try it several times and I can turn around and around and always am back to the starting view when I return to my starting orientation. I did have to change the mouse sensitivity settings in HL2 to get it to track properly in that game, so some configuration may be required depending on how much you mucked around with the default mouse sensitivities before getting the visor. Both the emagin utility and the games themselves allow you to modify the mouse sensitivity so it is not difficult to calibrate. bigpat | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Thank's for the reply bigpat. Well it sound's like the Z800 has a clear display with a good field of view and tracking that work's. That's all I need from an HMD. I might have to get one soon. | ||
| Matt Rating: N/A |
bigpat I ordered a set a few weeks ago - how long did you have to wait from placing the order to having the kit in your hands? I've downgraded from my 7800 GTX to a 6800 in anticipation of the z800 arriving one day......I'm reliant on an email response from Customer Services as Emagin dont seem to like answering their phones..... | ||
| Dave Rating: N/A |
Hi Matt, I'm in the same boat. I did get through to Tia in sales after several attempts. She told me it would be two weeks, but that was three weeks ago! I've got the card and drivers set up. games installed and waiting.... Dave | ||
| bigpat Rating: N/A |
Hey Matt, I had mine preordered at the end of May and got mine the second week of July a couple weeks after they had started shipping. I think it was the 15th of July or so. Not sure but maybe they are still working through pre orders and such. I spoke with Tia also when I was waiting for my order to be shipped, very nice and helpful, but she was given an estimate that was about a week sooner than it actually got out to me. bigpat | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
>> Hey Matt, I had mine preordered at the end of May >>and got mine the second week of July a couple weeks >>after they had started shipping. I think it was the >>15th of July or so. Not sure but maybe they are >>still working through pre orders and such. >> >> >> Darn!!! I ordered mine on July 9. I hope to get it before Christmas. Keep posting the reviews, it doesn't matter for or against since I have already ordered the Z800. boB | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Yea, you people that have them please keep posting about what your doing with them. I like to hear you guys talk about the fun your having. | ||
| zsteve Rating: N/A |
Anyone know the optimal settings for running HL2. I am running forceware 71.89. Should I use a different driver version to improve results? If so anywhere I can find the lower versions? | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
I received an email this morning that told me my Z800 will be shipped on or about Aug 16. My Order Number is: 41672483, for anyone still waiting. I ordered on Jul 9th boB | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
Now that I have a shipping date I have gone back through some of the messages to see what I need to do to use the Z800 to it's full potential. I have a nVidea card with version 71.89 also. To get stereo effects in FS 2004, do I need to change driver versions? akita77 | ||
| Matt Rating: N/A |
For any of you guys chasing your orders I'd suggest contacting: Seonhui Kaye Customer Support Coordinator eMagin Corporation Tel) 425 882 7878 ext. 225 Fax) 425 882 7373 mailto:skaye@emagin.com Tia Wiser must be higher up the chain and takes an age to respond. Seonhui wrote back to me within 10 mins of me sending her an email. Just what you want when you are buying from the UK and still have another $180 VAT to pay before I even get to plug it in!!! NVIDIA have also written back me to state that the 7800 GTX will not work with the approved 71.89 Stereo drivers...looks like I'll be keeping my 6800 installed. Come on NVIDIA get into gear and release some drivers!!! | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Hi Matt, Did Nvidia say the driver's are in the work's but will just take a bit longer or are they just not going to be supporting 3D for the 7800 and later line of card's ? | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Wait a minute are these new stereo driver's that will work with the 7800 line ? Look's like they came out today 8-11-2005 http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1153 | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Look's like the wait is over say's they are for the G-7800 line of card's. Here is the Nvidia link. http://www.nvidia.com/object/3dstereo_77.77 | ||
| Az Rating: N/A |
Hi Matt, when you have to pay the VAT (or the equivalent in another country) you don't get a message from customs that there is a package waiting for you that you need to pay for or something? Never ordered something from the US before and I am letting it be delivered to Europe as well. Also, is there a way to let it be insured better during transport? The USPS page said that if it gets lost during transport you only get $100 refund with the most expensive option. | ||
| Ben Rating: N/A |
Matt - Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't, just depends on whether customs picks it up and looks at it. I was lucky enough to get my Z800 through without getting caught for VAT, but I haven't always been lucky. I sent mine by DHL, but I had to call them to arrange that, otherwise it gets delivered by parcelforce in the UK. Ben | ||
