I tried to calm down about this H3D stuff in the last 20 or so hours, but wasn't able to. My heart rate, blood pressure, adrenaline and stuff still skyrockets. So what's the story? I got some more mail from H3D and Brightland and see clearer now.

I haven't got a H3D-system yet, but I will hopefully soon. Therefore what I have to say is preliminary, but I just can't hold my horses now. After I got it I'll put up a dedicated H3D page with the real facts.

Actually in my (preliminary) opinion the H3D is an absolute wonderful, revolutionary product and a disappointment at the same time.
 
First of all the H3D got a VGA-pass-through controller which syncs to anything (very good, but we saw that in other products before) and in addition a built in Sync-Doubler. This helps VGA-chipsets which doesn't support either page-flipping or interlace modes (fantastic).
Because of this unique (in the consumer market) feature the H3D is AFAIK the only consumer 3D-shutterglasses system which work for 3DFX Voodoo Graphics add-on boards (Voodoo2 and Rush do support page-flipping and will not need this).
 
In theory the H3D controller would be able to run almost any Stereo3D-software imaginable. It would run almost all titles you find on my software lists, including almost everything on the Games-Hotlist.
 
But H3D decided otherwise. They decided to abandon all existing Stereo3D-software and allow the H3D controller to activate the glasses only in case "H3D-Certified" software is started. There is a "line pattern" shortly displayed at program startup which tells the controller to activate the glasses, it tells the left/right orientation and what stereo mode (page-flipped, sync doubled or other) is to be used. The H3D controller has, as far as I know, no buttons or software tools for on/off (force3D), stereo-mode-select or stereo-reverse.
 
This prevents H3D to run old interleaved, old split screen, old page-flipped, HMD, LCD-BIOS or 3D-BIOS software, in other words any software which existed before the H3D.
It doesn't seem to prevent other VGA-pass-through devices to run H3D software however, as long as Sync Doubling isn't required.
 
H3D wants to maintain a high quality standard for 3D software. Only new, tested, flawless, hassle free stereo-software-titles, which are pleasing to the eyes, are allowed to run on the H3D hardware, to secure the good reputation of the product.
There was some damage done by other products in the past, which led to bad press and to resentments in the software industry against Stereo3D.
 
With H3D-certified software the system will run perfectly on ANY graphics-hardware - that's the revolution!!! It will be incredibly easy to setup and will give the user a perfect 3D-experience from the first minute (some -not all- of the older systems were a bit tricky here). The H3D will be available in the shops all over the world, no more searching the web for those rare mail-order items. They might have real strong distribution (through Electronic Arts) and advertising - that's the second revolution!!! And for the first time there is real hope for strong hi-class consumer software support. The team-up of H3D with id-software and Electronic Arts is an incredible achievement - that's the third revolution!!! And I'm quite certain the H3D glasses itself will be the lightest, most comfortable wireless glasses, with some of the best optical quality ever - that would be the fourth revolution - but that remains to be seen in a hands-on test. And last but not least, the price ist right. (Those are my words, no marketing stuff, the H3D guys said nothing close to this.)
 
So the H3D is a wonderful dream OR a nightmare, that's just a matter of perspective.
 
For the real freaks and hackers and the lovers of classic software (like Duke3D, Magic Carpet, MDK, Nascar, Hi-Octane, Whiplash, Terminal Velocity, Descent 1+2 and more...) among us it's a bit sad, because we were incredibly close to the PERFECT system. And this perfect system seems to really exist! It exists in the shape of the H3D-developer-version. This developer box got buttons and can do anything. It's the best of both worlds. The consumer version can do anything too, but H3D seems to have done something to it which I would describe as crippling.

I'm certain there will be pattern-hacks for older software titles, just like the Quake-White-Line-Code hack. I also believe there will be people (I already know their names <G>) who will open the consumer H3D-controller-box and try to find out how to equip it with force3D-, mode-select- and stereo-reverse buttons to gear it up for LCD-BIOS, 3D-BIOS, split screen (i.e. Duke3D, prof. software, etc.... ) and whatever stuff you like (guess were you'll find the links to the circuits <g>).

The future of 3D looks brighter than ever now, maybe just not as bright as I hoped for.
 
I'd like to thank the H3D and the Brightland teams for their support.

Christoph: >>>He (John of Brightland Corp.) also told me that "A lined pattern enables and disables each mode type. This pattern only goes up briefly, when stereo is to be enabled/disabled, then goes away."
This reminds me a bit of the dreadful white line code of the Stereographics
SimulEyes, which gives me the gripes.
What happens if the pattern isn't there? Is there a manual override for the
different modes?<<<

Victor of H3D: >>>No starting pattern... No stereo...<<<

Christoph: >>>I very much hope and expect that the H3D syncs to any page-flipping or interlace screen and is compatible to almost any earlier LCD-BIOS and 3D-BIOS software, i.e. Descent 2, Magic Carpet, Nascar....and the rest of the bunch. (Complete list on my webpage.)<<<

Victor of H3D: >>>Should work if you can hack in the pattern... The developer box has buttons
to force stereo...<<<