| Ben Rating: N/A |
..sorry, that was supposed to be to Az Ben | ||
| Az Rating: N/A |
Thank you for the clarification Ben! | ||
| Matt Rating: N/A |
eMagin phoned me at home as I requested the package to go via UPS Global Express (guaranteed to pay VAT now, but at least I can keep an eye on progress and its insured for the full amount). Great customer service phoning International customers at appropriate hours. They confirmed I'll have them in my hands by next week!! I'll install, test and post a review then. Yes great news about the stereo drivers for the 7800 GTX - maybe I can play Battlefield 2 now in 3D. They were released on the 11/8/2005. http://www.nvidia.com/object/3dstereo_77.77 Yet to hear from nvidia that they have released them despite registering on their website/forum.... | ||
| xx Rating: N/A |
Just ordered the z800, delivery time now estimated at 3-5 weeks | ||
| Niklas Rating: N/A |
Tried the 77.77 with BF2. Still have problems with the shadow on the weapon reflecting off the ground. Delivery for Z800 is 23:rd of August I was told and I'll probably get me a 7800 GT now that it is supported in 3d! | ||
| Thomas3D Rating: N/A |
Hello, Is this one seller of the Z800 only Emagin? Or is there it also in Europe particularly in Germany dealer? There is a possibility of saving the import duty?I been no dealer is private. Thomas3D from Hamburg Germany | ||
| mopheta Rating: N/A |
Hi people, I´ve been reading all this thread, and I have seen some reviews and the oficial Emagin web to see specificatinons and the FAQ. But I have some questions about and I see no responses: 1) Page flipping 60hz/2=30hz per eye can affect the smooth in games?. I have never played a game with 30hz. Seem to be flicker free with the OLED technology, but what about smooth?. 2) I have my XBOX with vgabox adapter. If I connect it to Z800 I will see it?. XBOX use HDTV resolutions (480p 95% times). I don´t know if this OLED thechnology is capable to show all resolutions below 800x600. 3) Connected the Z800 to a notebook to see DVD´s, how is the quality of the video?. I have read something about bad optic because the plastic lens. Why Z800 don´t use cristal lenses... the weight or the cost?. Can be replaced manually and easy in the future to improve the image quality?. 4) OLED technology has the same TFTs "Black problem"?, or is capable to show a real black?. This is very important to see DVDs. 5) Mouse emulation with the tracking system is very smooth?. I have TrackIR and I know what is a poor mouse emulation. Is as smooth as using a USB mouse? or it is like using a bad mouse with COM1?. Is there any lag in the video or tracking of this hardware?. 6) Is it possible to adjust the geometry in this display?. Can I make 16/9 if I select widescreen in my XBOX?. | ||
| TigerClaw Rating: N/A |
What about emagin's dead pixels warranty policy? I want to buy a z800 but the dead pixels problem scary me. I control everyday for a review from a well know site but for now nothing TigerClaw | ||
| mopheta Rating: N/A |
Why 900€? why not 100 or 150€ and all people using this product?... better for the company and better for the users.... we are walking like turtles always because the prices. If this product is good, too much people would buy it, and too much would buy the next z800 with more resolution. Z800 will sold some units, and Z800 will be forgotten... at this price. | ||
| Unclebob Rating: N/A |
Mopheta http://finance.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?.mm=FN&action=m&board=1601028323&tid=ema&sid=1601028323&mid=84018 Looks like they have sold a 1000 in August and are looking at 2000+ in September. Seems to be very low volume. Price could be an issue but perhaps they are not pushing the product until they have volume production and delivery worked out? Also this is probably the reason why there are no reviews out there except for those few users (rather than hardware review sites) that have got one of the first ones. Unclebob | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
I received an e-mail a couple weeks ago telling me my Z800 would ship on or around 16 August. It's August 22 now and there is no more information about the delivery. If it helps I ordered mine on 9 July. Bob | ||
| Xminator Rating: N/A |
Unclebob is probably right. And to me it looks like a healthy way to get started. Ship a few units, get some fresh cash and get some user experience. The later is probably the most important. VR units have failed horrible before, so thats another good reason to go slow in the start. I have no idea if a million dollar in a month actually make a diffrence for Emagine, but my guess is that it will. My first 19" CRT set me back more then the cost of a Z800 :D But its a start, lets hope its THE start... | ||
| mopheta Rating: N/A |
A turtle start... I think. | ||
| rvo Rating: N/A |
Better review... ...your own experience. If anyone want to try the emgain Z800 in Spain, or need help to decide why to buy this wonderful product contact with me (lfrv33@yahoo.com). more VR users ===== more & better VR designs easy. rvo | ||
| jad Rating: N/A |
uncle: You know the FCC, which tests all electronics in the US, required eMagin to make a few minor tweaks to the Z80 just before it started shipping. eMagin did the changes to some of the Z800s by hand, which accounts for the Z800s already shipped and the rest were done en masse which were recently completed. So it shouldn't be long now for people with back orders. You also know that eMagin does not count sales for the previous 30 days because of its return policy. Current production is said to be 500 a week with capacity to increase as needed. I am like you surprised that there have been no in-depth magazine reviews yet. Could be the FCC thing delayed distribution to reviewers. First adopter reviews are quite good so far. Disclosure: I haven't tried it yet. | ||
| jad Rating: N/A |
thomas: There is a German and a Russian site listing the Z800 for sale. This is strange because eMagin has never publically announced supplying and retailers, although they plan to in the future. I am sorry have no other information on these sites, except the price quoted was about the same as eMagin's. They may be resellers or bait-and-switch...so be careful. | ||
| anony Rating: N/A |
jad, how do you know this information? | ||
| Unclebob Rating: N/A |
jad nice to see you here. Good to see investors looking a little further than the company prospectus, after all its these guys that will or will not buy the product. Still waiting for the reviews and I hope they are good. Its not going to be an easy ride though, as if you look through this and other forums there are lots of issues with gaming in stereo which is one of the Z800 USPs. All the best jad Unclebob | ||
| jad Rating: N/A |
Thank you unclebob. Anony: The information I posted is contained in the quarterly conference call held by eMagin's CEO and CFO. It's still available on their website if you wish to listen to it. The CFO, John Atherly, covers the FCC and money-back subjects. | ||
| mvr Rating: N/A |
a new review: http://www.maximumpc.com/2005/08/emagin_z800_3dv.html I got an email yesterday saying my unit had been shipped ... ordered July11 waiting ... waiting | ||
| GianCarlo Rating: N/A |
It sounds liek this reviewer didn't fully understand or try the 3D aspect of the product and wrote it off as an "unfulifilled promise". Too bad. | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
I was told yesterday that mine had been shipped. UPS tracking says it's a 25 August delivery. It's on it's way Bob akita77 | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
Sorry, I meant 30 Aug delivery Bob akita77 | ||
| Jeremy B Rating: N/A |
We sell low cost VR systems and have been trying to find something to replace the VFX for about 8 months now. Most solutions that have integrated trackers are just too expensive for our clients. Even the low-end 5DT is double the price of the VFX. We looked at the Icuiti and played around with integrating an InertiaCube2, but the result was always quite clunky. I love the optics of the Icuiti, but we realized that we do not want to spend our time doing this integration of the tracker. Nothing beats the single wire coming out of the VFX. Such a nice design. How fortuitous that the Z800 came along when it did! I ordered a Z800 about 3 weeks ago. It arrived Monday this week. I must say that I am very impressed by this HMD. The color, contrast etc is outstanding. I did notice three dead pixels (blue) in the right optic, but I really have to look to find them. I find that I can wear the HMD about 45 mins to an hour before it becomes too uncomfortable. This is fine for our purposes and our clients would only use it for 30 mins at a time max. People are asking about the tracker. It is very stable, and yes quite comparable to the InterTrax2. It can sometimes suffer from slight drift, but I find this is rare and only when I am being truely obnoxious with the tracker and trying to make it break. Normally, it is rock solid and a big improvement from the VFX tracker with its "old man shake" that most of the units I have ever seen have. Also, a little nugget for anyone trying to develop with this tracker. There is no SDK yet for the tracker which is why it comes with the mouse emulator. However, the interface for the tracker is already on your machine and you probably just did not know it. The file TkInU9.dll in your system32 folder is the interface that talks directly with the tracker and all of it's 3DOF goodness. If anyone needs some base code to get started with, shoot me an email and I'll be happy to share. | ||
| TigerClaw Rating: N/A |
More info here: http://forums.stereovision.net/viewtopic.php?topic=2216&forum=4&9 It seems that many z800 have dead pixels Someone have received an unit without problems? | ||
| N1k0demus Rating: N/A |
Yeah, the z800 seems to suffer from it. But in my opinion it doesn't deter from the overall experience at all. In 90% of the cases you won't see the dead pixels at all since it requires a VERY bright background for them to be visible at all and only then can you begin to search for them. If you dont actively serach for them chances of seeing them while playing a game is basically null. If you look at the overall technology then you got a pretty impressive piece of hardware in your hands. The best HMD hands down in this price range. | ||
| Andy W Rating: N/A |
GianCarlo wrote: "It sounds liek this reviewer didn't fully understand or try the 3D aspect of the product and wrote it off as an 'unfulifilled promise'. Too bad." I disagree. The reviewer was reviewing this device for people who aren't already familiar with stereoscopic gaming. And in that context, his comments were very appropriate. When I had a pair of shutterglasses, 3d gaming was often a process of tweaking and tuning, trying to get the convergence and HUD depth right. Fiddling around with the registry to get the Nvidia laser-sights working. And in a number of games just giving up, because of graphics elements which had no depth information. Until stereo gaming is actually supported or enforced in the graphics API (DirectX or OpenGL), then games developers will ignore it during the development process, and it will remain an enthusiasts hobby, something for people who don't mind fighting their machine to get the desired results. The Z800 is starting to look like a really good HMD. But it is an expensive display compared to a standard monitor, and it doesn't solve the basic stereo gaming problems. | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
quote >By Jeremy B on Friday, August 26, 2005 - 04:20 >pm: >>>>> We sell low cost VR systems and have been trying to find something to replace the VFX for about 8 months now. Most solutions that have integrated trackers are just too expensive for our clients. Even the low-end 5DT is double the price of the VFX. We looked at the Icuiti and played around with integrating an InertiaCube2, but the result was always quite clunky. I love the optics of the Icuiti, but we realized that we do not want to spend our time doing this integration of the tracker. Nothing beats the single wire coming out of the VFX. Such a nice design. How fortuitous that the Z800 came along when it did! I ordered a Z800 about 3 weeks ago. It arrived Monday this week. I must say that I am very impressed by this HMD. The color, contrast etc is outstanding. I did notice three dead pixels (blue) in the right optic, but I really have to look to >>find them. >> >> ======================================= Damn Jeremy. You ordered the Z800 3 weeks ago, around 1 Aug, and received it before Aug 26!!! I ordered it on 9 July and it's finally enroute. How did you get such fast service? Bob | ||
| TigerClaw Rating: N/A |
Probably Emagin has solved their shipping "lag" | ||
| Jeremy B Rating: N/A |
============================ Damn Jeremy. You ordered the Z800 3 weeks ago, around 1 Aug, and received it before Aug 26!!! I ordered it on 9 July and it's finally enroute. How did you get such fast service? ============================= Probably some luck, but it might help that I called their sales team and mentioned we would be at a trade show in a few weeks pimping the Z800 as part of our system to about 20,000 people. Kinda perked em up. | ||
| jad Rating: N/A |
uncle: Did you see the mistake in the MaximumPC review about how the Z800 works in 3d mode? He's describing shutter glasses. The Z800 doesn't blank one eye...etc, etc. With OLEDs and the right video card both displays would always be on. | ||
| jad Rating: N/A |
atika: Your order probably got delayed when they had to stop shipping to make the minor fixes mandated by the FCC...(mentioned in an earlier post) now it appears all those early orders are being filled. | ||
| jad Rating: N/A |
JeremyB: What trade show is that? Any details on net? | ||
| Jorge Rating: N/A |
I have just ordered two units. I'm from spain as rvo, and i've sent a email to him to have the chance of test the z800. For what i'm reading, the z800 is the device I was looking for, And i'm gonna take the risk of ordering them without reading a "professional review", despite good reviews by users. If I dont like them at all, , i can send it back to emagin (at high cost of 15% restocking fee plus sending costs, i know, but who cares... it is my money after all) or cancel my order if i can see rvo's unit before it ships. My order number's last digits are 2659, if it helps, made today 08/29/2005 Hope getting them soon, Jorge | ||
| mopheta Rating: N/A |
Hi Jorge, I´m spanish too, and I´m in the same dude... to order or not to order, this is the question. Me puedes enviar un email y me explicas eso de los costes en caso de devolucion?. Tampoco se bien si hay q pagar aduana, y cuanto sería. mopheta@hotmail.com | ||
| Dave Rating: N/A |
I've just heard that my unit is on its way! I'll let you know what I think as soon as I've had a play. Dave | ||
| YEAH! Rating: N/A |
Yeah sign me up for a unit with dead pixels!YEAH BABY! | ||
| mopheta Rating: N/A |
More Z800 pictures. http://forums.stereovision.net/viewtopic.php?topic=2228&forum=4&1 | ||
| mvr Rating: N/A |
my Z800 came today it doesnt show too many signs of being the first release of a product ... the packaging looks slick and the QuickStart Guide is efficient ... on the CD is a fuller guide in pdf with plenty of detail on different configurations etc compared with an IO glasses the color, field of view and detail of the display are better imo the optics seem to be a folded plastic lens/45 degree mirror assembly -- probably with some aspheric surfaces -- and if you get the positioning just right the view is sharp into the corners pretty much ... so one could use it for writing/reading text for instance ... but it is definitely sharper in the center but positioning the screens is critical ... they are on a double hinge allowing the screen to be shifted forward and back as well as tilted I would be happier if there were independent eye focusing ... and less distortion of straight lines generally after a couple of hours playing with it I am happy ... 8 out of 10 it seems to be able to be pulled apart without too much drama for the hackers amongst us -- just some phillips head screws the other top of my wish list that the software enabled dual monitor nvidia stereo display ... ie. what one uses for standard dual projector setups ... rather than being forced to use shutter glass mode compatibility more when I play some more .. | ||
| TigerClaw Rating: N/A |
Emagin could package better z800 for the shipping... | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
I received mine today also. Everything is as the previous posters have already written. But one fault I have that I can't figure out is my Z800 will display for a minute or 2, then black out. I then press the on/off button or even the brightness button and the display lights up for a few more minutes. As you can imaging, I didn't get much adjusting done much less any game playing. I am keeping notes on my web page and will add content as I move along with my Visor. Any ideas about fixing my problem would be appreciated. http://flightsims.vze.com/z800 Bob akita77 | ||
| Andy W Rating: N/A |
BigPat wrote earlier in this thread: "the part about the z800 going to sleep every 5 minutes, which is a half truth and somewhat annoying but it only happens if you aren't running the emagin software" | ||
| mopheta Rating: N/A |
Hi akita77, I noticed you have TrackIR+vector expansion too (like me). Can you compare the Z800 tracker smoothing with TrackIR (without vector, we all know Z800 only support 2DOF actually)?. I think TrackIR smooth is good, but in mouse emulation mode is very poor. Can be used Z800 and TrackIR at the same time?. | ||
| TigerClaw Rating: N/A |
akita77 Can you say to us if you can find any dead pixels? | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
>>BigPat wrote earlier in this thread: "the part about the z800 going to sleep every 5 minutes, which is a half truth and somewhat annoying but it only happens if you aren't running the emagin software" >> >> ================================= Hi Andy. Thanks. Emagin answered my question right away and I'm having no trouble now. ================================= >> >> Hi akita77, I noticed you have TrackIR+vector expansion too (like me). Can you compare the Z800 tracker smoothing with TrackIR (without vector, we all know Z800 only support 2DOF actually)?. >> I think TrackIR smooth is good, but in mouse emulation mode is very poor. Can be used Z800 and TrackIR at the same time?.>> >> >> ============================================ mopheta I played around with the mouse support for a few minutes but I did not check it in a game because it didn't seem to work well. I did use it on the CRT and the Z800 Monitor and it worked the same on both. I can try with IL-2 later and let you know. I'm not a FPS gamer although I may like them now with the Z800. I will try one in the future. At the beginning of the forum someone asked how the Z800 performed with some games they listed. Is there a demo version of one of these games that I can try to answer these questions? ======================== -Image resolution and sharpness, contrast and brightness, quality of blacks, color reproduction -Optical distortions and focus/blurriness. -Perceived difference of OLED with LCD. -Is the FOV acceptable? -Pixels too visible? -Is the frame-rate acceptable (30fps per eye in stereo)? -Image delay (does it react to your actions like shooting immediately?) -Stereo perception/immersion quality (having in mind this is not all responsibility of the Z800) -Tracker precision, update rate and lag ========================= Right now I can't get the TrackIR to work with either the single dot or the VE so I'm going to take a break. I like it so much I'll probably put it back on in a few minutes. The other problem I'm having it the focus over the entire monitor. I have to tilt the Z800 to get either the top or the bottom in focus. The edges around the Z800 monitor are always a bit blurry. I even tried to make the actual display smaller by dragging the sides in but it didn't help. TigerClaw, I don't see anything like dead pixels. I guess I can look at a solid white or a solid black background to check. At the beginning of this forum it says to post honest reviews about the Z800. If my on-going review insinuates that the Z800 is bad, then I have to repeat, I would not return it. Slowly I will get the minor problems worked out. I really like this Visor. | ||
| user Rating: N/A |
Hey do these glasses have a monitor out plug for another monitor. Will using 3d be seen on that monitor also? | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
>> Hey do these glasses have a monitor out plug for another monitor. Will using 3d be seen on that monitor also? >> >> I believe so. I will post the user manual instructions later this evening but I have not worked with 3D yet. I am more concerned about setting up the TrackIR 3 VE to be used with FS2004 and I finally have it working good. My problem of the Visor shutting down every few minutes started again after a few hours of working perfectly. A lot of trial and error, loading and re-loading the Z800 display utility and lots of coffee I now have it working again and not shutting down. I also kept some notes but I had to re-boot and didn't think about saving them but I'll write from memory as I update the web page. It may be a couple hours before I get it done. mopheta, I did not get a chance to compare the head tracking in the Z800 with the single dot tracking with the TrackIR. I started but never found a game where I could see the Z800 tracking. Bob akita77 | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
Oh My!! I don't have my web page updated yet but just by accident I picked up a helicopter (MD500) not realizing I still had the X3D software set to Stereo Reverse - ON and almost crashed from the vertigo. Everything had depth and I felt like I could reach forward and adjust the altimeter on the instrument panel. very nice 3D More later... boB akita77 | ||
| Dave Rating: N/A |
Hi Bob, Was that in FS 2004? I'm really looking forward to trying a flight sim when I get my Z800. Unfortunately I can't get Stereo on IL2 Sturmovik FB working. I get large rectangular areas of terrain missing. (I've tried turning things off in the setup utility with display set to custom). If anybody has any advice I'd be most grateful. Dave | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
>> Hi Bob, >> Was that in FS 2004? I'm really looking forward to trying a flight sim when I get my Z800. Unfortunately I can't get Stereo on IL2 Sturmovik FB working. I get large rectangular areas of terrain missing. (I've tried turning things off in the setup utility with display set to custom). If anybody has any advice I'd be most grateful. >> Dave >> >> Hi Dave. Yes, it was FS2004. I must have taken off the combat games but I wouldn't fly them even if I did load them up. Flying FS2004 without the TrackIR would be would be ok but flying with it really improves the feeling of flying and with the 3D mode would look great. This adjusting I am doing works with low and slow flight, C150'a and/or helicopters. Using the Z800 when flying the big guys at 30,000 feet might actually cause it to look worse than flying with just the monitors. Another way is to get the hardware required to run at least 4 monitors (3 monitors for forward and 45 degree side views and one for just the flight instruments) That would be the bare minimum in my opinion. A person would need another 2 monitors just for the flight maps, approach plates plus the radios and GPS, AND another 2 monitors to get the side views at 90 degrees. Adding that up comes to a prohibitive figure. Now the Z800 doesn't claim to be in that league but for the cost of all the features in the Z800 it comes close to giving the immersion experience a person would want. It's 5:53 AM. Time for bed. boB akita77 | ||
| mopheta Rating: N/A |
Hi Bob, can you say about eyestrain?... how many time can you play without it, compared with a normal CRT monitor. Do you feel any inconvenience using these displays near your eyes?... you must force your vision to see properly?. Can you see any noticeable flicker?... Emagin FAQ says you have 60hz/2 = 30hz per eye, but I´ve no idea if this is enought using these OLED displays. Is it a good idea to view DVD movies with Z800 in the bed?..., can you see it with enought quality?..., what about the black color, is like any tft (grey)?. | ||
| xx Rating: N/A |
I read some time ago on the IL2 forum, that 3D will not work properly unless the graphics are set to "perfect" I ordered the z800 2 weeks ago, and i am intrested in any experience/ problems vith using IL2 and FS2004, as they are the reason i bought the vizor. | ||
| BOPrey Rating: N/A |
Dave, To get stereo working in IL2/FB, you have to use the PERFECT setting in video detail. | ||
| Dave Rating: N/A |
Thanks XX and Boprey that has solved the main problem. Now I just have black rivers and flashing buildings to deal with...Any ideas? Dave | ||
| mopheta Rating: N/A |
You can´t see good 3d with IL2/FB/ACE or Pacific Fighters. The better is Opengl+perfect, but still you see doubled airfields, trees, weapons, etc... some months ago I thought it will be fixed, but no, still problems. | ||
| stoy Rating: N/A |
Well, either emagin had a much better production process now, or they aren't selling many units - i'd bet its the first one though. I ordered the z800 on Aug 24th, and just now got an e-mail that my z800 was shipped out yesterday! I will post my review when i recieve them tomorrow So anyone who wants to order them, there is not as long of wait as before | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
Hi mopheta and xx and >> Hi Bob, can you say about eyestrain?... how many time can you play without it, compared with a >>normal CRT monitor. >> I do not feel any eye strain at all. Since receiving the Z800 I have not flown FS2004 with the CRT and I don't feel any difference one way or the other. >> >> Do you feel any inconvenience using these displays near your eyes?... you must force your >>vision to see properly?. >> None at all. In fact I've found that without my reading glasses I can bring the eye pieces back until my eye is almost touching the display and everything is in focus and easy to see. The problem is that to place the instruments on a second monitor so I can glance down to see them requires my reading glasses. So now I'm trying different settings to help me see the displays outside the Z800 or even to start the TrackIR and the Z800 display utility. >> Can you see any noticeable flicker?... Emagin FAQ says you have 60hz/2 = 30hz per eye, but I´ve no >>idea if this is enought using these OLED >>displays. >> No flicker at all that I can see. It looks solid. >> >>Is it a good idea to view DVD movies with Z800 in the bed?..., can you see it with enought quality?..., what about the black color, is like any tft (grey)?. >> The black in the game is very black. I will have to dig out the one DVD that I have and check that. Hi xx: >>I read some time ago on the IL2 forum, that 3D will not work properly unless the graphics are set >>to "perfect" >> >>I ordered the z800 2 weeks ago, and i am >>intrested in any experience/ problems vith using >>IL2 and FS2004, as they are the reason i bought >>the vizor. You will not regret getting the Z800 to fly the simulators. I have not re-installed IL-2 yet and am flying FS2004 only. I would say that you won't pp Hi mopheta and xx and >> Hi Bob, can you say about eyestrain?... how many time can you play without it, compared with a >>normal CRT monitor. >> I do not feel any eye strain at all. Since receiving the Z800 I have not flown FS2004 with the CRT and I don't feel any difference one way or the other. >> >> Do you feel any inconvenience using these displays near your eyes?... you must force your >>vision to see properly?. >> None at all. In fact I've found that without my reading glasses I can bring the eye pieces back until my eye is almost touching the display and everything is in focus and easy to see. The problem is that to place the instruments on a second monitor so I can glance down to see them requires my reading glasses. So now I'm trying different settings to help me see the displays outside the Z800 or even to start the TrackIR and the Z800 display utility. >> Can you see any noticeable flicker?... Emagin FAQ says you have 60hz/2 = 30hz per eye, but I´ve no >>idea if this is enought using these OLED >>displays. >> No flicker at all that I can see. It looks solid. >> >>Is it a good idea to view DVD movies with Z800 in the bed?..., can you see it with enought quality?..., what about the black color, is like any tft (grey)?. >> The black in the game is very black. I will have to dig out the one DVD that I have and check that. Hi xx: >>I read some time ago on the IL2 forum, that 3D will not work properly unless the graphics are set >>to "perfect" >> >>I ordered the z800 2 weeks ago, and i am >>intrested in any experience/ problems vith using >>IL2 and FS2004, as they are the reason i bought >>the vizor. You will not regret getting the Z800 to fly the simulators. I have not re-installed IL-2 yet and am flying FS2004 only so I don't know how the IL-2 aircraft will react to the Z800 head tracking. I have to say though that I bought the TrackIR 3 Pro with the Vector Expansion clip just to be able to control views in FS2004 and it works great. I'm not sure how much I would like FS2004 without head tracking. The TrackIR is not too expensive for what you get. boB akita77 | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
I apologise for the double post above. I copied the message to do a spell check and pasted it back in without deleting the original. Sorry. =============================================== A note. I have had a very bad day painwise. I cannot say the Z800 caused the head and neck pain since I've had it before getting the Visor. A few Vicodin and the Methadone clears it up somewhat but I have to stop using the Visor for a while. I ask a favor. Can someone tell me a way to check the Z800 head tracking. Rael has already said it won't work in FS2004 (the main reason I got the TrackIR with VE). I can see the cursor working when in mouse mode but I'd like to see the head tracking work. Is there a demo game that I can see the tracking work? NOTE 2 The 3D stereo in the Z800 works Great. Loading up some of the 3D screensavers will make you feel like you are there swimming with the sharks. But I'm not getting that good of stereo 3D in FS2004. Can someone tell what display settings in FS2004 will make the 3D look as good as the 3D screensavers. Thanks all boB akita77 | ||
| water1 Rating: N/A |
Thank you very much boB akita77, for all your post with information on the Z800, it's been a great read. boB akita77, Do you think the reason people have not posted more information about the Z800 is because they are so much fun to use that people get them and are having such a good time they don't post? Aside from the head hurting today, are you happy you got the Z800 ? | ||
| mopheta Rating: N/A |
Thanks very much akita77 (boB). Would be great if you try to view a DVD movie to say us if the visual quality is great, and relate us the posible inconveniences you find. I have ear that the big inconvenient is the blurring image that you see in all areas but the center. About FS2004... I don´t know if you are an expert Nvidia Stereo drivers user..., but only using ctrl+F3&F4 (eye separation) and ctrl+F5&F6 (convergence) you can have a great Stereo 3d with this great game (I have with my shutterglasses). I usually play with a big convergence and separation to maximize the depht sensation, but it is your decision. Another question would be if there is any difference in the Nvidia Stereo Driver between using a shutterglasses and Z800..., to know if the compatibility is the same 100% (I hope). | ||
| cybernmd Rating: N/A |
I ordered z800 just a few days ago and eMagin already shipped it today. I guess they really beefed up their distribution. | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
Hi water1 >> >>akita77, Do you think the reason people have not posted more information about the Z800 is because they are so much fun to use that people get them >>and are having such a good time they don't post? >> I don't know. They might not know about this forum. I started reading the messages in anticipation of getting my Z800. It was very informative and from the messages here I was able to get my drivers set up and some other things I wanted to see with the Z800. >> >>Aside from the head hurting today, are you happy you got the Z800 ? >> I am VERY happy with my Z800. I said yesterday that I wouldn't send it back even if Emagin would refund every penny I spent on the visor and shipping. There are other very good systems to use with a flight simulator. A large rear screen projector and screen (~$3000.00) or the Bugeye triple monitor system (~$2200.00 for the monitors alone.) or a 7 monitor giant setup for more than $4000.00. For $950.00 for the visor and $169.00 for the TrackIR with VE and I have a great little world to fly my helicopter in. Add a separate monitor for just the instruments and it just gets better for very little cost. I think it is even better for the car racing games. As Rael wrote, it's like you are sitting in the car and being able to look around. The flight simulator setups would not work well with the racing sims. I have F1 Racing sitting in the cd rack and I should install it tomorrow to see how it looks with the visor. boB aktia77 | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
Hello mopheta >> >>Would be great if you try to view a DVD movie to say us if the visual quality is great, and relate us the posible inconveniences you find. I have ear that the big inconvenient is the blurring image >>that you see in all areas but the center. >> I will try to find the one DVD I have. I bought it just to check the DVD player in my computer. >> >>About FS2004... I don´t know if you are an expert Nvidia Stereo drivers user..., but only using ctrl+F3&F4 (eye separation) and ctrl+F5&F6 (convergence) you can have a great Stereo 3d with this great game (I have with my shutterglasses). I usually play with a big convergence and separation to maximize the depht sensation, but it is your >> >>decision. >> I got out my X3D shutter glasses that have been gathering dust in a drawer. I started the 3D screensaver and I have to say it looked as good or a bit better than the Z800 but much darker. I tried the CTRL F3 F4 and CTRL F5 F6, but couldn't see that it made any difference. Then I started FS2004 on the CRT with the shutter glasses and it was not nearly as good as the Z800. It was much darker and didn't have the depth the Z800 has. So with my limited short test I say the Z800 looks better in Fs2004. >> >>Another question would be if there is any difference in the Nvidia Stereo Driver between using a shutterglasses and Z800..., to know if the >>compatibility is the same 100% (I hope). >> I rolled my nvidea driver back to 71.89 so it would be the same as the stereo driver and it looks great to me. | ||
| Ku Rating: N/A |
Akita77 try working with the head tracking, tell us how good it works,do they say it is a 3DOF of 2DOF? Did you say the glasses were easy to take apart out of it's shell if you were to hack into another type of helmet? | ||
| Dave Rating: N/A |
Hi all, Well it finally arrived! My first impression was that it didn't work at all! Then I realised I didn't have the display set to 60hz. DUH! I tried it with IL2 Sturmovik FB. The head tracking worked really well and the sense of depth was awsome but the games graphical glitches ruined it for me. Best experience by far was Live For Speed which looks amazing in stereo 3D. Strangely, the head tracking didn't work so well though. For some reason the game has much slower vertical look than horizontal look. As others have mentioned, the visor does have to be positioned very carefully to get the whole screen in focus but once you get used to it, it can be done very quickly. (I'm using it now to type this). I have also tried counter-strike which looks very good in 3D but I've yet to set up the lazer site. The headset is light and comfortable. I've had it on for hours today and it hasn't caused any discomfort. Nor have I suffered any kind of eye strain or headache. I haven't yet tried watching a DVD because I don't have a player utility on my PC. All in all I'm very impressed. Dave | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
Akita77 try working with the head tracking, tell us how good it works,do they say it is a 3DOF of 2DOF? Did you say the glasses were easy to take apart out of it's shell if you were to hack into another type of helmet? Hi Ku. I haven't been able to install a game to check the head tracking. It's great that Dave received his and I am watching for his review of the head tracking. As far as taking the Visor apart, I haven't really looked at it to see. If I took it apart I'd never get it back together again. boB | ||
| akita77 Rating: N/A |
>> >>The headset is light and comfortable. I've had it on for hours today and it hasn't caused any discomfort. Nor have I suffered any kind of eye strain or headache. >> >>I haven't yet tried watching a DVD because I don't have a player utility on my PC. >> >>All in all I'm very impressed. >> >>Dave Hi Dave. I am still having the problem of my Viso shutting down every 3 minutes even though I'm flying around with FS2004. I open the Diaplay Utility and "activate" the Motion Sensor but it doesn't help. I must be doing something wrong. Can you tell me what you do to bring the Visor online and are you having any problem with the Visor going black on you? I would really hate sending it back for repair. I'v gotten so used to it that it would be a pain to go back to the CRT for any length of time. Tell me what I'm doing wrong. boB | ||
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